Color To Dye For

Rubber band tied, hand tied, wax batik, warp resist, stitch resist and more...There are lots of ways to get the look of tie dye but all forms have one thing in common - some sort of resist is used.

Opening July, 31st - January 9th 2011 you can learn all about the history of tie dye at The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco’s de Young Museum, “To Dye For,”exhibit, features over 50 textiles and costumes from the Fine Arts Museums’ comprehensive collection of textiles from Africa, Asia and the Americas. “To Dye For" not only highlights the museum’s impressive permanent collection of textiles, but also shows how cultures across the world have used similar techniques for centuries with results that are sometimes similar, and at other times startlingly different.

Oscar de la Renta Trench coat, 2005. Silk; warp-faced plain weave, warp-resist dyeing (ikat). Photo courtesy de Young Museum.


The end result is a stunning array of textures, patterns and color that is not to be missed.

Felt rug, 15th - 17th century. Mongolia. Wool; felt, stencil-resist dyed. Photo courtesy de Young Museum.