The Skilled Process of Strip Weaving
African Textiles – Strip Weaving
Follow this link to watch Moussa Keita from the western town of Djibasso in Burkina Faso, near the border of Mali border. ??
He is using the ancient tradition of strip weaving to weave a blanket, which will take him around 4 days to complete.
? The width of the cloth they produce ranges from 8cm to 21cm, hence the term strip weaving. It is generally raw, creamy cotton sewn together and dyed in a variety of ways.
? The cloth either has motifs woven directly into it or the motifs are embroidered afterwards to simulate this more complicated kind of weave.
? This method of weaving is at least a thousand years old and has not changed in all that time. The oldest archeological remains of similar cotton strip weaving found in caves in Mali being dated at around the 11th century.
We have a great range of African Textiles available to purchase at Bashiri, just click here.
