Blog | Urbanstax

Fabric of the Week: Turquoise and Brown

10th December 2018

Our fabric of the week is a colour combination; turquoise and chocolate brown. We have a selection of shweshwe prints in this particular colour and there is something just so rich and even regal about the combination.

They work beautifully together, as well as on their own. We even sampled the Wiksten Kimono Jacket in a mix of the prints. The jacket is fully reversible so it looks completely different, depending on which side you decide to wear!.

We also have shweshwe prints that are just brown or just turquoise and these could also be used to add even more vibrancy to the mix like in this Turquoise and Brown shweshwe fat quarter bundle. You can check out more of our shwehshwe selection here: https://www.urbanstax.com/product-category/all/shweshwe-by-the-metre/

It would make a nice patchwork cushion, a gorgeous quilt and of course in garments too. The print on print look can be a really fun way to make a dress for example. A good way to give the finished product a coherent look is by mixing prints with the same colour palette.

Would you mix prints? What are your favourite colour combinations? Do share.

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Look What They Made: Saskia’s Storage Boxes

26th November 2018

Saskia has made these fabric wrapped storage boxes. A great practical way to accessorise your living space whilst bringing in pops of colour. Made with a selection of wax prints from our store.

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Mix It Up!

23rd November 2018

Typically, wax prints are sold in 6 or 12 yard lengths. These long lengths allow people to sew entire outfits from the same fabric. In West Africa for example, these outfits are quite elaborate and need that much fabric.

If you do want to make something that needs quite a bit of fabric but you want to mix it up a little bit, we have a new section in the store that will allow you to do just that. We now have the Mix It Up category. In this area, you will find our curated selection of fabrics that we think will work well together.

Sometimes you want to combine prints and a great way to to this by using one colour palette but with different fabric designs. We have also paired fabrics with patterns that are of different scales. A large pattern with a small pattern.

Black and Yellow

You will be able to buy the pair of fabrics in small or larger amounts depending on how much you need for your sewing project.

Ideas for mixing and matching; imagine you have a colour theme for a set of cushions. You can stick with your colour palette and mix prints for a more varied set of cushions. Another example would be a dress with a flared skirt. The bodice of the dress could be in one fabric, and the skirt in the other. The possibilities are great!

The Ghanaian designer Kiki Clothing does this beautifully and here are some of their dresses for inspiration. Have a great weekend.

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Love Sewing Magazine Issue 59: A Brief History of Shweshwe

19th November 2018

Did you see our bit of research on shweshwe fabric from South Africa was featured in the October edition of Love Sewing Magazine. Here is a glimpse. Check out a printed copy if you get a chance.

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Look What They Made: Urbanstax- Wiksten Kimono Jacket

17th November 2018

I have been itching to make the Wiksten Kimono Jacket for a while as I have seen sooooo many gorgeous versions on Instagram. Just have a look at the #wikstenoversizedkimonojacket and #wikstenkimono hashtags to see what people have made.

The pattern gives the option of three different jacket lengths so I went for the mid. I wanted something slightly weighty and denim-like so I decided on South African shweshwe fabric from our selection of fabric. As the pattern is for a fully reversible jacket, I played around with using three different prints all in a turquoise and chocolate brown colour palette. Two prints for for the main body and a third for hints around the sleeves and the neck. I love the idea of using different prints with the same colour palette.

I am very pleased with the results. A very enjoyable and easy pattern to follow. Highly recommended if you are also new to sewing as there are no fastenings and closures to worry about. Have you already made one? Do share if you have. Alternatively, if you are thinking of it, you can buy the pattern from our selection of sewing patterns.

Wiksten Kimono Jacket

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Those pesky labels…

16th November 2018

Depending on the quantity of ankara print you have bought in an order, you may get a piece of fabric that has the manufacturers label on it. This sticker usually appears on the first 1-yard section of a 6 or 12 yard length piece of fabric. We stock GTP fabric from Ghana and you may be familiar with the label which contains information such as country of origin, bundle length and so on.

This is all great but you probably want to get rid of the label quite quickly to get to your sewing. These bad boys can be sometimes tricky. Some come off easily if done patiently and slowly starting from one corner and pulling up gradually. Oftentimes, they rip halfway through and become almost impossible to remove without making a mess. So here is an easy way to get rid of them with an iron and a little bit of patience.

