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Decorative Giftwrap: You Dye to Give It Away
| Article
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13856 |
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Section : |
LIFE
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| Issue
Date : |
12 / 1988 |
970 Words |
| Author
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Florence Temko
Florence Temko is an expert craftsman and author of twenty-
three how-to books, including Paper Pandas and Jumping Frogs
(Origami and Its Uses), published by China Books and
Periodicals. |
Dip-dyeing plain paper into one-of-a-kind designs can make holiday wrapping paper just as special as the well-chosen gifts hidden inside. This craft is a simple paper-coloring process easily executed in the kitchen with household materials. Not many crafts offer the thrill of such quick results.
Dip-dyers fold sheets of paper into small rectangles, triangles, or rays, then dip the corners and folds into bowls filled with colored dyes. When a sheet is unfolded, brilliant multicolored patterns are revealed.
Dip-dyeing is adapted from the ancient craft of tie-dyeing cloth. Archaeologists have not yet discovered how early fabric dyeing began, but the oldest known colored textile was found in an Egyptian tomb dating to 3500 B.C. Although it is surmised that dyeing was introduced to Egypt from the East, no earlier traces of dyed fabrics have been found from China, India, or Persia. In the Americas, ancient fabric remnants preserved in a Peruvian grave have been attributed to the Incas.
Until the invention of chemical dyes in the mid-nineteenth century, all dye colors were derived from natural materials. It is known that the plant yielding indigo blue, was cultivated in India thousands of years ago. Records indicate that indigo was prized highly during the Roman Empire and was very costly. Saffron provided the color yellow, and red was made either from dried insects, called cochineal, or from madder root.
From tree bark and berries
In colonial times in North America, dyes were imported from Europe, but they were expensive. As a result, much dyeing utilized tree barks, berries, and other native plant materials. Anyone who has ever tried to remove a berry stain can testify that berries contain persistent coloring agents. Today, coal tar forms the basis of most commercial dyes, which are termed synthetic.
At present both tie-dyeing and dip-dyeing fabrics are popular in India and Malaysia, but these techniques have been practiced in many other parts of the world during the course of history. Decorating papers is popular today in Japan, where the craft is carried on according to traditions handed down from generation to generation.
Tie-dyeing, dip-dyeing, and batik are the three best-known forms of "resist" dyeing. Using these methods, designs are produced by
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