Embroidery in the more rural areas of Morocco employed rougher, less refined natural threads including animal hair, and was mixed with the dying and painting of fabrics as a decorative form. The range of styles and designs that come from these areas though is just as rich as in the urban cities. Berber tribeswomen of these areas created, according to authors Paydar and Grammet, “specific designs that expressed her identity, her family, religion, customs, and beliefs.” These designs were handed down orally from mother to daughter and were considered to possess power. The homes of many of these nomadic or semi-nomadic people were made entirely of cloth, and were woven and assembled by the female members of these communities.[1]
Rural dress differed from the many layered and fine fabrics of Moroccan cities. More simple, draped garments were worn up until the 20th century in rural areas. Using plain white cloth made from wool or cotton these garments would be painted and dyed with natural dyes including henna. Henna designs were used sparingly on such garments, owing to their expense, and thus decoration was usually found around the edges of tunics or more importantly was used to mark the headscarves of brides and married women.
The process of creating henna designs on fabric is time consuming and took many days. Once the henna had been made and the designs carefully laid out with a small stick, the fabric is left to set for three days, or to ‘fast’. Then the dried henna is scratched off and the whole operation is repeated several times to set the color as desired. The design is then set with soaked palm frond ash and weighted down on both ends to prevent creasing. This process of henna painting on textile died out in the middle of the 20th century, but a renewed interest in recent decades has revived the techniques.[2]