Adventures in Fabric Dyeing

I volunteered to help with the class art project for International Night. We came up with this really great art project! The kids are going to decorate pillowcases with traditional Adinkra symbols from Ghana, the country they are learning about. Adinkra are visual symbols originally created by the Akan of Ghana and the Gyaman of Cote d'Ivoire in West Africa, that represent concepts or aphorisms. Adinkra are used on fabric, walls, pottery, woodcarvings, and logos. Fabric adinkra are often made by woodcut sign writing as well as screen printing. They can also be used to communicate evocative messages that represent parts of their life or those around them. For more on Adinkra, visit this link.

So I found these great 12 inch square pillowcases with zippers! No sewing required! But they were a dull natural canvas color. We thought it would be a good idea to dye them the colors of the Ghanian flag, which are red, yellow, and green. I've never dyed fabric before, but with the help of Karen, my wonderful mother-in-law, I dyed a dozen pillowcases red yesterday! And they look great! I'm really excited about how they're going to look after the kids decorate them!