Welcome to part two of my This vs That series, where I compare aspects of natural dyeing. Today we’re going to look at different options for making our fabric eco-print bundles – rolling vs folding.
Eco-printing requires the leaves or other dyestuff to be held in place against the fabric. We can do this by either rolling or folding the fabric up. Neither option is better, but they both have distinct benefits and disadvantages. Let’s explore these!
Rolled bundles
For this bundle type, you place leaves all over one side of a piece of clothing, then roll it up. As you roll, the other side will come into contact with the leaves you just placed, ensuring both sides end up with leaf prints. Once completely rolled up, you hold the roll together by tying it tightly with string.
Benefits of rolling
- It’s a simple technique that only requires some string (although you may also use a wrapping cloth, and a stick or other item to roll around).
- Rolling is great for all over patterns like the baby onesie below.
- Rolled bundles take up less space in the dye pot than folded bundles
- Cooking rolled bundles in the dye bath creates really lovely sections of resist lines where the string was.
Downsides of rolling
- It’s hard to roll a bundle completely smoothly, which leads to cracks in the final prints wherever the fabric got slightly folded.
- A really large piece of fabric can take a lot time to tie with string once it is rolled up. For these, I would fold the fabric in half or thirds before you roll, to create a shorter bundle. This is more of a fusion of folding and rolling, which I’ll discuss further below.
Folded bundles
For this bundle type, you place your dyestuff, fold up the fabric and then press it between two tiles (kitchen/bathroom tiles) before tying with string.
Benefits of folding
- It’s easier to get clear prints from folded bundles, as long as you place the leaves carefully. Folding is far less likely to cause creases than rolling is.
- Cooking folded bundles in a dye bath can create wonderful patterned sections like those shown below. Folding in different ways (triangle, square or rectangle folds, large or small folds) all create interesting variations.
Downsides of folding
- It requires fussy leaf placement if you want all the leaves to remain within the folds rather than extending beyond.
- Folded bundles pressed between tiles require a larger cooking pot than rolled bundles. If you have large tiles, it can be hard to find a pot that will fit them.
Folded rolled fusion
A third type of bundle I sometimes do is a fusion of these two methods. If you don’t have tiles, you can fold the bundle up, and then roll it in the final stage. This creates a more compact rolled bundle that isn’t as long. OR you can roll up your bundle, and then fold it in half or in thirds before tying with string. These fusion bundles can look fantastic cooked in dye baths.
Want to see folding or rolling in action?
If you need some visual examples of folding/rolling bundles, or would like to learn more, I cover these topics in my ecourses.
- For the most thorough look at the basic rolling technique, check out Intro to Cotton.
- For a focus on folding and cooking in dye baths to create patches of colour around your leaf prints, Wool and Shibori is a great choice.
- If you’re interested in advanced folding and rolling techniques, to create experimental pieces like the one below, you’ll love Leaf and String.
Thanks for joining me, and I’d love to know – how do you create your eco-print bundles? Are you team roll, team fold, or do you pick and choose based on each particular project? Please let me know in the comments!
