Friday, November 24, 2006

African Fabric


Printed and Dyed Textiles from Africa
by John Gillow
Editorial Reviews

About the Author
John Gillow, traveler, writer, lecturer, and textile collector, has been tracking down outstanding textiles for the past 30 years. He spends part of each year traveling in Africa and furthering his passion for the stunning embroidered and woven fabrics worked by people of often remote areas. He is the author of Traditional Indian Textiles, Traditional Indonesian Textiles, and World Textiles.

Book Description
To go to any market in West Africa, where the women are swathed in brightly patterned wraps, is to experience an assault on your visual senses. This book, too, is a visual feast, illustrating the richness and diversity of the African textile tradition, and providing designers at all levels with inspiration for their own work. Over 30 textiles from the British Museum`s renowned collection are explored in detail: magnificent blue-and-white, indigo-resist-dyed cloths from West Africa mud cloths from Mali the unique warp-striped weaves and ikats from Madagascar adinkra blockprints and painted calligraphy cloths from Ghana and the adire cloths from Yorubaland. In his enlightening text John Gillow provides the background information to bring the pieces to life and clearly explains the full range of principle techniques employed. In addition, brief commentaries highlight the design features and a technical glossary supports the main text so you can rely on the book for eye-catching patterns as well as refer to it for specific information.

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