Mud Cloth - Made with earth
Mud Cloth - Made with earth
Bogolan is a very old traditional technique of
vegetable dyeing valued and practiced in Mali and Burkina Faso.
The bogolan manufacturing process is artisanal.
The textile used is woven cotton. Cotton is dyed by soaking in a decoction of
tree leaves (n’galman and n’tjankara) containing a high concentration of
tannin.
Bogolan fabric (mud cloth)
The patterns are then made freehand on the fabric
from the mud. When the mud has dried, the cotton piece is rinsed with water to
remove excess mud. Then, the process of soaking with the mud is repeated
several times on the areas where it is desired to strengthen the black color.
Finally, the residual yellow areas are bleached
with a mixture of millet and peanuts as well as an active ingredient: soda.
Washing Tip: Frequent washing or direct exposure
to the sun can reduce the radiance of colors. The fabric should be soak ed in
water with salt or 1/3 cup of white vinegar.
Text label
All our decorative items such as our cushions,
bedspreads, napkins, table runners, and floor cushions are dyed “Bogolan” a
beautiful traditional fabric from Mali. The bogolan manufacturing process is
100% artisanal. The word Bogolan comes from Bogo = earth and lan = made with = “made
with earth”.
Washing advice; real bogolan does not bleed and is
very resistant to washing. It loses a little bit of its shine over washings.
Use a natural mild soap.
Cotton is locally grown and colored with plant-based
dyes, while the mud is as organic as the river in which it is found. Iron in
the mud reacts with the dye and turns it black - three coats for deep black,
two for gray