Ethical and Fair Trade Practices
Graamyam products are co-created by a small group of craft people and an in-house design team who share a vision of ethical business practices.
We ensure that the artisan communities making our handcrafted products are fairly compensated and acknowledged. We consciously adopt sustainable practices and reduce waste in our business processes, thus reducing negative environmental impacts.
Vara Place Mats
$45.00
Set of six mats, handwoven with thin strands of cora grass stem and each piece is unique! Grass strands are compacted by hand to make the mat sturdy.
Due to the differences in displays of computers/laptops/phones, the colours on the product you receive may vary marginally from the colours seen on our website.
Washable in normal temperature tap water. Dry it before storing or using
Crafted by Weavers of Killimangalam, Kerala, India. Know more about the community
Available Offers
5% discount for first time user
In stock
Description
Elevating Brown Placemat Set of six is perfect for protecting the dinner table from water marks, food stains or heat damage. You can use these placemats set for everyday dining as well as for special occasions. It makes the dining table more presentable and elegant. You may pair it with other tableware from Graamyam to complete the look of your dinner table.
Story of Cora Grass and Mat weaving:
Cora Grass is found along river banks and in marshy lands. It can grow up to a height of two meters. Family members of mat weavers collect these cora grass and bring it for processing. They cut each grass stem into four strands and remove the soft material at the centre. Before further processing, the grass is dried under the sun, till it develops a beige colour naturally. The grass is then dyed using different colouring materials and processes to match artists imagination. Sometimes, the colouring process takes days, depending on the shade of colour desired.
The handcrafted mats are woven using hand operated looms. A set of white yarns as the warp (length) and thin strands of cora grass as weft (width), are woven on a loom hand-operated by weavers. These looms do not use electricity. Human handling lends the mat a unique feel and more value. The resultant mat is softer, more durable and much more comfortable than machine-made mats. The cora grass strands are compacted by hand by the weavers, ensuring sturdiness to the mat.
The art of hand weaving is labour intensive and takes a longer time. But, the beauty and quality it adds to the mat is priceless. Choosing handwoven mats supports the rich weaving heritage of Killimangalam and lets the weavers carry on the precious art-form to the future generations as well.
Additional information
| Weight | 0.5 kg |
|---|---|
| Color | Brown |
| Community | |
| Material | Natural Fibre |
| Size | Length – 450mm, Width – 280mm |
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We always look for ways to be environment friendly and use natural materials as much as possible. With this spirit, we experimented with vegetable dyes. And here we are, with a mat dyed using natural colours extracted from plants. Though it takes an additional three days of processing, we feel it is worth the effort. We are confident, very soon, you will feel the same way. Chayilyam is the material used to give that mystic deep orange colour to the face painting in Theyyam and Kathakali art forms. Here, vegetable dyes are used to recreate that orange magic. Story of Cora Grass and Mat weaving: Cora Grass is found along river banks and in marshy lands. It can grow up to a height of two meters. Family members of mat weavers collect these cora grass and bring it for processing. They cut each grass stem into four strands and remove the soft material at the centre. Before further processing, the grass is dried under the sun, till it develops a beige colour naturally. The grass is then dyed using different colouring materials and processes to match artists imagination. Sometimes, the colouring process takes days, depending on the shade of colour desired. The handcrafted mats are woven using hand operated looms. A set of white yarns as the warp (length) and thin strands of cora grass as weft (width), are woven on a loom hand-operated by weavers. These looms do not use electricity. Human handling lends the mat a unique feel and more value. The resultant mat is softer, more durable and much more comfortable than machine-made mats. The cora grass strands are compacted by hand by the weavers, ensuring sturdiness to the mat. The art of hand weaving is labour intensive and takes a longer time. But, the beauty and quality it adds to the mat is priceless. Choosing handwoven mats supports the rich weaving heritage of Killimangalam and lets the weavers carry on the precious art-form to the future generations as well.
Ethical and Fair Trade Practices
Graamyam products are co-created by a small group of craft people and an in-house design team who share a vision of ethical business practices.
We ensure that the artisan communities making our handcrafted products are fairly compensated and acknowledged. We consciously adopt sustainable practices and reduce waste in our business processes, thus reducing negative environmental impacts.
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She goes for an early morning yoga session to a park near her home. An easy to carry mat makes her walk to the park breezy. Once she reaches the park, she spreads the mat on any flat surface. She is all ready for a relaxing yoga to energise her body and soul. The early morning sun dries up the mat. After yoga, she rolls her mat and returns home. If there is anything stuck to the mat, she just shows it under running water and put it under the sun to dry. On days when there is a slight drizzle, she blow dries the mat with a hair dryer. She keeps the dry mat in her cupboard and is ready for another busy day at work. Story of Cora Grass and Mat weaving: Cora Grass is found along river banks and in marshy lands. It can grow up to a height of two meters. Family members of mat weavers collect these cora grass and bring it for processing. They cut each grass stem into four strands and remove the soft material at the centre. Before further processing, the grass is dried under the sun, till it develops a beige colour naturally. The grass is then dyed using different colouring materials and processes to match artists imagination. Sometimes, the colouring process takes days, depending on the shade of colour desired. The handcrafted mats are woven using hand operated looms. A set of white yarns as the warp (length) and thin strands of cora grass as weft (width), are woven on a loom hand-operated by weavers. These looms do not use electricity. Human handling lends the mat a unique feel and more value. The resultant mat is softer, more durable and much more comfortable than machine-made mats. The cora grass strands are compacted by hand by the weavers, ensuring sturdiness to the mat. The art of hand weaving is labour intensive and takes a longer time. But, the beauty and quality it adds to the mat is priceless. Choosing handwoven mats supports the rich weaving heritage of Killimangalam and lets the weavers carry on the precious art-form to the future generations as well.
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