Swazi Sisal Titja Basket #112 African art dried and ironed

dried and ironed

The folds are held in place by clamping

the women weave the baskets

This cloth begins as a solid colored piece which is then intricately folded

is from the Umtara province of Rwanda

Swazi Sisal Titja Basket #112 African art dried and ironedThis basket was hand woven in a Swaziland development program which has trained over 600 women. Working from home in rural areas, the women often are supporting 8 12 children. Woven of sisal, a pervasive native plant found throughout Swaziland. A 7 inch basket requires about 15 hours to prepare and spin the fiber and another 15 hours for the actual weaving. As the basket becomes larger with each row the time spent weaving exponentially increases. 10.