Wild Nepali Rainbow Hemp Fabric

Wild Nepali hemp woven on a traditional backstrap loom by highly skilled weavers in the Nepali Himalayas. Woven against rainbow coloured cotton. This heavy woven fabric is perfect for cushion covers, bags, jackets, curtains, Table runners, placemats etc. It is naturally rough to the touch, but after use hemp becomes soft and wears in. 

Sold per metre.

430GSM Care: Machine wash at 40'. Do not tumble dry.

PROVENANCE & HARVEST Hemp grows wild in Nepal. After the end of the rainy season villagers leave their farms to gather hemp and nettle before the plants start to flower. Covering their hands with a cloth to avoid the giant stingers, teams of harvesters cut both the nettle and hemp above the ground without disturbing the soil. The plants then grows back with the next rains. The fibrous inner bark is stripped from the plant and boiled in water and wood ash for about three hours and then left to simmer overnight. The plant material can then be beaten and the fibre removed. It is then rubbed with soil containing mica, which lubricates the yarn and makes separating and spinning the fibres easier. The fibre is dried in the sun and teased and is ready for spinning. This is done using a hand spindle indoors. When the weather no longer permits anyone to work outside in the fields then time is spent sitting indoors and making this super strong, super eco hand drawn yarn. The yarn has been drawn by tooth and spindle method, where the fibres are separated by teeth and is held on to a hand held spindle. It takes 10 days' work to make one kilogramme of yarn.

Due to the wild hemp material and the cloth being handwoven there may be imperfections in the weave, parts of the cloth has small knots tied and the weave is not always straight and even. We believe this is part of it's charm.

Posted using biodegradable materials, for more info on shipping please click here.