Some fiber arts like quilting and weaving are popular forms of art in American history but have their roots in Japanese folk arts as well, while other fiber techniques that are popular in both countries include knitting and felting. One fiber art that can be described as truly belonging to the Japanese is shibori, a traditional Japanese textile art dating back to the 8th century. In this art form, the artist first creates a design and then the cloth is stitched, bound, resisted, and then wrapped or gathered by hand. Next the cloth is stained in natural dyes such as indigo, bark, roots, leaves, insects, or resins. For each color, dozens of steps have to be altered, re-stitched, gathered, etc.—and then the complicated processes are repeated from start to finish. The results produce stunning designs and beautiful colors unobtainable with synthetic dyes.
