Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Tie dye or Bandhani

Tie and dye is one of the traditional dyeing styles in Pakistan, one of traditional form of tie dying began some 5000 years ago and called as bandhani or Chunri. This technique involves tying small dots with thread all over the fabric to create designs and motifs. After tying the fabric is dyed then the ties are removed and a beautiful pattern form on the fabric. Most popular material to use is cotton as its soft and easy to handle but now a day more fabric are used like silk, georgette, chiffon and Katan. 
Let me tell you the method how the artisans of East World Market make beautiful scarves.

Mostly Artisans work from their homes with pieces of malmal (fine muslin), handloom or silk fabric. Usually the cloth is first bleached and then folded into two or four layers depending on the thickness of the cloth. An artisan with sense of designing and called in local language rangara or designer who marks the layout of the pattern on the material using wooden blocks dipped in geru, a burnt sienna color mixed with water. The artisans then begin to tie the cloth part which is not to be dyed. The folds of the material within the small motif are lifted and tied together. The material with the first set of ties is dyed yellow. There is also a process, of dyeing parts of the material by hand - lipai technique (surface dying). The material is again tied and dyed into red or green. If the border has to be darker all the lighter parts are tied and covered with plastics the edges are dyed with the required colors. Repeated tying and dyeing produces elaborate designs. There is another method in which the artisans first draw a pattern or design on a tracing paper and make holes with wool needle all over the design. The cotton cloth is bleached and silk is washed, the fabric to be dyed with this method is spread on a long table covered with old newspaper or rough paper sheet as underlay. In the been time another artisan make a mixture of red clay  and kerosene oil and apply this on the tracing paper lying on the fabric. This is the pattern making or marks where the threads are tied on fabric.
Artisan use different ways to mark the pattern for tying sometimes they use the holes pattern method or use a wooden block to make the impression with detailed motif or tie lentils (dals )to get a star burst pattern, the fabric within the motif are lifted and tied after dying take place and they removed the ties threads by pulling the cloth and holding on both side when open a beautiful pattern form on the fabric with showing a ray of colors and white dots clearly seen making an impressive design.
The process of tie and dye in earlier times was done with the use of basic colors extracted from plants like the shellac was used for reds, turmeric for yellow, Iron shavings and vinegar for black, and pomegranate rinds for green but now they prefer to tie dye  with dyes powders.
There are other methods to do tie dye without tying the fabric and just by folding the cloth into different angles. And it’s called the Leheria pattern - literally meaning waves. These are harmoniously arranged diagonal stripes, dye in the bright colors of yellow and red, green and blue or yellow.

In Pakistan different region has different patterns, designs. The dyeing and printing of textiles has become a highly developed craft in Pakistan.
Mostly these two type of dying are  done on dupattas(scarves).This is the essence of the art form which need advance planning and detail work and then the intricate patterns show. This art form reflects an essence of royalty and is created as per the custom order from clients. In big and small cities of Pakistan you can see small dyers shop offering different type of printing and dying services on minimal charges.
 Let’s discuss some of the easier designs first so that everyone can try them and become familiar with the different results.
To start, soak the fabric to be dyed in a soda ash solution (1/2 cup soda ash per gallon of water), agitating it for five to ten minutes. Remove the fabric and wring it out thoroughly; the fabric is then ready to fold. Tying cloth soaked in soda ash can be hard on the skin, so use tight gloves that give you dexterity such as surgical gloves. The right wetness is very important to the final results of the item. If the fabric is too wet, the dye becomes diluted and a washed-out look will result. If the item is too dry, the dye will not penetrate into the cloth and there will be large irregular white areas. If the items are tied dry, they can be dampened before dying. To test dampness, squeeze the item firmly. There should be no water dripping. Locals called different designs in their own language like charkhana, lehrai, boota &booti, bhandhi.  

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1 comment:

  1. Which Province of Pakistan is famous for bandhani Dye work?

    ReplyDelete