These are some of the colourful and traditional Billums available in my online store. I don't usually post about my products, but they look so good and I thought they are fantastic presents for Christmas! Since I listed them, they've been selling fast!
Billums are bags traditionally hand-woven by women in Papua New Guinea. They are made from cotton or a string like fibre. Some have fluffy cuss cuss fur woven into them, but I don't have any of those. They are woven using traditional motifs,similar to quilt blocks, with names like: streak of lightning, waves, snake. More contemporary motifs have developed reflecting cultural influences and some of the more popular bags have "computer" and "power line" designs.
Most of the billums are woven in the western highlands where the weave is denser and the billum more "solid" looking, but each region of PNG has its own unique style, colour and fibre preference.
Many billums today are made from brightly coloured, commercially produced fibres, as opposed to the natural fibres and dyes used in the past - and still popular, but harder to find.
The really special thing to me, is that billum making is another hand craft, predominantly practised by women using their creativity to make everyday objects functional, beautiful and unique. Each time a billum is sold, a woman in PNG has more money in her purse to buy food, educate her children and make more billums!
Thanks for dropping by,
Billums are bags traditionally hand-woven by women in Papua New Guinea. They are made from cotton or a string like fibre. Some have fluffy cuss cuss fur woven into them, but I don't have any of those. They are woven using traditional motifs,similar to quilt blocks, with names like: streak of lightning, waves, snake. More contemporary motifs have developed reflecting cultural influences and some of the more popular bags have "computer" and "power line" designs.
Most of the billums are woven in the western highlands where the weave is denser and the billum more "solid" looking, but each region of PNG has its own unique style, colour and fibre preference.
Many billums today are made from brightly coloured, commercially produced fibres, as opposed to the natural fibres and dyes used in the past - and still popular, but harder to find.
The really special thing to me, is that billum making is another hand craft, predominantly practised by women using their creativity to make everyday objects functional, beautiful and unique. Each time a billum is sold, a woman in PNG has more money in her purse to buy food, educate her children and make more billums!
Thanks for dropping by,
Ann.
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