Needlepoint slippers were typically worn with the kabbah slot dress. Krio women did needlepoint in wool yarn on canvas. The tops are done toe to toe > < on one canvas. This form is called a “house” locally. The individual designs also have names--this one is "Windmill." When the needlepoint is finished the edges of the canvas are cut away, the back is sewn together and the fabric is lined. A male leatherworker then attaches the top to a leather sole.
Description:
Double V needlepoint for a shoe top with an overall pattern of multicolored diamonds within a lattice of black and lines of gold dots.
Provenance:
Lucille Chaveas, collected in Freetown, Sierra Leone, 2003 to 2013
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