SUPPLIES & TOOLS:
• White Turkish 100% Cotton Beach Towel
• Rit All-Purpose Dye: Denim Blue & Navy
• Dishwashing liquid
• Rubber band
• Cotton twine
• 15.5 Litres (4-Gallon) plastic tub or bucket
• Measuring cup
• Plastic or metal stirring spoon
• Salt
• Liquid dish detergent
• Rubber gloves
• Paper towels
• Plastic table cover
• Mild detergent
• Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative (recommended)
DIRECTIONS:
1. Cover table with plastic. Gather supplies.
2. Pre-wash beach towel with detergent, rinse and leave wet.
3. To create a traditional kanoko pattern, pinch the center portion of the towel and hold it in the air, letting the 4 corners drop.
4. About ½” from the pinched center, wrap towel tightly with a rubber band.
5. Then continue by wrapping cotton twine in a crisscross pattern down the length of the towel. Pattern will vary based on the spacing and wrapping of the twine. This will result in a long towel wrapped with cotton twine.
The Kanoko shibori style is one of the easier Shibori techniques to duplicate because it only requires some twine. Plus, it is the most similar to tie dyeing.
6. Set aside wrapped towel to prepare the dyebath.
7. To prepare dyebath: Fill large dye container with 11.4 litres (3 gallons) very hot tap water (60ºC or 140F). If water is not hot enough, heat some water in a cook pot or teapot. Shake dye bottles before pouring. Wearing rubber gloves, add ½ cup Denim Blue dye and approximately 2 tablespoons Navy dye to hot water.
8. For cotton fabrics, add 1 cup of salt to dyebath. This helps to intensify the colour. Then add a squirt of liquid dish detergent. Stir well.
9. Test dye colour by dipping a paper towel into the dyebath. If colour is too light, add more dye (add more Navy for a darker blue); if colour is too dark, add more water.
10. Immerse wrapped towel into the dyebath. For a high contrast pattern, keep the wrapped towel in the dye for about 3 to 5 minutes to keep the wrapped part dye-free. For more colour and less white areas, let the wrapped towel set in the dyebath for 10 to 20 minutes.
11. When desired colour is achieved, remove the wrapped towel from the dyebath. Squeeze off excess dye. Do not remove cotton twine.
12. Recommended: To enhance the colour and reduce colour bleeding, use Rit Rit ColorStay Dye Fixative immediately after dyeing and before washing, following package instructions. Let wrapped towel set in fixative for 20 minutes.
13. Carefully remove rubber band and twine from the beach towel and unfold.
14. Rinse beach towel in cool water until rinse water begins to run clear.
15. Then wash beach towel in warm water with mild detergent by hand or in washing machine with an old towel, rinse and dry.
16. Hit the pool or beach and enjoy!