Archives for category: fabric

L80xH80xW60mm, China

Cloth tiger is a common toy for children in China.  Though we have all kinds of monstrous toys on the market nowadays, it would seems strange for a folk toy to be based on a vicious animal like the tiger.  In the days when life in less protected against nature and disease, the Chinese look on the tiger as a symbol of strength, bravery and good health.  The cloth tiger becomes a symbol of protection and a blessing for the young.  On the 5th of the lunar month of may, the day when ritual would be performed for plague prevention, faces of the children will be painted yellow with tiger pattern for extra protection.  Cloth tiger would be given to a child 3 days after its birth, on its 100 days birthday, 1st and 2nd birthdays and on Chinese New Year as a blessing to the child.

Textile Width 880mm, China

These tie dye are from the Bei minority tribe.  It is started with a white piece of cotton cloth, the pattern are marked, area for the pattern are then tied tightly together with threads.  When the tying is done, the cloth is first dipped into clear water and then in the dye, it is then hang to let dry and dye again, the dyeing process will take several days to complete.  After dyeing, the cloth is soaked in clear water to remove any excess dye, the threads are removed and the cloth washed and the cloth stretch out.  The white pattern are the are kept out from the dye from the tightly tied knots.  The dark  blue is the colour traditionally used for Bei tribe tie dye, we have requested for the additional colour to be made (all colours are traditional vegetable dye used by the Bei minority)

 Textile Width 750mm, China

Discharge dyeing works with the removal of the dye originally applied to the fabric.  In this case, it was originally a red piece of fabric using a dye remover was applied through a stencil resulting in a pattern of the red colour.  This technique was introduced into China in the 50s which became very popular in the rural area.  Traditional fabric dyeing technique in China are based on vegetable dye where the intensity of the colour will run through time and wash.  Discharge dyeing was most welcomed as the colour stays and the patterns are fine.  This fabric has a butterfly and flower print.