katano stitch resist

Nui-shibori hand stitching is the signature technique for Japanese Shibori. Students always ask me if the sewing machine will work.  Yes,  by tweaking the concept. Instead of gathering the threads, the stitches act as clamps through folded fabric.  We often call this Katano shibori after Motohiko Katano who hand stitched through accordion folds to create channels for the dye to penetrate in and around the stitching.

In my own work the machine needle lets the dye seep into the layers. I love the scars left in the cloth.