Handmade Hemp Side Bag - Himal Diamond
C$19.99
+ taxes based on delivery country
Teal Panel, Red Strap
A handwoven hemp side bag with a natural hemp body and a front panel worked in narrow columns of teal, indigo, black, cream and yellow. A curved hemp pocket runs across the bottom of it, the top is trimmed in black and white herringbone, and the strap is woven in deep red with cream and gold figures. It zips across the top and adjusts with a slider and a side release buckle. The patterns are not printed on. Every one of them is counted onto the loom thread by thread, which is why the columns do not line up perfectly, and why the panel rewards a closer look. The motifs themselves are the ones the hill looms of Nepal have carried for generations. The diamond, repeated down a column, is commonly read as an eye, set into the cloth to watch out for whoever is wearing it. The X is a knot figure, a mark for things held together. The zigzag bands beside them are usually taken for mountains, or for the rivers that run off them, depending on which valley you ask. Readings shift from weaver to weaver and none of them is official, which is part of the point. The pattern is a vocabulary rather than a code, and every weaver arranges it their own way. It is natural fibre right through: hemp and cotton, with no synthetic fibre in the weave. Hemp grows in the Nepali hills without irrigation or pesticide, and the stalk is retted, hand spun and woven on a handloom. It starts out a rough cloth, softens every time you use it, and gets stronger rather than weaker when it is wet. The pale ground is the hemp fibre in its own colour, not a bleach. It comes in three colourways: a teal and yellow panel on a deep red strap, a blue and white panel on a green strap, or a blue and red panel on a red strap. The weave, the pockets and the motifs are the same on all three, so the choice is only about which cloth the weaver reached for. Because the cloth is woven and cut by hand, the run of the colours and the exact placement of the figures come out a little different every time, so yours will not be identical to the photograph. Ships worldwide from our Vancouver store with live carrier rates at checkout.
Every piece is worked individually, so colour, thickness and finish vary a little from one to the next. That variation is a feature of the craft, not a flaw.
Specifications
- Brand
- Danphe Handmades
- Type
- Handmades
- Material
- Handwoven hemp and cotton, undyed hemp ground with dyed cotton figures. No synthetic fibre in the weave.
- Net weight
- 300 g
- Price
- Teal Panel, Red StrapC$19.99
- Blue Panel, Green StrapC$19.99
- Blue Panel, Red StrapC$19.99
- How to use
- Wear it cross body and set the length with the strap slider and buckle. The zip pocket takes a phone, a passport, a wallet and keys, and the hemp pocket across the front takes the small things you want without opening the bag.
- Care
- Hand wash cold with a mild soap and air dry in the shade. Hemp and cotton both take hot water badly, and the dyed figures are happiest out of direct sun. Do not bleach or tumble dry. The cloth softens and relaxes with every wash, which is the fibre behaving as it should.
Frequently asked questions
What does handmade in Nepal mean here?
Every piece is made by hand from natural wool by artisans in Nepal — felted, shaped and finished individually rather than cut from a roll or moulded. It is ethically sourced.
Why does mine look different from the photograph?
Because each one is worked individually, colour, thickness and finish vary from piece to piece. That variation is a feature of the craft, not a flaw — no two are identical.
How do I care for felted wool?
Spot clean with cold water and a little mild soap and air dry away from direct heat. Hand wash only if it needs more, reshaping while damp. Never tumble dry — heat and agitation shrink felted wool.
Do you ship worldwide?
Yes. We ship worldwide from our Vancouver store, with live carrier rates shown at checkout before you pay. Prices are in Canadian dollars.
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