The older tops are made from narrow strips of hand woven cotton, while the modern versions are often made from one piece of black cloth. The front of the garment is often decorated with three vertical panels that are hand embroidered. The panels are embroidered with geometric designs. The two flanking panels normally carry similar decoration. The embroidery is carried out in chain stitch using green, orange, red, yellow and white cotton (cheaper version) or silk (more expensive examples).
See also the TRC Needles entries on Wodaabe embroidery.
Sources:
- BOVIN, Mette (2001). Nomads who Cultivate Beauty: Wodaabe Dances and Visual Arts in Niger, Uppsala: Nordic Africa Institute, p. 18.
- https://www.globalgiving.org/projects/women-artisans-in-niger/updates/?subid=33357 (retrieved 30th March 2016)
- http://kwekudee-tripdownmemorylane.blogspot.nl/2014/02/wodaabe-mbororo-people-nomadic-fulani.html (retrieved 30th March 2016)
British Museum online catalogue (retrieved 8th June 2016).
GVE