How to Remove Labels from Ankara Fabrics

I love ankara! Street style posts of the beautiful prints and colors of wax print fabrics were among my first inspiration to start sewing. The cotton prints are affordable, often costing around $25 for a 6-yard bundle, and they are really easy to sew with, even for beginners.

But wax print fabrics have one sticky drawback – the labels!

Bundles of ankara fabric often have several labels to identify the brand and trademark of the company that has designed and printed the fabric. The labels are glued right in the middle of the yardage and they don’t just peel off. The first time I bought a bundle I honestly thought I would just have to cut around the label! Then I tried to rip it off and ended up leaving lots of paper and adhesive on my fabric. Ugh, fail. 

It turns out, removing the label from wax print fabric takes only a few seconds and you already have everything you need for the operation.

Here are the simple steps so you can get started sewing fabulous ankara designs like my reversible crop top!

Materials & Tools

• Your cotton ankara fabric
• A piece of scrap fabric, preferably cotton, large enough to cover any label
• Iron
• Ironing Board

Instructions:

Step 1: Lay out your fabric on the ironing board and set your iron to the cotton setting.

Step 2: Place the scrap fabric over the label you want to remove.

Step 3: Move the iron over the label for 5-8 seconds. Quickly remove your scrap fabric and peel off the label while the adhesive is still hot.

Step 4: Place the scrap fabric back over your fabric where any adhesive remains. Iron again for 5-8 seconds to pull up extra glue.

Step 5: Wash and dry your fabrics as normal to remove any remaining adhesive and prepare it for sewing.

Now that your fabric is ready to sew, here are some of my favorite sewists to follow for ankara inspiration:

• Marcy Harriell of Oona Baloona
• Priscillia Okpan of Kim Dave Designs
• Yetunda Sarumi of Yetunde Womenswear