SON of MALTOP: African wax prints

I was so happy with how the Maltop turned out that I've been inspired to make another shirt using the same pattern. But instead of the Roman Holiday feel of the first version, I'll be making use of one of my favorite African wax print fabrics. Here's the upper part of the front for a taste of the print:

Wax print fabrics are one of my favorite souvenirs of Africa. They're worn almost universally from Senegal to Angola: men in collared shirts, women in fabulously tailored outfits with the pattern from head to toe. (A great example is this photo of the First Lady of Benin: note how the red ribbons from the fabric have been cut out and arranged around the neck, no small sewing feat.) I love that it's one of the few regions in the world that still holds on to its own apparel tradition, with minimal encroachment from jeans and sneakers and logo t-shirts.

The history goes something like this: Europeans learned how to make batik in Indonesia and brought the technique home to their own factories. Soon they were exporting the fabric back to Indonesia, calling at ports along the African coast on the way. The Indonesian market dried up, but the fabric had quite inadvertently become popular in Africa.

European wax prints are still considered the finest, though increasingly large quantities are produced locally or in Asia. You can find them for sale in just about any market. They're universally sold in 6 meter lengths - no more, no less - which is a pity. It works out to be pretty cheap by the yard, but not such a bargain when you have to buy so much. The colors are bright, often garish; the patterns range from simple geometrics to psychedelic abstracts. But by far my favorite are the delightful whimsical prints incorporating everyday items: batteries, light bulbs, irons, teapots, lipstick, umbrellas, spigots, pills, fruit, scissors, chickens... you name it. Around election times, you're liable to see fabrics printed with candidates' faces and campaign slogans.

But I have to say that the best one I ever saw was on a girl in Bamako:
Turkeys.
Thanksgiving turkeys.
On platters.
Just like this, even down to the little paper frills on the drumsticks:

I spent the rest of my trip searching high and low for that fabric. I finally found a knock-off in a market stall in Accra, but the colors were poor and the turkeys had been enlarged to comic proportions - unfortunately, I think life-sized turkeys are a little outside the realm of what this scrawny white girl can pull off.

I thought I might have slightly better luck with this ruler-and-protractor fabric - how could a math major say no?

Later, I'll post more wax print fabrics from my collection (and the garments they've become), as well as documenting the rise of Maltop's sibling.