9-inchx11-inch Mudcloth and Batik Fair Trade Made in the USA I have one of these attractive and practical iPad sleeves for my iPad and I love it. It fits iPad 1 and iPad 2 as well. The iPad sleeve is made with hand painted mudcloth from Mali, and colorful batik fabric from Ghana, combining them with recycled American materials, which makes it a very unique iPad sleeve. The outside of the sleeve is made with sturdy yet soft mudcloth, a traditional material made in Mali. Mudcloth's bold graphics come in black, white and rich cocoa and are designed by hand on top of nubby woven cloth, or even using feed sacks. Tough, thick and strong, mudcloth reflects the resilience of the Mali culture. The inside of the Ipad is made with colorful batik wax print fabric from Ghana, their bold designs showing the cultural symbolism unique solely to that region. The combination makes for a very cool looking and sturdy sleeve case, which also has a magnetic snap closure. What is Mudcloth? Mudcloth echo's the indigenous exuberance and spontaneity of the continent and the artistry of the native men and women who craft them. An ancient creative expression dating to the 8th century Boubou robe worn by Muslim peoples of Ghana and 13th century peoples of the Mali Empire, they represent a cultural tradition largely unchanged for 13 centuries. How is mudcloth made? The making of mudcloth is a time-consuming process, normally taking four days to a week to complete depending on weather. Women gather the cotton and spin it into yarn. On a handheld loom, men weave it into panels typically 5-inch or 6-inch wide. After they weave 9 or so panels, they sew them together to create the fabric. The fabric is dyed in a labor-intensive process requiring layers of mud, masking off areas for design, and application of the vibrant indigo plant. Highly skilled women typically paint and design the mudcloth, using a combination of organic dyes and fixatives.
