Wax Printed Cotton

A visit to SAM, the Seattle Art Museum, yielded this inspiration:

These wax printed cotton fabrics are from Cote de Iviore.  Wax printing emerged out of influences from Javanese batiks and French printing techniques.  

Beginning in the late nineteenth century, cotton was woven and printed in Europe and imported to West Africa.  But before too long, factories in West Africa dominated the manufacturing of these stunning fabrics.

These days, most wax printed cotton is manufactured in Ghana.  The prints can be whimsical, such as these, or more meaningful.  More traditional prints often reflect proverbs, poems or traditional fables. The colors can also hold significance by representing social standing, age, or marital status.