Anyone who has seen any of my lenses will know by now that I am just crazy about handwoven cotton fabrics, as long as they are created in the traditional manner.
By this I mean the actual fibers being woven must be naturally produced, hand spun and dyed with non synthetic dyes, and the looms are hand made from local timber, and "people powered", not mechanically driven.
Because I live in the north of Thailand, ( Chiang Rai ), I don't have to travel very far in any direction to find a village whose main income is from weaving silk or cotton. I say silk or cotton, because the different villages seem to specialize in one particular style.
Most of the handwoven cotton we use for our "Lanna Charm" handbags and shoulder bags comes from a "Karen" village about 15 km. west of Chiang Rai, known as the "elephant camp". The village is actually called " Ruam Mit ", which loosely translated means " many different people", because it is populated by hilltribes like Karen, Hmong, Lisu, Akha and Thai people as well. The majority are Karen, who are amazing weavers. I prefer their cotton for making bags because as well as being beautiful to look at, it is very strong, perfect for our products. Also the colors they use to dye the fabric are naturally derived from locally grown plants and fruits.
No two of our bags are alike, because every lady has her own way of doing things, from preparing the yarn for weaving, to making the colors, and to the actual weaving itself.
To see our wide range of handwoven, handcrafted cotton products, as well as silk, hemp and straw fashion accessories and home decor, please visit the "Lanna Charm" website.
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We have just released a new addition to our ever growing range of handcrafted fashion accessories, from northern Thailand.
This pretty little "mini-handbag" comes from Chiang Mai, is handmade from split bamboo, and is both unusual and attractive. It has a triangular shape which allows it to stand alone, and can be folded flat (collapsed) when not in use. The Chiang Mai "Bamboo" Mini-Handbag is lined with cotton fabric with inside pocket, has a handy loop and button closer, and comes in a wide range of patterns and colors. There are 2 sizes, the larger one is 12.5 " long, 4.5" wide, and is 6" tall, not including the wooden handles. The smaller size is 9" long, 4.5" wide, and is 5" tall, not including the wooden handles. The smaller size bag is also available with longer, woven straw handles. Both bags are available on both a retail, and a wholesale basis, and can be seen in the Bags section of our Lanna Charm website.
