Itajime Scarf #1

Here is an example of Itajime, which is a process of folding, binding and dip-dyeing. This scarf is made of silk noil, and dyed with madder root, logwood, onion skins, and cochineal.

Folded Scarf before Dyeing

Dip Dyed Itajime Scarf

Finished Itajime Scarf

Itajime Scarf Detail

A Painted & Eco-Print Scarf , and a Peek at the Process

As promised, here's a peek at the process behind my hand-dyed, eco-print scarves...

To prepare for a painted textile, first the fabric is washed, and then mordanted. You can use whatever mordant you like, or none at all. Mordanting improves lightfastness and brightness of colors, so I almost always pre-mordant my fabrics.

In the Studio

After mordanting, the fabric can be painted with the natural dye colors. The 'paints' are either produced from natural dye extracts, or from a concentrated dyestuff bath. I don't use any thickening agents, because I am not after imagery or pattern making. At the moment, I like for the dye to have a life of its own, in combination with the natural dye stuff that I place on top of the fabric. In the image above you can see the flowers and onion skins laying on top of the painted background.

Steaming the Silk

Once the fabric is painted, it is rolled up and steamed for about an hour. The heat produced from this part of the process does effect the final colorway of the fabric. For example, above, the mustard yellow color (Madder Root), turns to coral red after reaching a certain temperature trough steaming. In the finished scarf photos below, you can see there is no more mustard color. The other important aspect to steaming the fabric is it helps fix the color into the fabric.

Once the steaming process is finished, I usually allow the fabric to remain wrapped up in the fabric for a couple of days so that the fresh dyestuff I laid on top of the fabric have a chance to extract their color. Last step is to wash out the fabric.

Below are pics of the final piece.

Scarf #3 View of the entire scarf.

Scarf #3 View 1

Scarf #3 View 2

Scarf #3 Scarf worn as a Sarong

Painted & Eco-print Scarves

Here are a couple of hand-painted & eco-print ahimsa silk scarves. All the colors are from plant materials, and cochineal. I finish these scarves with a hand rolled hem, which is more time consuming, but worth it because the sewing thread is nearly invisible -unlike a sewing machine hem. I'll be producing a number of these scarves for an upcoming design fair here in Berlin, so in a later post I'll put up some pics showing the process.

Scarf #1, View 1

Scarf #1, view of the entire piece.

Scarf #2, View 1

Scarf #2, view of the entire piece (approx. 1 x 2 m)

Scarf #2, View 2

Some New Tinctub Scarves

Here's a collection of scarves I completed recently. Thought I'd post a pic. There's a description of each of the colors below.

All scarves have been naturally dyed. From left to right: cochineal & madder, chamomile, logwood, onion skins, quebracho red, chamomile, cochineal & madder, indigo, quebracho red & alkanet root, chamomile. The fabrics are all 100% silk: chiffon, charmeuse, noil, or crepe de chine.

Pica Pica & Tinctub

New collaborative work with Pica Pica www.picapica.de
Hand-sewn Ahimsa Silk Dress by Pica Pica Berlin.
Naturally dyed with Chamomile and Logwood by Tinctub.

Photo Credit: Maike Ammann

Tinctub: The Dye Room

My Collection of Natural Dyes

The Tub

The Cooking Bench

The Drying Area

About Tinctub

Tinctub is a Berlin-based natural dye studio run by Kristen Cooper. Tinctub uses natural, sustainable materials, such as bark, leaves, roots, seeds, fruits and flowers, to produce a wide spectrum of unique, vibrant colors on natural fabrics and fiber.Tinctub provides custom dyeing of yarn and fabrics, as well as, workshops, and collaborations with artists and designers.

Tinctub ist eine in Berlin ansässige Pflanzenfärberei von Kristen Cooper. Tinctub nutzt natürliche, nachhaltige Materialien wie Rinde, Blätter, Wurzeln, Samen, Früchte und Blumen, um ein breites Spektrum von einzigartigen, lebendigen Farben auf natürlichen Stoffen und Fasern herzustellen.Tinctub bietet kundenspezifisches Färben von Garnen und Stoffen, sowie Workshops, und Kooperationen mit Künstlern und Designern.