Tie & Dye

Origin:

One of the traditional methods of printing textiles in India is the Tie and Dye. Some of the other famous patterns are chandokhni, shikhara, barah baag, and bavan baag. The tyeing of cloth with thread and then dying it is the simplest and the oldest form of creating patterns on a plain piece of cloth. It is believed that the birth place of Tie and Dye is Jaipur State of India. According to another belief, it was brought to Kutch by Muslim Khatris from Sindh. According to the another belief, these oldest forms of decorated textiles ware found by the great archaeologist Sir Auriel Stien in Central Asia.

The technique of Tie-and-dye can be done from a saree to a lehnga. Rajasthan is famous for this technique and has a number of tie and dye centers. The most famous centers are Jaipur, Jodhpur and Sikar.

How to do "Tie & Dye":
In this technique, as the name suggests, cloth is first tied according to a predetermined design in different sized knots in a way to prevent the tied area from getting the color when the cloth is dyed. This leaves the cloth with intricate designs in base color. The dying always starts with the lightest color and the dark est shades are given at the end. This form of patterning requires a mastery over dyeing.

Another form of tie and die technique which is famous in Rajasthan is the lahriya and mothra. Here the opposite ends of the length of the cloth are pulled and rolled together. They are tied and dyed in different colors producing diagonal multi-colored lines. When the same process is repeated by using the opposite ends, a check, mothra is created

Materials Required for Tie and dye Technique:
Muslin, handloom or silk cloth, thread, starch, colors, wooden blocks are the commonly used for bandhni.

Key centers of Tie and Dye:
Gujarat or Jamnagar in Saurashtra., Bikaner, Jaipur, Jodhpur, Barmer, Pali, Udaipur and Nathdwara in Rajasthan etc are key centers of Tie and Dye

Common Colors used:

The common colors used in 'Tie and Dye' Technique are red, black ,saffron, yellow, and maroon

Bandhani:
Bandhani, which is a technique of Tie and Dye was introduced in Jamnagar around 400 years ago. It is a dark colored doted pattern on a light background. It is done by dyeing sections of the saree in the desired color with the use of a piece of a felt and then tying. Later it is dyed with the background color. Kutch produces are the finest bandhanis in India and the important bandhani producing centers are Mandvi and Bhuj. The Khatri community of dyers are known for their fine quality of work.