Mudcloth, or bogolan in the local language, is a unique African textile. Producing this cotton fabric is an ancient home-craft, and the finished mudcloths are an authentic traditional art form. Making mudcloth is a long process:
- cotton is planted and harvested
- cotton fiber is collected and hand-spun into thread
- thread is woven into strips of cloth on traditional looms
- strips are sewn into large panels
- panels are dyed by soaking in decoctions of leaves and bark
- patterns of clay-rich mud are applied with sticks and brushes; one mud-application and one dye-bath are required for each successive shade of color.
Each piece of mudcloth is entirely hand-made and unique, there are no exact duplicates, even when the same pattern is replicated by the same artisan.
These wide mudcloth African scarves can be worn with anything to give instant ethnic style. You can also use these scarves as table runners to give your home a piece of African hand-made beauty. Scarf ends are hand braided and decorated with West African trade beads. Created entirely in Mali, West Africa from hand spun, hand woven, and hand painted mudcloth. Each is approx. 60 inches long and 9 inches wide. Each one of these scarves is unique, and we have a wide selection. E-mail us before you order if would like a particular color, etc. We will let you know if we have what you are looking for in stock.
