Following a quick visit on the weekend with Paul and Trish, I returned to the Arts Centre to meet with a guy who apparently has quite a large selection of old cloths. I immediately spotted Kwasi, who was sat with another older man stitching strips back together where the fabric had fallen apart. He casually mentioned that the likes of John Gillow from London (the guy who has written a very well known book on African Textiles) come to him to buy cloths - and was quick to start rumaging in his little hut stuffed with bags bursting with cloth when I mentioned I was a student interested in his variety of stuff...unfortunately I had long run out of money enough to buy one, but he let me take lots of photographs!
Kwasi going through his bags - literally every one stuffed with amazing old cloths!
Two Ewe cloths: you can just make out the hand-stitching in the colourful one above, and the one below has an amazing range of symbols and figures done in the typical supplementary weft style.
Two Ashanti cloths: the close-up above had a beautiful purple background, which has come out more of a blue colour in the photo, and the piece below is a stunning example of a cloth whose design has been "exhausted" - meaning the weaver has shown off his skill by including many different complicated patterns.
One of his many bags of scraps - he usually takes a strip off a cloth so he can use it to repair the other bits that have holes or are ripped etc. I had a good rummage and took a few home...
A Fante Flag from the Central region - which is an applique technique, not a woven one, but still interesting! and very old.
Following a quick visit on the weekend with Paul and Trish, I returned to the Arts Centre to meet with a guy who apparently has quite a large selection of old cloths. I immediately spotted Kwasi, who was sat with another older man stitching strips back together where the fabric had fallen apart. He casually mentioned that the likes of John Gillow from London (the guy who has written a very well known book on African Textiles) come to him to buy cloths - and was quick to start rumaging in his little hut stuffed with bags bursting with cloth when I mentioned I was a student interested in his variety of stuff...unfortunately I had long run out of money enough to buy one, but he let me take lots of photographs!
Kwasi going through his bags - literally every one stuffed with amazing old cloths!
Two Ewe cloths: you can just make out the hand-stitching in the colourful one above, and the one below has an amazing range of symbols and figures done in the typical supplementary weft style.
Two Ashanti cloths: the close-up above had a beautiful purple background, which has come out more of a blue colour in the photo, and the piece below is a stunning example of a cloth whose design has been "exhausted" - meaning the weaver has shown off his skill by including many different complicated patterns.
One of his many bags of scraps - he usually takes a strip off a cloth so he can use it to repair the other bits that have holes or are ripped etc. I had a good rummage and took a few home...
A Fante Flag from the Central region - which is an applique technique, not a woven one, but still interesting! and very old.
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