I’m usually drawn to neutrals and blush tones when it comes to textiles, but I’m also an avid cook and generally sort of messy person. When I make messes, it’s my poor light colored towels that bear the brunt of my spilled spaghetti sauce and red wine. So in the interest of ruining fewer pretty towels, I decided it was time for some darker ones. Enter shibori! These kitchen towels were so much easier to dye than I thought they’d be, and, come on, those deep indigo tones are too dreamy! I just might have a new favorite color.
Supplies:
–a shibori dye kit
-a dye vat or 5-gallon bucket
-gloves
–cotton towels, washed to remove any chemicals
-a spoon or stick for stirring (It won’t be food safe once it’s been in the dye!)
-a variety of rubber bands, wood squares, clothespins, plastic tubing for binding
–synthapol detergent
-a tarp or plastic sheeting (optional, if you don’t have a lawn to work on)
Start by filling the vat with warm water and wetting the towels—this helps them absorb the dye. Wring them out and set aside. Prepare the dye according to the directions that come with your shibori kit (I recommend using the dye kit linked above—everything was clearly labeled and very easy to mix). Take care not to stir the vat too much, and always keep it covered when you’re not mixing or dyeing!
The dye needs to sit for 20-30 minutes before it’s ready to use, giving you time to bind your towels. Binding is how patterns are created—any space left exposed will be dyed, while anything you cover up stays white. I created the pattern above by randomly attaching clothespins to a towel, which created cute little pairs of squares. Learn from my mistake and only use new or completely dry clothespins! When I tried to recreate this pattern with still-wet pins, I ended up with squares that were less defined.
Here I used thick rubber bands to create irregular circles. Making the rubber bands as tight as possible prevents bleeding into the white areas.
I folded this one like an accordion and added grouped clothespins. If I were to do this one again, I’d fold a skinnier accordion for more pattern on the towel! The inside of the towel didn’t get as much dye as the outside, so I’m recommending that if you make a lot of folds, leave the towel in the vat a few extra minutes.
Here, I wrapped a towel diagonally around a plastic tube, then wrapped string tightly around the whole thing. It didn’t turn out the way I thought it would, but still created a cool pattern!
I love how this one turned out! I used some plastic packaging that was laying around to create a big circle design. I tightly rubber banded over the plastic and the inside stayed completely white. And now onto the actual dyeing part…
When the dye is ready to use, begin dipping the towels—this vat was large enough to fit a couple towels at once. If the towels float, use a gloved hand to keep them submerged for 2-4 minutes. When you remove the towels from the vat, squeeze out excess dye and lay on the tarp or grass. They look green at first, but will start to turn a deep indigo shade within a couple minutes. That’s oxidization at work! Let the towels oxidize for at least 20 minutes before unbinding or dyeing again.
When wet, the towels are a very deep indigo color that lightens significantly when dry. You can dye the towels a second or third time if you want a darker blue. I just dipped my towels once and was happy with their medium-dark shade. Once you’re done dyeing and oxidizing, remove your binding materials and hang the towels on a line or lay them out flat to dry completely. Rinse the towels in cold water, and then launder with synthapol following the directions on the bottle to keep the indigo from bleeding when the towels get wet.
I absolutely love how my towels turned out! They add a lovely pop of color to my kitchen, and, most importantly, stains don’t show on the indigo! So they’ll look brand new for a long time no matter how much stuff I spill while cooking. I only wish I hadn’t waited so long to try shibori dyeing. Using a kit made the whole process super easy! If you give this tutorial a try, show me your shibori with #AMBcrafty. xo, Kayleigh
20 Comments
I love these so much! I’m definitely going to try it out. I’ve been looking for new kitchen towels because mine have just about seen the end of their time… SO dirty. And I’ve been wanting to get more crafty! So this looks like a win-win
It was so much fun spending that morning DIYing with you Kayleigh. I love how your pictures tuned out. Man, you’re making my garden (and hands) famous!
I’ve been using my towels non stop and love them! I actually like that they’re so big. Perfect to dry dishes, sponge spills, or wrap fruit and cookies for a snack furoshiki-style.
I can’t wait to share more experiments with you.
xx
– Chloe
This shade of blue is SO BEAUTIFUL.
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This is so cool! I need to try this!
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These look just like Cyanotypes which I used to do at uni studying photography! I bet you could make teatowels in the same way you would make a Cyanotype too! You should look it up. You cover the plain teatowel completely in the two mixed chemicals, lay it out in the sun (the chemicals need UV light to work) place ANYTHING on top of the teatowel, and leave for a few hours. Wash off and you’ll have bright blue teatowels with whatever you want imprinting on to them!
Let me know if you give it a try! 😀
That’s a great idea! I’ll have to look into that technique some more and give it a try next time.
These are lovely. Have you found that there is any bleeding from the towels due to the dye? Will definitely give them a go but my only worry would be that they would run or smudge onto kitchen surfaces.
Hey Hannah, I have white appliances and countertops and haven’t noticed any bleeding! Just make sure you do the synthrapol detergent wash before using the towels (or laundering them with anything else) – it seems to take care of any excess dye really well! 🙂
These are really pretty Kayleigh!!!
xx- Elsie
thanks, Elsie!! 🙂
Absolutely love this! I’m dying to do some fun projects this summer and this is going on the list!
They look beautiful, I just love this shade of blue, it’s so intense!
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Wow this looks so cute.
That looks so beautiful and fun to do.
Hi- can you update the link to the dye kit you used? It seems to just link to Amazon, not the specific product. Thanks!!
Sorry about that! Here’s the link: http://amzn.to/2oPHnQD 🙂
Newbie to fabric dye here! Do you have to use synthapol detergent every time you launder them? Or is that just a one time thing?
Hi Bethany, it’s just that first time! I’ve been washing mine normally since then and they haven’t bled at all! Just to be on the safe side though, I’ve been washing them with other dark colors. 🙂
I have so many stained towels for the kitchen that this seems like the perfect thing to put a little life back in them! The blue is so vibrant and will add some color to my white kitchen!
Juliette | https://namastaytraveling.com/
My parents would LOVE this. They’re hardcore fans of Japan – they fly there once a month for vacation. Actually, this would make the perfect Mother’s Day gift!
Charmaine Ng | Architecture & Lifestyle Blog
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