An old craft,
a new home in Iowa.
Dye, Sip and Paint was founded to share the Yoruba tradition of Adire — a centuries-old textile art from southwestern Nigeria — with the makers, gatherers and gift-givers of Iowa City and beyond.
“Adire — literally “to tie and dye” — has been practiced by Yoruba women in towns like Abeokuta and Ibadan for over a century. Each technique — Onikoo, Alabeela, Eleko, Alabere — carries its own quiet grammar of fold, paint, paste and stitch. We started Dye, Sip and Paint because this art belongs to anyone willing to roll up their sleeves and pull something new and beautiful out of color.
"The cloth remembers the hand that made it."
— Yoruba proverb
Today our small Iowa City studio hosts public workshops, private gatherings and visiting community events — all powered by Adire Shitta LLC, our parent maker brand.
Three reasons our makers come back.
Each technique carries its own quiet grammar of fold, paint, paste, and stitch.
Learn the heritage
Real techniques, taught with their full cultural context — not a sanitised version.
Create lasting art
Every workshop ends with a finished, wearable, frame-able piece of cloth. Yours forever.
Connect with community
Small groups. Slow afternoons. New friendships born around the work.
The hands behind Adire Shitta.
Our founder trained with master dyers in southwestern Nigeria before relocating to Iowa, where she now teaches a new generation of makers — with patience, song, and a little bit of stubbornness.