How Our Rwandan Woven Bowls Are Made
Our rwandan woven bowls are made entirely by hand, coiling locally grown sisal around bundles of forest grasses one stitch at a time. More than 4,554 stitches go into a single medium bowl, each one shaped by a fair trade artisan in rural Rwanda. Here is how a bowl comes to life, from plant to finished piece.
From Plant to Fiber
Sisal fibers come from the agave plant, which grows on Rwanda’s hills. A machete is used to cut one of the long, spiky outer leaves, leaving the plant to continue growing. Artisans strip off the green fleshy parts of the leaf, revealing strong, thin, white fibers. This renewable, locally sourced material is what makes our sisal bowls both durable and sustainable.
The sisal fibers are washed, then either left in their raw state or dyed in a pot over an open fire using tea leaves or our specialty dyes. The fibers are dried in the shade, and the team makes sure that the color is a match to our design.
Woven by Hand, Stitch by Stitch
The artisan threads a few fibers of sisal through a needle and begins stitching a tiny coil around a small bunch of forest grasses. Bowls are woven into the artisan’s life. Cook, weave, nurse the baby and weave, hoe the fields, weave, bathe the kids, weave some more. Days of the artisan’s life are woven into each bowl.
Each row is secured, stitch by stitch, upward and outward, until the bowl takes shape. The weaver incorporates different colored sisal threads in small segments to create a perfectly balanced pattern.
More than 4,554 stitches go into each medium bowl. And with every stitch, the artisan has her family in mind. Each bowl is a testament to craft and a labor of love. That is what makes our rwandan woven bowls more than fair trade home decor: each one is a handmade piece with a story woven in.
Ready to bring one home? Explore our full collection of handwoven bowls, each made by the artisans you just met.