An Elegant Sisal Basket – Swaziland, South Africa

Sisal fibers; natural dyeing. Cm. 11,7 high (4.61″); max diameter cm. 26,5 (10.43″.). Wonderful work. Excellent conditions.

Sisal fibers are wrapped and then stitched over tiny bundles of grass. Controlling the thickness and evenness of the coils takes years of practice. As a bowl gets larger, it takes exponentially more time to expand in diameter. The fibers are stripped out of leaves by scraping a used can or metal object over the leaf and against a piece of wood to remove the leaf pulp. Very thin fibers remain which are spun together to make long threads, perfect for weaving. Then the natural dyeing process begins and after drying, the creativity of weaving can begin.

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