Team:NEYCFLS China/Tie Dye
- History of Chinese Traditional Tie Dyeing
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Tie-dye has a long history in China. It originated in the Yellow River basin, but the date of its origin is uncertain. But about the origin of tie-dye, there are two kinds, one is that it originated in the Qin and Han Dynasties (no unearthed material). The other is that during the Wei, Jin and Southern and Northern Dynasties, the fabric unearthed from the No. 1 tomb in the sixth district of Astana, Xinjiang province is similar to fangsheng in the tie-dye pattern in Zigong today. The tie-dye technology of the unearthed fabric is mature and has been used in women's clothing.
It is recorded that as early as the Eastern Jin Dynasty, tie-dyed skein products have been produced in large quantities.Have relatively simple small cluster pattern, such as butterfly, wintersweet, begonia, etc.There are also whole patterns, such as small white dots "caviar valian ", dots slightly larger" agate valian ", purple white spots like sika deer "deer fetal valian" and so on.
Tie-dyed products were widely used in the clothing of Han women in the Northern and Southern Dynasties.
In the Tang Dynasty, the heyday of Chinese clothing, people paid special attention to the complicated accessories and fabric patterns.As one of the contributions of the fabric pattern, tie-dye in the Tang Dynasty made the textiles with exquisite skills and rich varieties of twisted patterns popular and more common.
In the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, tie-dye was still flourishing as in the Tang Dynasty. A painting presents a poor scholar who is almost crazy about tie-dyed curtains.It seems that the ancients were more interested in tie-dye than we expected.
Until the Yuan, Ming and Qing dynasties, only local tie-dye had developed.Among them, "shu tie-dye ", is particularly famous.Because of its large production volume and unique artistic style, the shu tie-dye was deeply appreciated by the royal family, so it has a special title and is recorded in the history books.
In the long history from Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties to Yuan, Ming and Qing Dynasties, tie-dye, as one of the methods of making fabric patterns, experienced various stages of germination, development, prosperity, decline and local retention.Up to now, the spread of existing and relatively famous traditional tie-dye techniques such as Zigong tie-dye, Yunnan tie-dye and Nantong tie-dye all provide rich historical materials and artistic practice environment for contemporary tie-dye art lovers, which are worthy of our admiration and treasure.
There are three main methods for tie-dyeing: Pinch dyeing method, binding method and stitching method.
First, pinch dyeing is to use two chopsticks or clamps to clamp the cloth together, so that the sandwiched area will not be soaked by the dye to produce a pattern. The fabric is best folded in zigzag, so that the dyed area is larger and dyed evenly. Otherwise, it won’t be dyed.
The binding method is more casual, but be careful not to tie it too hard, if you tie it up without leaving a gap, a big white circle may come out. You can also put a little stone coin in the middle of the cloth and tie it together to give the effect of a ring.
The stitching method is more complex, because it can be made into concrete patterns. But relatively speaking, it also takes a long time.
- Preparing the Dye.
Indigo ( [2(2′)E]-[2,2′-Biindolylidene]-3,3′(1H,1′H)-dione ) has a very low solubility in water due to its hydrogen bonds in the molecule, so we have to convert it into a more soluble leucoindigo ( [2(2′)E]-[2,2′-Biindolylidene]-3,3′(1H,1′H)-diol ) before dyeing. To do this, we add a base and a reducing agent to the water before dyeing. For example, in our experimental process, we add indigo into an aqueous solution of 3M sodium hydroxide and add 10% sodium dithionite until all the indigo dissolves.
- Entering the Fabric.
When the fabric is saturated in the dye, the apertures play a capillary role, allowing the cloth to me filled with the dye solution. Capillary movement is a phenomenon exhibited between the capillaries and the liquid beneath it. The walls of capillary will give the liquid a force, drafting it to raise towards the wall's side. Meanwhile, the cohesion between hydrones ensure that there won't be a fault between them, causing the water column to raise, and allowing dye solution to go into the fabric.
- How Patterns are Formed.
Density is one of the determining factor of the velocity of molecular diffusion, when the density rises, the velocity will fall. When this phenomena is applied to bandhnu, it is reflected as sticks are tied between the two side of the cloth, then when the cloth is submerged into the dye liquor, the liquor won't go into the area which is clamped by stickes, thus form the patterns.
- Staying on the Fabric.
After the molecules enter the fabric, the amines and hydroxyls form hydrogen bonds with the receptors, we take out the fabric, letting the oxygen in the air react with our leucoindigo, converting the hydroxyls back to carbonyls, retaining the hydrogen bonds, turning the color back to blue, and allowing the indigo molecules to stay on the fabric.
