Congolese Kasai Velvet Cushions
We have secured a limited supply of these beautiful cushions. Every one of them is hand made and unique, so once they're gone, they're gone!
The fabric for these cushions is woven from the fibre of the Raphia Vinifera Palm, in the Congo. Production of the fabric is a multiple stage process and involves whole family groups. The process includes gathering and preparing the raffia fibres for weaving and embroidery, weaving the base cloth, dyeing the embroidery fibres, and embellishing with embroidery, appliqué, patchwork and dye. After the fibres are gathered they are stripped by hand or with a stripping comb, then the base cloth is produced on a single heddle loom. After weaving, the fabric is sometimes dyed and softened by repeated wetting and pounding in a mortar.
The fabric is woven in pieces approximately 26" x 28", a size determined by the natural length of the raffia fibres. The fabrics can be divided into three types:
- cut pile embroideries
- uncut embroideries
- cut or open-work embroideries
The cut pile embroideries (the type used for these cushions) look like velvet or velour. They have been referred to as "Kasai Velvets" and is the result of an embroidery technique in which the raffia fibre is trimmed close to the front surface of the base cloth with a small knife. This cut embroidery stitch creates the carpet or velvet appearance. These embroidered pieces are all unique and individual and the patterns have been memorised and passed down through the generations.
The fabrics have an unusual, and pleasant texture, beautiful and genuinely earthy colours and you can even still smell the wood smoke from the fires around which the fabrics are woven!
The cushions are filled with hollow fibre, which is a machine washable, light weight, non-allergenic material.
Click on the thumbnails to see more information.
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