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If you’ve never worked with authentic African fabrics, there’s no better time to start than now, during African Fabric Month!
African fabrics are more popular than ever, so we’re taking the time to spotlight some of the continent’s most popular textile arts with a month-long celebration in September.
From fashion runways worldwide to exclusive boutiques to discount home décor retailers, the appeal of African culture in cloth continues to grow. And these unique textile treasures take on even greater meaning when they’re transformed into all kinds of dramatic DIY projects. These are some of my favorites:
African Fabric Month™ is an exciting new venture sponsored by Cultured Expressions, Inc. AFM promotes the artistic and practical uses of such fabrics as batik, kuba, adinkra, bogolan/mudcloth, korhogo, adire, kente, and more, and serves to honor and promote the cultures that create them. Fabrics like these lend themselves to one-of-a-kind garments, handbags and accessories, quilts and home accents, connecting DIY makers to the creators of the cloths through their culturally relevant colors, patterns and symbols.
My own obsession with African fabric began with a trip to Senegal, West Africa in 1986, and they’ve been speaking to me ever since, whether I’m sewing clothing, home décor, quilts, accessories or gifts…Then in 1999 I decided that had to share the fun with others through my first book, African Accents: Fabrics and Crafts to Decorate Your Home. One of the things I love most about African fabrics is the bold designs and textures do most of the work – even the simplest project is elevated by the fabrics, making them perfect for beginning sewing enthusiasts. They also appeal to the more experienced stitcher who is drawn to “quick-and-easy” projects when creative time is limited, but who still wants to make a statement.
One of my greatest joys is making the awe-inspiring textile artistry of various African cultures accessible to others, especially now, during its resurgence in all areas of pop culture and design. My passion is creating projects and events that expose people of all backgrounds to the beauty of the fabrics, giving DIY’ers an opportunity to truly “Feel the Fabric…Embrace the Culture.” African Fabric Month is just another fun way to reach more people, with projects that are fun, educational, and culturally relevant.
Because it’s mainly geared to people who like to sew, quilt and craft, AFM’s time frame gives you enough time to engage in the creation of unique projects. Everyone is welcome to participate, and to share your own AFM creations with social media posts, using #AfricanFabricMonth. Visit www.AfricanFabricMonth.com for details on our Hashtag Friday giveaways on September 9, 16, 23 and 30!
Which African fabric inspires you?
Lisa Shepard Stewart
Latest posts by Lisa Shepard Stewart (see all)
- It’s September — Celebrate African Fabric Month! - September 10, 2016
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I absolutely love African fabrics and have been sewing with them over 25 years ago. I have a stash (small) now and every time one of my friends visits Ghana, I have him bring me fabrics back. Plus I am fortunate to have a friend who imports African fabrics so I get my share.
I would love to see what projects you have made. I am working on 2 quilts using ethnic fabrics now.
tushay3 (at) yahoo (dot) com
Hi Mary – it’s great that you’re an “old pro” at using African fabrics! In addition to my bools and Fabrigasm magazine, you’ ll find some of my other designs on the CE blog (CulturedExpressions.com/blog) — lisa
I really like the Kuba cloth. I can see lots of potential for clothing, purses, wallets, etc.
Hi Kathy —
It really does make gorgeous pillows, handbags, table toppers and wall hangings! Some of the lighter weights of kuba (tie-dyed rather than appliqued) also make great uncosntructed jackets – think kimono style, the fewer seams the better!
I love the look of mudcloth & the kubo & indigo cloths shown here are exciting. I think I’d be comfortable using the indigo, since indigo dyeing (especially tie-dyeing) is almost emblematic of Japan, my heritage. But in general, I’m pretty uncomfortable commandeering other people’s culture & ethnic expression.
Hi Jenna –
I’m sorry that I’m just seeing your comment now. I can appreciate your feelings about using the arts of other cultires, but there is a big difference between enjoying them and using, for example, African fabrics, in your own quilts, and commandeering, i.e., cultural appropriation. I think that the fabrics I work with are too beautiful to keep to myself ; )and my passion has become sharing them with anyone who appreciates their uniqueness, and I only hope that whoever uses them would be respectful of them, or any culturally relevant artifacts. Learn about them, and the significance of symbols, techniques, etc. I hope you won’t limit your own creativity by denying yourself the use of the many gorgeous fabrics the world’s artists have to offer –lisa