Shibori
An excellent post on shibori with several links can be found on MetaFilter today. Examples of shibori in my own gallery include the following: purple Edo komon and shibori kimono, aizome (natural indigo) yukata, deep red haori with shibori flowers, camellia and arrows Nagoya obi, and my favorite shibori garment, this grey-blue kiku (chrysanthemum) haori.
For Christmas I was given the book Shibori: The Inventive Art of Japanese Shaped Resist Dyeing – Traditions, Techniques, Innovation. A veritable encyclopedia. The first part of the book details shibori’s history and has several color examples. Then come 70 pages on different techniques: each technique is accompanied by a photograph, diagram(s) and detailed instructions.
Following that is an incredible 75-page black and white gallery with photos of kimono and other textiles, then a section on modern innovations and shibori artisans. This section has breathtaking color photos that include tsujigahana kimono done by Itchiku Kubota, who revived the technique this century. Finally, the appendices contain information on cloth, dyes (recipes!), suggestions for beginners, a glossary, and three pages with diagrams of tools used (hooks, bobbins, scissors, stands and winding mechanism). In short, this is a superb English-language book to have for those interested in shibori.