Gambia's Elegant Designs

The Gambia’s Tie and Dye are extravagant, rich in different shades of color. They are the most popular items one can see at every tourist market. They are usually tailored into men's Kaftans or Warambas (long gowns with elongated armholes worn over baggy trousers), women's Garamboubas or Anangoes, skirts, shirts, ladies blouses as well as bed sheets, curtains and tablecloths. Many are made by local skilled women who produce the finished fabrics from their own homes using hot dye, oil drums and various techniques to produce abstract designs.

Most of these tie and dyes are from the tie and dye factory in Dippakunda, Serrekunda. It is owned by a Gambian Lady called Musu Kebba Drammeh who has been in the business for over thirty (30) years. There are also some professionals in the country who produce some beautifully artistic tie and dyes.

There are various ways in which patterns can be produced. Here are some techniques which you can try yourself. You can also experiment with new techniques.

1. Gather the fabric into a strip and tie it into a large tight knot. This knotting technique can be varied. You can tie a large knot in the center of the cloth. Several knots can be tied along the length of cloth to give a repeat pattern. You can also gather the corners of the cloth into strips and tie them into knots.
   
2. Tie small objects such as beads or stones into the cloth. These can be held in position with string or elastic bands. The firmer the tie, the more patterns will be produced.
   
3. Gather the cloth into a long strip and tie it into sections along the length of the fabric. The ties should be the same width.
   
4. Pleat the cloth along its length with each pleat the same width. Now fold the pleated cloth twice or three times and bind the middle to keep the pleats in place. More patterns can be achieved by pleating again after the first dyeing. Start pleating on one end adjacent to the end where you started the first pleating, using the same method, ten dip the fabric into a different color dye for a multicolored pattern.
   
5. Spread the cloth on a flat surface and gather up the cloth by pinching it bit by bit until the whole cloth is gathered into a ball. You don’t have to dip the cloth into the dye-bath but the method to achieve the pattern is by sprinkling dye over the cloth. The solution has to be thicker than the usual dye-bath method. More patterns can be achieved by sprinkling different colors onto the cloth.
   
6. Apart from tying, try sewing the cloth also. Draw straight lines on the cloth both horizontally and vertically and stitch the lines with a needle and strong cotton string. Knot the ends of the string on each line and pull tightly. This gathers up the cloth. You can also make another knot to ensure that the gather does not become loose. With the stitching method, you can achieve different patterns by drawing shapes on the cloth and following the outlines with stitches. Don’t forget to always pull up the string tightly.