Our sisal products are popular as storage solutions around the home, planters, mats and tote bags. The range of designs are inspired by natural and artificial landscapes like the old railway, road, hills and village pathways. Each weaver, inspired by their natural and artificial environment, embeds these designs into the baskets they produce.

The sisal fibre can be dyed to make various vibrant and earthy tones. These tones ae either extracted from manufactured or natural dyes. Natural dyes are extracted from sand (to give various shades of brown), ash (grey tones), plant extracts (these range from fruits, bark and roots, with various possible various primary and secondary tones), charcoal and mud from stream beds (this gives various tones of black). The process for making these natural dyes involves drying the raw materials, crushing them to make them more finer, and then boiling these with the sisal fibre. Duration of boiling also dictates the tone to be achieved. We also use manufactured dyes to achieve the more complex colors (with the same process of achieving tones), with each client’s preference.

The sisal products can also be infused with other materials to achieve various functionalities, giving them a modern look. The most popular material used is leather. Leather is added at the rim, with/or handles added of various lengths. Fabric is also added to line the interior, most especially when the baskets are used as hand bags.

Maintenance

Sisal fibre is durable with proper care but requires extra attention especially when cleaning. Traditionally, there is a tree bark used to clean off sisal fibre stains. However, given it’s limited availability, below are some steps on cleaning off stains using mild soap and water.

1. If the stain is wet, dry the stained area to remove any moisture soaked in the sisal fibre;
2. Once dry, if possible, scrap the dried stain (mud, food etc) (use a soft brush) to remove as much of the solidified stain;
3. Use a damp cloth to dub on the area that is stained, after which dry it out for just a few minutes;
4. If you must dip the sisal product in water, only do so for a short amount of time and rub this gently with soap. Do not wring it as this will distort the shape and loosen the strands;
5. If the product is infused with other materials, particularly leather, make sure the added materials don’t remain soaked while the basket is drying;
6. If you have a steamer, use it gently and under low heat.

PS: Avoid leaving your basket in direct sunlight as is may cause fading of the color over time.
Avoid scrubbing your basket using a hard brush or any hard bristles.