Tie dyeing is a method that requires folding or scrunching the material into a pattern and securing it with rubber bands. The dye is then applied to the fabric. When the rubber bands are removed the areas that are scrunched up will be without color. This method is a lot of fun for people of all ages, and it was very popular in the 60's and 70's. Remember the fabric can be folded in different ways to create different patterns. It can also be twisted in a spiral to create a spiral. Tie dying is a fun way to experiment with negative space, and it can be done cheaply and easily at home.
Batik is a slightly more complicated method of "resistance dyeing" that I am very interested in (Young, 1972, p. 204). Batik requires the use of wax to block dye from reaching the fabric. When using a brush to apply wax the "wax should be applied hot enough so that it will penetrate the cloth fairly evenly and not just spread out over the surface of the fabric in a crust or the dye will seep through it" (Young, 1972, p. 208). Next dye the fabric in a cold water dye and hang to dry. In order to remove the wax, "cover your ironing board with newspaper and, while the piece is still slightly damp, lay it on the ironing board, put a layer of newspaper over it, and begin to iron very carefully" (Young, 1972, p.209). Continue to change newspapers and keep your iron hot enough to melt the wax. When no more wax seems to be coming out on the newspaper submerge the fabric into a pot of boiling water; this will remove the last bits of wax (Young, 1972). The fun part about batik is that you can repeat the process over and over until you have many layers of color.
Both of these methods of resistance are a lot of fun, and they can be done easily in the comfort of your own home so find some old clothes and revamp them with these techniques!
References:
Young, J. (1972). Woodstock craftsman manual. New York, NY: Praeger Publishers.
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