India: Turmeric Dyed-Shibori Tied

 

Turmeric-dye slipped easily into our Silk Road Study, as one of India's beloved, anti-inflammatory and gorgeously hued spices.

The results? Stunning, naturally.

The key is to find cloth that is cotton. Natural fibers take well to plant-dyes, where perhaps chemical dyes were discovered once man started creating synthetic cloth?

I had some scraps of cheesecloth I use to make Herbed Cheeseballs, so we tore them into sections for a total of four pieces.

Creating the dye is simple. Fill a large pot with water and about 1/4 cup of turmeric (powder). Bring the pot to a boil and allow it to simmer while studying the Japanese technique, Shibori to fold and tie cloth.

Once everyones cloth was bound with elastic, we dropped them into the pot and continued to simmer for about 45 minutes. Guessing the longer you simmer, the deeper the hue, although perhaps there is a limit to how dark the turmeric can stain.

I left the pieces in the pot for the remainder of the day. Before bed, I squeezed out the excess dye and left the pieces tied, in a bowl overnight. The next morning, the kids untied their work to reveal their designs!

We use turmeric every. single, day. Recipes abound here. in salad dressings, drinks, curries and as dyes for playdough, cake batter and handmade art supplies.