HOW TO REMOVE THEM

1. Make sure you carry out this process BEFORE WASHING the fabric

2. Place the part of the fabric with the label on an ironing board with the label facing down (the back of the fabric facing up towards you)

3. Feel the fabric the get a general idea of where the label is in order to position the iron for the next step

4. With an iron on a medium/high setting, place the iron on the area continuously for about 10 to 12 seconds. Move the iron around a little to ensure the fabric is fine. DO NOT IRON the label directly. This must be done on the reverse side of the fabric only!

5. After this step, turn the fabric over and from one corner start to peel off the label. You will notice is comes away very easily without ripping. If it does not, it means you have to repeat the previous step and keep the iron on for a little longer. Please be careful when touching the label as you can guess, it is now quite hot.

6. Wash you fabric and you are now set.

Essentially, what you have done is heated up the adhesive on the back of the label making it easier to manipulate. Drop us a comment if you have tried this and let us know how it worked out for you. You can also let us know if you have another method for getting rid of the pesky labels!

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Fabric of the Week: Purple Batik

10th November 2018

Handmade purple batik from Nigeria and Ghana

Our fabric of the week is more a colour theme rather than a particular fabric. It is Purple Batiks! All are handmade batiks from Nigeria and Ghana made using the wax resist technique and with the main colour of purple.

When you think of the colour purple, what comes to mind? I think of grapes and aubergines. I think of robes for clergy. I think of Prince and his track ‘Purple Rain’. Apparently purple was his favourite colour, if you hadn’t guessed it. Even more interestingly, Pantone in collaboration with the late artiste’s estate, have created a shade of purple called Love Symbol #2 to pay tribute to the music icon.

We have quite selection of purple batiks in juicy combinations and sometimes with starkly contrasting colours. I think purple and yellow for example is a great contrast.

If you are a fan of the colour purple, then dive right in.

And for some purple batik inspiration, here are some fantastic designers who use a lot of batik and tie dye in their recent collections. Maki Oh, Amede and Osei Duro are some great designers you should check out. Inspiration aplenty!

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A post shared by Amede (@amedeonline) on Mar 26, 2018 at 2:52am PDT

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A post shared by Maki Oh Lagos (@maki.oh) on Jan 27, 2017 at 4:33am PST

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A post shared by Maki Oh Lagos (@maki.oh) on Mar 26, 2016 at 8:41am PDT

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A post shared by Osei-Duro (@oseiduro) on Aug 6, 2017 at 12:23pm PDT

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A post shared by Osei-Duro (@oseiduro) on Oct 27, 2015 at 7:09am PDT

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Cool New Patterns- Wiksten Kimono Jacket

5th November 2018

We have a new exciting addition to the website which is a new category for sewing patterns. This consists of sewing patterns that would work well with our fabrics. Do share if you have made any of these patterns in some bright prints or batiks and watch this space for some examples of our very own. We will continue searching for and stocking sewing patterns that will look great not only in the recommended fabrics but also in African Fabric.

The Wiksten Kimono jacket is one of our new patterns. A very versatile pattern with so many potential colour and fabric combinations and proving to be quite popular already. Check out the hashtags #wikstenoversizedkimonojacket and #wikstenkimono over on Instagram to see a range of lovely jackets people have made with this pattern. Great for inspiration too!

We have made our very own version. It is made with South African shweshwe fabric in a turquoise and chocolate brown colour palette. As the pattern is for a fully reversible jacket, we have played around with using three different prints. Two prints for for the main body and a third for hints around the sleeves and the neck. Pretty pleased with the results! Wiksten Kimono Jacket

Wiksten Kimono Jacket

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Look What They Made- Lavinia

19th October 2018

Check out this fabulous outfit. Lavinia made the gorgeous kimono jacket from our Orange and Blue Peacock Kitenge fabric. It is elegantly layered over a jumpsuit with a great contrast of colours and textures. Check out more of her makes on her Instagram account (handle- @baba_jole).

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Fabric Samples

17th October 2018

We now offer a sample service where you can order fabric swatches to allow you to look at colours, texture and feel before buying. You can choose from the Shweshwe prints, Wax prints and Aso-oke.

Each swatch is about 8 x 10 cm and you can select up to 5 different fabrics you would like to see. Find it over on the Sample Swatches page.

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HOW TO REMOVE THEM

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