African Business Woman

I created this from a photo of a woman kossaї vendor in the Haribunda area of Niamey, Niger. This woman sold kossaї faithfully every day to provide passers-by with inexpensive nutritious food. I took this photo in December 2009 when I was working with Miriam Otoo on her PhD research. The photo is printed on 9 fabric sheets (using a tiling technique in Photo Shop Elemnts) and then stitched together). After making the quilt sandwich I then did extensive quilting to enhance the design.  I started this during the Ricky Tims Quilt Retreat in June 2010 and finished it in March 2011. This piece was created to honor all of the woman kossaї vendors who play an integral role in the well-being of their families and in development and poverty alleviation in West Africa.