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Beautiful Bag Made of African Mud Cloth

It May Protect You and Certainly Will Elevate You

 Beautiful Bag

An African mud cloth historically made in Mali, West Africa would be worn by hunters in a ritual protection and worth its weight in status. For women, they are wrapped in these cloths after childbirth, to ease the pain and draw away the negative or destructive elements. 

 

Mud Cloth is a cotton fabric known as Bogolanfini from the Bambara language. Bogomeans earth or mud, Lan means with, and Fini means cloth, which is how the fabric got its name. 

 

Both men and women make the mud cloth that have cultural, historic, and geographic significances. Historical as related to battles, past feats, or events. Cultural to the spiritual or mythological aspects in their lives, the patterns mean something different. Depending on where the mud cloths were created, both geographically and topographically, there are subtle differences. 

 

Each pattern is created by one or more individuals who spend a significant amount of time to create the cloth. Men weave strips of fabric together to make a large canvas. Women dye the cloth. The first dye usually consists of tea and its leaves. From there, it is sun-dried, and depending on the size of the cloth, can take up to several days to dry it. The paint is from a select mud that has been fermented for up to a year.  After painting and drying again, the mud is washed off. 

 

A reaction to the mud and the dyed cloth allows the rich brown colors to remain. Sometimes, the cloth may be washed with bleach or soap to render the cloth white with dark or black coloring. 

 

This purse is made with mud cloth. It is 13 inches tall by 20 inches wide by five inches depth. You can see there is a pocket on the outside as well as a sturdy handles. It will be perfect with the fall colors this year and your winter wardrobe as well. 

 

You can find this African Mud Cloth Bag in my Boutique, in my Store, or at the Art to Wear & More Show and Sale happening on November 12 and 13, from 10 am to 3 pm. More coming soon about the show.