Moroccan Inspiration

Moroccan Inspiration
Title
Moroccan Inspiration
Date
2020
Dimensions
41” x 80”
Media
Handwoven textile utilizing wool and cotton yarns. The fabric incorporates woven shibori resist. Dyed.

There is a type of traditional textile from Morocco that is used as a head scarf. It is woven of wool, and often incorporates small inlaid design elements of cotton. Dye is applied directly to the textile using a henna leaf paste, creating painted designs. The henna deposits an orange dye onto the wool (a protein fiber), while the cotton (a cellulose fiber) remains un-dyed. Henna can also be applied using an immersion dyebath, to which a mild acid has been added. No mordant is required. There are other dyes that can be used in the same way and many of these have traditionally been used as dyes for the hair, which is another protein fiber.

The panels of cloth in this series have been woven with wool and include small supplemental woven patterns of cotton. Woven shibori creates resist for the dye. This series uses a selection of dyes, none of which require the use of a mordant in order to dye wool.

Dyes sources included (from left to right):