Customer Reviews

Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing : Tradition Techniques Innovation

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If you have one book on Shibori, this should be the one (reviewers opinion)! Yoshiko Wada covers the scope of Shibori, its history, artists and techniques with expertise and beautiful photos. There are only a handful of books on traditional shibori in English. Here you will find an easy to read, well laid out format. Techniques are covered with clear, detailed instructions and diagrams. This is most helpful for beginners yet allows the advanced to become more proficient and precise. Complimenting the above are excellent color photos; close-ups of patterns (a vast selection), garments, ancient, traditional and contemporary artists and their works. Yoshiko's book takes the reader from the historical through creating a completed piece of art. Fact: This reviewer was introduced to this book in an art class. Five years later, now a shibori artist, I still use Yoshiko's book on an almost daily basis. The wealth of information she provides is invaluable as both guide and reference. Thank you Yoshiko and Amazon for offering this book.

This book must be The Definitive volume on Shibori. It contains a wealth of information on the creation and development of the art, background information on the culture which nourished it, and biographical information on some of the principle artists responsible for its evolution. The illustrations are at least as impressive as the text. The book contains hundreds of photographs, both of completed garments and of swatches created through the use of the various techniques detailed in the book. The instructions for re-creating those patterns are clearly explained and easy to follow. Most remarkably, this book would serve equally well as a reference work or even a "coffee-table" book for those with an interest in textile art or art history, or as a manual for the textile artist. Although it is costly, the book represents an excellent value since it would take a lifetime (literally) to begin to exhaust the creative possiblities presented in it. It is a most worthwhile investment.

This book is a thorough and exhaustive study of the art and techniques of shibori, the Japanese style of what is popularly known as tie dye. What this book will show you, however, goes far beyond the simple craft we associate with T shirts. In Japan techniques of stitching, tying, or clamping fabric produce designs of enormous complexity and beauty. The descriptions are detailed and accompanied by photographs and drawings that clearly show both the pattern and the technique used to achieve it. In addition color illustrations show completed pieces, both traditional and modern. Whether you want to try this craft or simply enjoy the art of beautiful textiles, this book is the one to get. It is unfortunate that it has never been published in a less expensive edition, but there is no other book on shibori that is even faintly equivalent.

I love this book, it is a great inspiration! Each time I pick it up, I see something new and artistic in the techniques. The illustrations, photos, examples, and steps are wonderfully laid out. It is well worth the cost, as one can tell there was much passion put into completing the book. It is a favorite!

In the spring or early summer of 2003 the Surface Design Conference was held in Kansas City sponsored by the KC Art Institute. This conference is an association of mostly fiber or fabric artists that is held periodically for the membership. It was attended by artists from throughout the US and several overseas countries.
Yoshiko Wada attended and spoke to the conferees. Special sessions were set aside for her to autograph the book, "Shibori." The reception given by the artists attending is recommendation enough.
I second the comments of the other reviewers about the quality of the writing and illustrations. Yoshiko Wada is a vibrant and astute advocate for fabric arts and shibori techniques. The text serves as a wookbook for designers, artists, teachers and collector/buyers.
Among the dozens of exhibitions of fabric art throughout the city was one by Cara Boelts, a 2003 graduate of the KC Art Institute and chosen by the faculty as one of the students worthy to be featured during the Conference. She has developed an innovation in shibori dying that includes not only patina but burn out. Her exhibition of approximately a dozen wall hangings was visited by 100s of conferees and drew praise almost universally. The ultimate compliment, major Kansas City artists and many conferees bought half or more of the pieces exhibited.
Yoshiko Wada found it to be a new technique in shibori and said she would include a description of it in any future editions of 'Shibori.'
During the conference the book was sold at the KC Art Institute, but also at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, whic has one of the world class collections of oriental art. 'Shibori' is still available in its bookstore/gift shop.
An excellent book.
Paul Williams, North Kansas City MO

Shibori is a wonderful craft and this book gives an excellent history of it. Many wonderful historical and contemporary examples are shown. Techniques are given as well, and are for the most part usable. If you do shibori work, this book is essential for your library.

Being a member of the Seattle Weavers' Guild, I've been lucky enough to have friends teach Shibori and other resist dyeing in our group. This book is terrific and details the 'how to' very well. I'm very pleased to have this book in my library and I have to say the price was excellent.

This is an invaluable resource for any textile arts student. Or any shibori enthusiast. Detailed illustrations and exceptional photos help define and identify ancient techniques and MAY encourage elbow-deep participation among the adventurous. Gambatte!

This book covers a wide variety of ways in which cloth can be bound - stitching, clamping and tying - and explains regional variations appearing in the result.

Note that this is NOT primarily a dyeing book. In just a few pages, it explains techniques using natural dyes that would require a separate text to do justice. Also, because traditional Japanese kimono fabrics are very narrow, the results I've achieved in the short space of time since getting the book reflect the difference in using 40+" wide fabrics.

Great photographs in both black and white and not enough in color are a good source of inspiration; there's enough material in this book to keep me busy experimenting for years.

I knew this was "THE" book to have for shibori technique instructions. However, the very pleasant surprise was all the history of shibori! It would be fascinating even if I wasn't intending to learn the technique. The instructions are very clearly presented. I have already tried a couple of the techniques with very good results and I'm only a beginner!