Shibori eco-printing on cotton

Following on from my recent post about combining shibori dyeing and eco-printing on wool, here are some similar effects achieved on cotton. I really enjoy combining organic eco-prints with geometric grids or lines from shibori dyeing methods.

Liquidambar leaves eco-printed on cotton with iron and alum mordants

This pattern was created by folding the tshirt up into a small bundle, adding liquidambar and Japanese maple leaves as I went. Then I tied it tightly with string and submerged it in a dye bath of eucalyptus bark and iron, cooking it for about 1 hour. The fabric was mordanted with homemade iron and alum mordants, following the instructions in my ebook, Gum Leaf Alchemy.

Cotton naturally dyed with eucalyptus leaves and bark

Here is a close up of a similar pattern, this time with eucalyptus leaves and an iron mordant. The large section of lines show which part of the tshirt ended up on the outside of the bundle, wrapped tightly with string. There are smaller sections of lines where other parts of the tshirt were also on the outside of the bundle, because of how it was folded.

Creating a geometric grid overlaid with eucalyptus leaf eco-prints

This long-sleeved tshirt was also folded up, but into a smaller bundle which was pressed between two square pieces of hardwood. This helped to create a very even, geometric pattern to contrast with the organic shape of the leaf prints. This piece was also mordanted with iron and alum.

Rose leaves eco-printed on cotton by Gumnut Magic

This piece of fabric was mordanted with iron, covered in rose leaves and folded into large squares. I pressed the fabric between 2 tiles, clipped the tiles together then submerged the bundle in a dye bath and cooked it.

If you would like to come back to this idea later, you can pin the below image.

Examples of cotton clothing naturally dyed with 2 different techniques: shibori and eco-printing

3 thoughts on “Shibori eco-printing on cotton”

  1. Hi Louise
    Beautiful work! I try so hard to get your clean lines. I will try using wooden boards. I have also been experimenting with dye baths made from weeds, lately. Corky passion fruit (with some alum and iron water) yielded a rather beautiful lime green. If it keeps its colour I might go on to try some lantana. It’s got to be good for something and the bushland will benefit. Ever tried weeds?

    1. I love using weeds. As you say, it is a practise that can help bushland as well as give us some interesting and beautiful results. My favourite is St John’s wort.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *