On this 2-3 hour workshop, you will learn the tradition of Mud Cloth, or earth dyeing, and natural plant dyeing in the form of dye baths, bundle dyeing and hapa-zome. Using locally-sourced clays and dye plants from my dye garden I will show you how to dye and paint onto pre-mordanted fabric and yarns. The dyed fabric can subsequently be used in a craft or sewing project.
Mud cloth, or Bogolanfini, is a unique textile process culturally significant to Africa. Originating in Mali, West Africa, mud cloth is worn by hunters as ritual protection and by women after their initiation into adulthood and immediately after childbirth, to defend against any dangers. In the Bambara language, Bogolanfini is made up of three words: Bogo, “earth” or “mud,” lan, “with,” and fini, “cloth”.
Strips of handwoven cotton are stitched together into a large cloth, then dyed and painted with intricate patterns and symbols using fermented mud or sludge. The cloth is first mordanted using tea leaves and branches, and sometimes will be buried in mud for up to a year.
Bundle dyeing is natural dye technique where plant materials and dye powders are arranged on fabric, bundled tightly and steamed to transfer the plant's colours and patterns onto the fabric.
Hapa-zome is a form of eco-printing where natural pigments from plants are transferred to the substrate by pounding a hammer.
