The
cotton fabric is cut in six inch strips and sewn together. It is dyed with juices
from berries and mud blended together. Decorative and significant designs are
put on the fabric and it is laid in the sun to dry. Initially this art from was
done only by men, but the strong demand for it required the entire family to become involved.
The Marketplace Collection is a kaleidoscope of color and excitement. Women are dressed in beautiful traditional colors and fabrics. Children accompany
their parents to the markets when school is not an option. Here they learn survival skills and trades.
The Designer Collection includes the traditional cloths worn by the royal family, priest, tribal attire and specail ceremonies. The Designer Collection
includes the Bamboo collection.
The African American Trailblazers Collection was inspired by the question of an inquisitive young student. "The Cotton Picker" represents a woman who is dragging a bag of cotton with her baby atop, depicting the struggles of mothers during
and after slavery in their efforts to keep their children safe while toiling in the cotton fields. "The Quilter" pays homage to Harriet Tubman, abolistionists and Quakers who led the runaway slaves to freedom via the Underground
Railroad. The Quilter and Cotton Picker are limited editions and were inducted into the Hall of Fame for Dolls.
