Creative Designing of Fabric Patterns by Tie-Dyeing with Synthetic Dyes

Abstract

Tie and dye are a resist method of fabric decoration where patterns are skillfully introduced on plain fabrics through tying and dyeing with synthetic dyes. Hot synthetic dyes were used in this study due to their advantage in terms of color variety, brightness and fastness. This study produced fabric pattern designs by tie and dyeing with hot water dyes which are good in terms of colorfastness. Different types, forms, techniques, and processes of creating unique patterns by tie and dyeing was done. Basic tie-dyeing methods twisting, folding, pleating, wrapping, crumbling and sewing were then used to create new patterns when dyeing each color. Though tie and dye as a technique is familiar to many people, exploration in terms of the unique fabric patterns design has not been done especially in Kenya thus making us to get the tie-dyed fabrics from the international market. This paper therefore creatively introduced unique patterns on fabrics through folding, twisting, crumpling and tie and dye. The fabric patterns formed are very unique compared to what is available in the Kenyan market. The tie-dyed fabrics can be used in designing and developing fashion items like men’s shirts, ladies wear, ladies handbags, and scuffs. The methodology involved aims at creating unique fabric patterns that were done through folding, twisting, crumpling, and tying, followed by preparation of the dye bath and then dyeing the prepared fabrics.