Craftsmanship
The Magic of Mudcloth
Why are our mud cloth cushions popular with our customers from all over the globe? Let us take you on a journey of slow design, ancient techniques and unique textile crafting to explain why mud cloth is so admired.
Bogolanfini or Mudcloth is a traditional cotton fabric that is dyed with natural plant dyes and fermented mud from the Niger River in Mali where the river flows gently and is verdant and healthy.
AAFRICAA has sourced two types of Mud Cloth cushions – both originate in Mali. The base cloth for both is made from strips of hand-spun cotton woven on small portable looms. The strips are then sewn together in lengths before dyeing to make a wider cloth.
BOGOLANFINI
Made in the traditional way, each skein of mudcloth takes between four days and a week of preparation – a process of dipping, dyeing, and drying between each dip. The dye is a fermentation of leaves from the n’gallama tree and initially creates a pale yellow that gradually deepens to create terracotta colours or a darker yellow for black. Patterns are then drawn onto the cloth with a white resist and at the final stage the whole cloth is covered in a thick layer of fine and viscous, fermented river mud. The cloths are laid out to dry in the sun and then the mud is washed off to reveal either the terracotta and white, or a black and white patterns.
MODERN MUD CLOTH
These days modern methods have been introduced to production – like painting with muddy dyes or screen printing w. You can tell the difference, because the mud sits more on the surface of the cloth while the traditional Bogolanfini penetrates the fabric. But screen printing has helped modernise the designs with simple graphic repeats to appeal to homeowners across the world.
IN YOUR HOME
There are no rules to how to use mud cloth cushions in your home. They are a matt but rich addition to a neutral interior or an earthy complement to a more lavish interior. One of an occasional chair works well but mudcloth cushions look at their best casually piled on a bed or long sofa.