African printed and dyed textiles

Africa is a great and varied continent of wide horizons and clear blue skies, which has long held a fascination for those born outside its bounds. Over the centuries its wealth of minerals, animal products and manpower has drawn in colonists and traders, slavers and missionaries alike. Its huge population is of diverse origin: people of Arab and Berber descent in the north, Khoisan-speakers and European colonists in the extreme south, Nilotic-speaking peoples in the north-east, and south of the Sahara a rich mix of groups who speak one of the Bantu languages.

Although the African textile tradition attracted  little foreign academic interest until the 20th century, African textiles found their way into European collections long before then. At the Ulm Museum in Germany, for example, there have been garments made of strip-woven cloth, the characteristic weave of West Africa, since the 1650s, and woven raphia cloth of the Kongo people (decorated with patterns similar to those of the modern-day cut-pile embroidery of the Congo’s Kuba tribe) has been held at the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford since the 17th century.

 

Hot Water Bottle Cover

Everyone loves a hot water bottle. The calendars and thermometers are not nearly accurate at announcing the arrival of cold weather as the calls for hot water bottles at bedtime. To make a beautiful and unique hot water bottle cover you can knit your own piece, but if you are seriously unaccomplished knitter, you can borrow somebody else's knitting to achieve the same effect.

There is always some old knitted scarf that is slightly out of fashion, or your child jumper that is over-grown. Or maybe you can search for the old knitted or crocheted blanket. The fleece is very cosy and any such garment is more than welcome.

How to tie-dye the cotton fabric?

Source: Golden Fingers

While the cotton is the traditional fibre for tie-dyeing in Africa and India, you can use almost any fibre for this process providing that it is receptive for the dye and not too bulky to withstand tying. For best results, select a smooth, fine cloth such as cotton lawn. In general, man-made fibres are not as suitable as natural ones because they don't absorb the dyes as readily.

Always make sure that you wash the cloth prior to dyeing to remove manufacturers' finishes and grease, since these may impair the results. It is important that you wash the cloth in the hottest temperature it will withstand (refer to the manufacturer's instructions for advice). Afterward, make sure that you rinse and dry the fabric and iron it flat before you start folding or dyeing.
As the example here featured reveal, everyone has their own technique of tie-dyeing. While some people favour stitch-resist technique, others produce existing results by binding objects like peanuts into the cloth. As you will see, the results are often diverse, especially if you create your own dye colour. The example shown in this step-by-step guide has been stitched in order to resist the dye, but you can employ a wide variety of techniques - from tying and binding to knotting, folding, plaiting and hand stitching.

Molas: Textile Art of Kuna People

Molas are the colorful, multi-layered appliqué panels of blouses worn by Kuna women of Panama. The Kuna live in a region called Kuna Yala, which means “Kuna Land.” This area, more formally known as the San Blas Archipelago, lies off the eastern coast of Panama. Molas developed after Spanish colonization, in particular within the past 100 years when cotton yard cloth became commonly available to the Kuna. The intricately designed and sewn molas are attached to the front and/or back of women’s blouses and are considered a major form of artistic expression and ethnic identity.

Lush Designs

Lampshades!!! Pillows!!! Tea Towels!!! Greeting Cards!!! .... And Much More!!!

Lush Designs is the creation of Marie Rodgers and Maria Livings. They design and manufacture homewares and gifts which feature our idiosyncratic print designs.