| Where do I start? My passionate love of mud cloth | | | | the cotton into a soft spun yarn. |
| has developed without my realising it. Growing up in | | | | The unique method of weaving mud cloth is the |
| Africa as a child I have become increasingly aware of | | | | privilege of the Mali men who are well skilled and fast |
| the distinct style of manufacturing cloth in this unique | | | | with their hands. It is all in the handling of the yarn and a |
| way. | | | | consistent tension to create a balanced piece of cloth. |
| Mali - the home of mud cloth, also known as | | | | The strips of cloth can finish at any width up to about |
| bogolanfini meaning mud dyed cloth. Among the first to | | | | 12 cm and sewn together usually with a zig zag stitch |
| make mud cloth were the Fulani people. Other West | | | | that is more flexible than straight sewing and less likely |
| African countries have each adopted their own | | | | to break. This creates one large piece of cloth to be |
| version of spinning, weaving and dying this fabulous | | | | used for clothing or rugs.. |
| versatile and vibrant cloth.. | | | | The fabric is then washed in hot water so as to shrink |
| I can remember as a young girl in the early 1950's in | | | | it before dying. Setting the fabric is done by rinsing the |
| the then Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) | | | | fabric in a watered solution made from tea leaves of |
| attempting to make mud cloth using cotton yarns given | | | | the Bogalon tree. The tea solution increases the ability |
| to me by local villages on my fathers farm. There is | | | | of the mud dye to be absorbed then the cloth is laid |
| something about home craft that goes deep into most | | | | out to dry once again. |
| of us with the need to get your hands dirty mixing mud | | | | The mud dye is prepared and painted along each of |
| for dyes or clay for pottery or weaving yarns. The | | | | the strips by the Mali women. The mud absorbs into |
| hands on ancient ways give as much fulfilment while | | | | the cloth before drying. |
| being therapeutic as well. | | | | Designs can be created by placing objects on the |
| The craft of weaving this cloth goes back as far as | | | | fabric before painting the dye on the cloth, a bit like |
| the 8th century when the Boubou robe was worn by | | | | stencilling is done today. The more coats of dye used |
| the Ghana Islamized people and 13th Century Mali | | | | the deeper the colour will become. |
| Empire. It has not changed much since then regardless | | | | Caustic Soda is used 'Sudani' for bleaching the |
| of the push for more modern techniques and volume | | | | stencilled out areas on the cloth. As the base cloth is |
| manufacturing of today. It is amazing that the traditional | | | | now stained with tea the painted bleaching process is |
| method of making mud cloth has travelled down | | | | required to make the designs clearer against the mud |
| through and across Africa. | | | | dyed cloth. |
| Tuareg men wear cloth sewn from half inch strips of | | | | The cloth is then rinsed once more to remove any |
| hand woven cotton that is dyed with the indigo plant, a | | | | excess mud. The mud cloth piece is now complete |
| method of dying used because of water shortage. | | | | and can be designed for any type of clothing or used |
| The indigo dye rubs off onto their skin and they are | | | | as furnishing fabrics. No two pieces will be the same |
| known as the 'blue men of the desert'. | | | | each piece is unique due to the hand crafting process |
| The Mali woman enjoys picking the cotton and | | | | of the cloth. |
| transporting it in baskets on her head before spinning | | | | |