Kora grass, palm leaf or cane: choosing a basket
Three natural fibres from South India, how each one feels and wears, and which suits laundry, bread or storage.
How palm leaf baskets are woven in Ramanathapuram
From a young palmyra frond to a lidded basket: the drying, dyeing and weaving behind our palm leaf storage sets.
Along the dry coast of Ramanathapuram district, the palmyra palm grows where little else will, and many women in the villages around Ramanathapuram town weave its leaves into baskets, boxes and mats. Our palm leaf storage baskets come from a group of eleven weavers led by Muthulakshmi, who has woven since she was nine.
The work starts with young, unopened fronds, cut from the top of the palm before the leaves harden. They are split into strips, boiled briefly to soften them and then dried in the sun for two to three days until they turn pale cream. For coloured patterns, some strips are boiled again with dye, then dried in the shade so the colour does not fade unevenly.
Weaving is done sitting on the floor, with a bundle of strips soaking in a bucket beside the weaver to keep them supple. The base is woven first, in a tight check, and the sides are turned up and woven upwards in a coil. A lidded basket of the size we sell takes a skilled weaver about a day and a half, without counting the drying.
Palm leaf is light, strong and lets air through, which makes it good for storing onions, dry snacks, paper and clothes. Keep it dry and away from direct sun, dust it with a soft brush, and if it gets damp, dry it in the shade. Our set of two is ₹1,450, and the weaver’s name is on the tag.
