Selvedge Magazine - Issue 117 - Irresistible

Issue 117 Irresistible of Selvedge magazine. This issue explores what it is about resist dyeing that makes it irresistible. For Mira Gupta, as she writes in her article “Lessons in Chemistry,” “There’s something thrilling about resist dyeing. You control the dye but not the result. It’s like controlled chaos, a surprise party in every vat.”

Indigo is a pigment dye, impossible to apply to the surface of cloth using a brush or a block. So to achieve a blue and white design, it is necessary to create a mechanical or chemical resist and submerge the cloth in a dye bath. In her article “True Blue,” Liz Hoggard uncovers contemporary brands mastering the techniques to produce slow fashion favourites.

Patterns created through resist dyeing are found all over the world, from intricate multi-coloured ikat in Uzbekistan to the 16-stage process used to create Ajrak in Gujarat. 2024 is also the International Year of Batik, and in this issue collector Rudolf Smend explains why he is drawn to the practice of the craft in Indonesia.

What is Selvedge magazine?

Polly Leonard launched Selvedge magazine in 2004 to celebrate our cerebral and sensual addiction to cloth while promoting skilfully made and carefully considered textiles. Every issue features talented makers and their lives and stories. Polly believes the most interesting and evocative textile stories deserve to be shown in the best possible light and has

Polly Leonard - Editor Selvedge magazine