Black and White Coasters

Hand-Woven Set of 6 Coasters in a Basket 4”.

This product is made by Swazi Women and facilitated by Gone Rural, a WFTO certified Fair Trade Organization.  The Women harvest the “Lutindzi” grass once a year in February.  The grass is plucked from the sheath leaving the root intact for next year’s growth.  The women dry the grass outside before bundling it and selling it.  The bundles of grass are transformed into beautiful colors in fuel-efficient dye vats and then laid out to dry in rows under the African Sun. 

Swazi women traditionally use plaited grass to tie down thatching grass on the roofs of their homes. This traditional plait is the basis of our plaited items.  To make a coaster the women start by plaiting a long rope of Lutindzi grass. They sit on the ground with their legs straight out and sometimes hold the plait between their toes while they work.  When the rope is long enough they start to coil the rope into a small disc shape, they hold the rope in place by using the spokes from an umbrella. They then take sisal fiber and spin it into twine using their hand and thigh. With a long needle they thread this very strong twine through the coiled plait and stitch the coaster together.