Tie-dye, a form of resist dyeing, is a technique
of patterning fabric by tying parts of it in different
ways to prevent the penetration of dyes.
Typical of western India, in Rajasthan and Gujarat
the terms bandhini or bandhej are used to denote
this technique, as “bandhana” means
“to tie”. Similarly, a pattern of
stripes, waves and zig-zags on cloth is created
and called leheriya. Both kinds of fabric created
thus are called by the same name.
In the making of these types of fabric, synthetic
and chemical dyes are now used as against the
traditional natural dyes. The task of tying is
largely done by women and the dying is performed
by men. Different bandhani patterns are created
by tying together different amounts of cloth in
a puckered fashion - from a pinch to a handful
- the first colour to be dyed being the lightest,
and the last being the darkest. Leheriya on the
other hand involves tying the entire piece of
cloth tightly and diagonally from a corner and
then tying it at intervals creating diagonal stripes
when dyed and tied. Successive and alternate dying
and tying creates the multi coloured affect.
For both techniques, the cloth almost always
is light muslin and the colours used are vivid.
Today the needs of the urban market have not only
changed the colours but also the designs and the
cloth character. Yet the traditional motifs are
still alive for the needs of the connoisseur.
