Basic decoration methods

1Why this matters

You do not need to buy expensive items to decorate a home. With paint, cloth, dye and a few simple tools you can make cushion covers, wall borders and table decorations yourself. Many young people in Rwanda turn these skills into a small business, selling tie-and-dye cloth or printed bags at markets and craft fairs.

This lesson gives you the common decoration methods, then takes you step by step through stencilling, block printing, tie-and-dye and a simple flower arrangement.

2Common decoration methods

3Method 1: stencilling an imigongo-style border

You need: thin card (an empty cereal box works), a pencil, a ruler, a craft knife or sharp scissors, a cutting board, masking tape, paint (fabric paint for cloth), a small sponge, a saucer and old newspaper.

1. Draw a simple zigzag or diamond motif, inspired by imigongo, about 10 cm long, leaving at least 2 cm of card all round it.
2. Cut out the shapes on the board, always cutting away from your body. The holes are where the paint will go.
3. Tape the stencil flat to the surface. On fabric, slide newspaper underneath so that paint cannot soak through to the other side.
4. Put a little paint on the saucer, dab the sponge in it, then blot the sponge on newspaper. Too much paint creeps under the stencil and smudges.
5. Dab straight down through the holes; do not wipe sideways.
6. Lift the stencil straight up, move it to the next pencil mark, and repeat.
7. Let the paint dry. Fix fabric paint by ironing the back of the cloth, as the paint instructions say.

4Method 2: block printing

1. Cut a potato in half, or take a piece of soft wood, and draw a simple shape on the flat face.
2. Cut away the background so that the shape stands up about 5 mm. Only the raised part will print.
3. Brush paint evenly onto the raised shape.
4. Press the block firmly onto the paper or cloth, then lift it straight up. Repeat in rows.

A print is a mirror image of the block, so letters and numbers must be carved backwards.

5Method 3: tie-and-dye a cushion cover

You need: a plain white 100% cotton cushion cover, fabric dye with the salt or fixer named on the packet, strong string or rubber bands, a plastic basin kept only for dyeing, a stick for stirring, rubber gloves, an apron and old newspaper.

1. Wash the cover to remove any factory finish, and leave it damp so the dye spreads evenly.
2. Tie it. For a spiral, pinch the centre and twist the cloth into a flat coil like a snail shell, then bind it across with string. For circles, pick up small points of cloth and bind each one tightly. The tightly bound places resist the dye and stay white.
3. Wearing gloves, mix the dye in the basin exactly as the packet says.
4. Put the tied cloth in the dye for the time on the packet, turning it with the stick.
5. Lift it out and rinse it in cold water until the water runs almost clear.
6. Untie it, rinse again, and dry it in the shade.
7. Iron it when dry.

For two colours, dye the lighter colour first, then tie more places and dye the darker colour. A dark dye covers a light one, but a light dye cannot cover a dark one. Where the two dyes overlap they mix, just as on the colour wheel: yellow followed by blue gives green.

Safety with dyes: wear gloves and an apron; open the dye packet gently in a well-aired place so you do not breathe in the powder; never use cooking pots or food basins; and pour used dye water into a soak pit, well away from streams and drinking-water sources.

6Method 4: a simple flower arrangement

1. Wash the container and fill it with clean water.
2. Cut each stem at a slant with a sharp knife, so that it can take up water.
3. Remove every leaf that would sit below the water: under water, leaves rot and make the water cloudy and smelly.
4. Place the tallest stems in the centre, about one and a half times the height of the container, then the medium stems, then the short ones round the edge.
5. Use odd numbers of each flower and add leaves to fill the gaps.
6. Change the water every two days.

Practice

Solution. The tight binding stops the dye from reaching the tied parts, so they stay the original colour. The contrast between dyed and undyed areas is the pattern. Loose ties let the dye seep in and the pattern blurs.

Solution. White where it was tied both times; yellow where it was tied only for the blue dye; green where both dyes reached the cloth, because blue over yellow mixes to green.

Solution. A back-to-front R. The print is a mirror image of the block, so she must carve the letter reversed.

Solution. Each print uses 6 + 2 = 8 cm. 2.4 m = 240 cm, and 240 ÷ 8 = 30 prints.

Solution. Leaves under water rot. They make the water cloudy and smelly and let bacteria grow, which blocks the stems and makes the flowers die sooner.