Key Points
How to Make an Adire T-shirt
Popularly referred to as Tie and Dye, Adire is an indigo cotton fabric that is native to the Southwestern part of Nigeria. Many fashion designers in Nigeria now make use of Adire fabric to create different attires. Learn how to make Adire t-shirt for free on Elistatus.
Materials
- A white cotton shirt
- Blue coloured dye
- Squirt bottles
- Plastic bags
- Rubber bands
- Water
- A spray bottle
- Rubber gloves
- Paper Towels
Preparation
- Cover your workspace with a clean, plastic tablecloth.
- Wash and dry the t-shirt.
- Prepare the dye by diluting it with water. Pour the prepared dye into the squirt bottles.
- Sprinkle a little water on the shirt to make it damp. Using the rubber bands, twist the shirt into your desired Adire pattern.
- Squeeze the ink on the shirt in line with the pattern you have chosen.
- After applying the dye, place the t-shirt inside the sealed plastic bag. Leave it for 24 hours to allow the dye to penetrate the cloth.
- Remove the shirt from the sealed plastic bag. Rinse it thoroughly with warm water. Remove the rubber bands from the shirt and rinse again.
- Dry and iron your Adire shirt.
Common Patterns for Adire Clothing
Here are some common designs you can try for your Adire t-shirt:
- The Classic Swirl
Pull the shirt from its centre and twist it to form a flattened disc rose-like shape. Wrap the disc with six rubber bands in a crisscross pattern. This will form six quadrants of the fabric. Spray the dye on the quadrants to create a classic swirl design on your Adire t-shirt.
- Crumpled
Place the shirt on a flat surface. Twist and crumple the shirt all over. Using several rubber bands, tie the shirt into several quadrants. Apply the dye to each quadrant thoroughly.
- Striped
Fold the shirt into small pleats so that it looks like a long, thin log. Place the rubber bands evenly across the pleated shirt. Dye each pleat thoroughly.
