Finland, Waveweaver's Wool / Hannele Köngäs, Striped horse hair bag

Product name: Striped horse hair bag

Type of product: Handbag

Description (story of the item): 

The history of this type of bags is long, it goes back to the Scandinavian Viking age. Handles could then be of wood, bone or horn and the bag itself was of tanned leather or fur. 

The Sàmì people reserved the model of the bag in their handicraft bags until beginning of 20^th century. My roots are in Lapland and the bag itself has fascinated my mind over 20 years, since  my sister made the first horn handles.

To weave horse hair is very slowly, max 4 cm / hour. You put every horse hair by hand to the shed and  must keep an eye, which way you put the hair straw, every second in different direction. I love simple stripes and in this bag there are woad and madder stripes.

Materials: 

Hand woven, warp silk, weft horse hair. Blue stripes are dyed with woad and the red ones with madder root. Handles are of reindeer bone, which are dyed with onion scales. Lining is of black silk fabric.

Measurements / size:

W down 33 cm x H 24 cm, bone handles 18 cm x 3,5 cm