Mokume, or “wood grain” shibori is very similar to karamatsu shibori. Both are space filling techniques that create a ripple effect through stitch spacing. Mokume though, does NOT need to be bilaterally symmetrical and can be used to fill any shape or size space. Instructions: 1. Outline the space to be filled. Laying out the pattern for mokume shibori requires a little planning. One point to consider is the shape you are filling. Unless you use a tight, small stitch lin

Karamatsu, or “larch” patterns are so named for their symmetrical ripple pattern that looks very much like wood grain. It is a cute space filling pattern that can be used to stitch any shape with bilateral symmetry. Traditionally, the shape is round, but squares, diamonds, stars and hearts are all possible! 1. Mark the center point of your stitched shape. 2. Fold the fabric in half on the marked center point. If you are making a shape that is oriented (such as a heart),

Last weekend was Convergence, a biannual meeting of spinners and weavers in North America! The meeting location alternates between the East and West Coasts, this year it was in Reno, Nevada. I am fabric dyer and shibori artist, not a spinner or a weaver, but did manage to get an item into the exhibition – I caused quite a bit of confusion when I brought it in (What? Wait? That’s not weaving!). Even though spinning and weaving aren’t my thing, one afternoon I went to see t

I know, FINALLY! Welcome to part 3 of my ongoing lessons on shibori. This time around I am going to explain basic single and double line ori-nui stitches. Ori nui is a traditional shibori technique based on stitching fabric as a resist. Different types of sewing stitches are set into fabric, pulled tight and dyed. The resist is the compression pressure of the fabric. After dyeing, the thread is removed to expose linear patterns that vary with the type of stitch used. Us

Welcome to Part 2 of my lessons in creating stitched and tied shibori! I wanted to make today’s lesson actual stitching, but discovered that I needed to give a lesson in the materials and equipment used in shibori first! Selecting a needle A quick check online reveals that “shibori needles” can be purchased at most craft stores and online. But a specialty needle is not necessary, and most of these needles are, upon closer investigation, simply sewing needles made in Japan.

Shibori is the ancient Japanese art of tie dyeing. It is a traditional method of decorating textiles in Japan with a 1500-year-old history. It encompasses a wide range of techniques: stitching, binding and tying, wrapping and compressing. Shibori was used on clothing, package wrapping, home décor and even bedding to create elaborate patterns and pictures. It is still used today and continues to thrive as both an art and craft. Today’s technique is called “kumo shibori”, t

Hi, I’m Sumire. Welcome to the blog of Sumire Designs! Writing the very first blog post in my very first blog is tough. I’ve been waffling about what to say for weeks…. Finally, one of my family members said, “Just post something! Anything!” So this is my introduction to my website, shop and blog! I’ll write about a little of everything here - my interests are many. First let me tell you a little about me…. I am a geologist: my thesis is about trace element geochemistr