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Project
Kimono
An
effort to redesign the kimono and make it easy to wear
By
Laura Nisbet
Continued from previous page:
Project Kimono
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Taking
a basic block shape, I have inserted a pleat that would start
at the middle or one shoulder and crisscross the body like a
waterfall. It
would start with tiny pleats that go down the body gradually,
getting bigger, until they fall down to create a unique
effect on the kimono.
I have
been continuing to experiment with Shibori this week
and have achieved some good results.
This
is an example of the Arashi technique for which I used
white velvet. The texture is created by attaching the fabric
width wise around a large pole and then scrunching it up into
little pleats which are held in place by string. The dyes are
then painted on.
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This is the sample that I mentioned earlier
that was dried in the oven. If steam dried the little creases
should turn black to give a very striking effect.
I
think this effect would work well as a large cuff or collar
pattern against a plain body, rather than using it for
the whole garment.
The
Itajime fabric technique is created by sandwiching the
fabric in between two shapes and then
wrapping the excess fabric around the shape with
string. What should happen is that the
areas covered by the shapes should remain white and the
rest of the fabric dyes. The fabric was immersed and simmered
in the dye for about 20 minutes.
I used cardboard
for cut outs for my shapes which in the triangle
pattern gave a nice subtle effect but for the
circles, wasn’t strong enough and lead to a bit of
bleeding to get a really sharp shape. I think
it would be better to use a wooden or plastic shape,
something less porous than cardboard.
The
other technique that I have tried this week is Meander - this
involves folding the fabric then
tying it into little bobble knots to create an effect. I
used yellow, which against a
natural cotton didn’t work very well, but it does create a
nice effect and once
the color has been set, others can be dyed on top to give
interesting effects. Related:
Project
kimono to redesign the traditional Japanese dress
Chirimen
Virginia
Fitzgerald Dress Project |