Because of this method of staying on the fabric, only a small variety of fabrics can be used for dyeing. These fabrics must have hydrogen bond receptors, such as cotton, wool, or nylon 66.
- Interview with Xu Zhao
In order to better understand the development prospects of the tie-dye industry, our human practice team approached Xu Zhao. Xuzhao is Chinese tie-dye craftsman, who was rated as a non-genetic inheritor of Shenyang district-level plant dyeing skills.
Our discussion with Xu Zhao
1.What does traditional tie-dye reveal about Chinese culture?
TTD shows Chinese ancestors’ pursuit for art. It is the most ancient form of Chinese drawing and shows the creativity and wisdom of the ancient Chinese.
The technique for dyeing and fixing both serve as bases for today’s rudimentary design and arts. TTD uses only simple material like string and wooden clips, yet from these simple tools formed thousands of tie-dyeing techniques. As TTD makes people explore their creative minds as they create art, it also promotes patience and scrutiny, as the complicated patterns can be easily messed up if not careful; every step requires the undivided attention of the creator.
2.Future prospects for the traditional tie-dying industry?
It can be used for things like indoor decor, clothes, and cultural artifacts. In fact, TTD can be applied onto almost all materials found in nature.
3.Problems faced by today’s traditional tie-dyeing industry
The production is slow, as it yields few products at once and each piece requires a long time to make.
- Advantages and Disadvantages of Plant Dyeing
- The current situation of the plant tie-dyeing industry.
As far as our research goes, we have not found any large corporations in China promoting traditional Chinese plant tie-dyeing. However, there are numerous workshops and channels dedicated towards the cause of teaching more people about the history, techniques, and cultural value of plant tie-dyeing.
- The problems that the traditional plant tie dyeing industry faces.
First, since the raw material is the plant from nature, producing excessive tie-dye products will directly lead to the shortage of isatis root and harm the environment. The material for plant tie-dye is difficult to obtain, since they need large fields to grow, and are not available year-round. The excessive cut down of isatis root will cause detrimental effects in barren fields. In addition, the wasted material will be directly released to streams and lakes nearby. The indigo is blue, so it will pollute the water for industrial and daily uses.
The second remaining question is the application of different flower types: big patterns and small patterns. To be specific, large patterns can stabilize bulk goods on fabric tie-dyeing, but when changing into small patterns, pipettes are required. If the small pattern is applied in producing bulk goods, the price and time consumed will definitely increase and cause incessant troubles for industries to produce in such large amounts. In addition, some patterns are only suitable for tie-dyeing clothes, not for tie-dyeing fabrics.
Third, it is not easy to connect the traditional craftswomen of Yunnan to our society. Most of the craftswomen do not leave their villages, meaning they have little to none connection to the outside world. Communication can be difficult, and if any workshop wants to bring these craftswomen out of their homes for further learning, they might be turned down, and even if they weren’t, they would face the difficulty of taking care of these craftswomen, which includes providing food, living spaces, and helping them get around.
Fourth , plant tie-dyeing is much less efficient than industrial dye. Plant tie-dyeing is made purely by hand, which is a lot more time-consuming than industrial tie-dyeing, and requires more hands.
- Vegetation Dyeing Analysis
- Advantages.
Plant is dyed contain have a plenty of pure natural plant element, do not contain any chemical substance, it is harmless to human body so, the circumstance that also won't make human body has allergy happens even, the original fresh ingredient that maintained herbaceous essence. It also reduces the discharge of dyeing wastewater.
2. Plant dyeing ingredients contain cellulose, vitamins, anthocyanins and other polysaccharides, have a protective effect on the human body, but also can bring people a sense of psychological pleasure.
3. After dyeing, the color of clothes is natural.
4. Plants with insect control, antibacterial effect, natural health care, can let the moth at a respectful distance. It has a certain preventive and therapeutic effect on some skin diseases, which chemical dyes do not have, especially suitable for children's clothes, underwear, shoes and socks, car interior, luggage, indoor, bedding and so on.
5. The residue of vegetation dyeing can be explained or reused to protect the environment. Plant dye in the process of making, after the extraction of plant pigment, there will be a lot of residue, these residues after certain treatment, can be natural degradation, can also become a high quality fertilizer on the plant, so there will be no waste.
- References
Chinese Traditional Tie-Dyeing and Mechanisms
