African Fabric Lady

http://www.artdaily.org/index.asp?int_sec=2&int_new=31776

This photo apparently comes from the video, and I don’t know whom to credit for it.   Bet I’d like to see that fabric in motion!!  How about you…

Photo Credit:  Stephen White/James Cohan Gallery  in the New York Times

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/arts/design/21sont.html?pagewanted=1

A reader writes:

Hello,
I read all the comments and want to ask if you could help me in my case. I’m running a NGO in Ghana. We are teaching the youth in Batik, Tie and Dye, Screen printing and also in old methodes of fabric printing. To keep our program running ( the students get the training free of charge) we desided to find a market to sell our products. Could you give me a hint how to find this market?
Some of our fabrics can be seen on our website. http://www.richardsfoundation.wetpaint.com
We made a lot more then I was able to post.
Thanks in advance,
Helen from Ghana

Thanks for your letter, Helen.  Perhaps some of our readers will be interested in your group’s fabrics.  You might let us know who currently has the fabric available for sale and what it costs and any other purchase details.

Isa2

Photo: Malick Sidibé for The New York Times

Check out this great little slide show…http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/04/01/magazine/20090405-style-slideshow_index.html

We’ve just posted a collection of 9 different designs dyed with indigo on 100% cotton damask bazin fabric at www.africanfabricsales.com.  They come from Guinea Conakry and are aromatic and richly loaded with dye.  See the article about caring for Indigo fabric here.

http://www.sfltimes.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2782&Itemid=144

Reader Starr Rose sent along a picture of a quilt she made from a kente print and a number of solid colors.  Isn’t it lovely?  She also sent along a picture of the cover of the book where she found the pattern on page 106 (and cutting information on another).  Thanks Starr!

http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/05/07/world/0507-KENYA_8.html

I have just listed  a collection of 14 different kente style prints at www.africanfabricsales.com.  The block in the upper right shows two designs as does the leftmost block on the row up from the bottom.  Each collection consists of one fat quarter yard sized piece of each design for a total of 3 1/2 yards of fabric. The upper photo shows the fabric under indoor daylight conditions, and the lower shows the same fabric with a flash.    The actuals colors are somewhat in between.

This letter just came in, and I thought I’d like to share it with you all as well as my response.

Hi,

I am working with on developing garments with African refugee woman in New Zealand. I am interested in applying traditional fabric printing methods. Are there any that are reasonably simple and don’t need a lot of special equipment that you could recommend?

Thanks, Kareen

Hi Kareen,
Thanks for your letter and for undertaking your project.  When I first started in the African fabric business I was financially able to travel to Africa each year and the only fabric I purchased for resale was the lovely hand-decorated bound resist damask–simply glorious tie & dye designs of all sorts and varieties and colors.  Tie & dye is a simple process that is indigenous to many areas of the world and is suitable to designers at all skill levels.  I’m certain it would be a good place for you to start with your group of women.

The  images above show two examples of very different tie & dye techniques.  More designs can be seen at the Indigo post.  The first is done by folding and binding and then dipping the edges, the second by scrunching the cloth lightly, tying it off, and then pouring, spattering or dipping the cloth into the various colors of dye.  They take some practice to develop skill & dexterity, but what doesn’t?

One need only have cloth, string, and dye to produce the designs as well as kettles or barrels in which to do the actual dyeing and rinsing and clothes lines over which to dry the fabrics.  Adequate water for rinsing is also necessary in order to wash out the excess dye after the fabrics are dipped.

Basically, one binds up the fabric in one manner or another and immerses it in the dye.  The areas that are bound will resist the dye while the other parts of the cloth accept the color.  I think that 100% cotton fabric in white or another pale color is the best to use, but I’ve even seen printed fabrics over-dyed in bound resist designs that have been tremendously exciting.  While professional grade aniline dyes are the best, packaged dyes from the supermarket can also be used.

There are many wonderful books that describe the variety of binding techniques and they are probably available at arts & crafts stores near to you.  Ask for a good general text of tie & dye designs.   If you cannot find any there may I recommend Dharma Trading Company in California, which has all manner of good books and other dye supplies.  Their staff is very well informed about the books and the products you will need.  http://www.dharmatrading.com/

Good Luck Kareen, and please, send us some digital photos of you and your group as well as some of the fabrics, once you get started start dyeing and we’ll be happy to share them around cyberspace.

Isa2