Scarves are the first in a weeklong exploration of shibori. I love the texture and richness of each scarf. They were surprisingly easy to make and turned out nice enough to wear either casually or dressed up. They were relatively inexpensive to make too, which makes them good candidates for an impressive, handmade gift. It would be easy enough to do several at once and each would still be one of a kind.

For the white and blue one, I used a white scarf and indigo dye. For the black one, I only used bleach. For both, I recommend letting them set and then washing them to ensure all the excess dye is removed.

DIY Shibori Scarves

Materials and Supplies

For white scarf

• Indigo dye (like this or this)
• White or light colored cotton scarf
• Plastic tub
• Tongs
• Resist objects (twine, wood pieces, clips, clamps, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, wooden skewers, etc.)

For black scarf

• Bleach
• Black or dark colored cotton scarf
• Plastic tub
• Tongs
• Resist objects (twine, wood pieces, clips, clamps, rubber bands, popsicle sticks, wooden skewers, etc.)

DIY Steps

For white scarf

1. Prewash scarf
2. Fold and add resistance with objects as desire
3. Submerge part or all of scarf in indigo for two minutes
4. Remove and allow to oxidize for up to 20 minutes (refer to kit instructions for further details)
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 at least two more times, the more times the deeper the color
6. Allow to partially dry
7. Carefully remove resists and unfold
8. Allow to air dry completely
9. Wash to remove excess dye
10. Air dry

For dark scarf

1. Prewash scarf
2. Fold and add resistance with objects as desire
3. Submerge part or all of scarf in bleach
4. Keep submerged, checking periodically to see how bleach is taking hold
5. Use your best judgment on when to remove (in my experience it was between 10 and 20 minutes)
6. Rinse immediately
7. Allow to partially dry
8. Carefully remove resists and unfold
9. Allow to air dry completely
10. Wash to remove excess dye and bleach
11. Air dry