Mudcloth, or bogolan in the local language, is a unique African textile. Producing this cotton fabric is a home-grown handcraft, and the finished mudcloths are an authentic traditional art form. Briefly, the making of mudcloth entails:
- 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 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.
Size: each piece is approximately 115 cm x 175 cm
(45 inches x 68 inches)
Bulk orders only, minimum 100 pieces, top quality, individually selected, mixed variety.
Price: 15 Euros per mudcloth, plus air freight charges.
NB: air freight is airport-to-airport, not door-to-door.
Total order price depends on the size of your order, plus your shipping address; contact us with your details.
Payment by bank transfer to Bamako, Mali.
*** We can also arrange thematic Textile Tours, to include visits to our traditional spinners, weavers, and dyers—see authentic fabrics being made the traditional way !
sagatours@sagatours.com
Bamako, Mali
West Africa
Tel/Fax +223 220 2708
sagatours@sagatours.com
See www.sagatours.com to arrange a tour of Mali — the best adventure travel in West Africa !
