Handmade luxury from Ethiopia

12.10

2023

Sabahar throw blankets: carefully elaborated pieces made by hand from Ethiopian raw materials.

The making of all handmade textiles is a long and complicated process that requires attention to every detail. When products are large, it is even more challenging and time consuming.

Most of our throw blankets are 100% cotton (except for the for Sand and Snow throw which is a silk/cotton blend). These pieces all start with raw materials sourced in rural Ethiopia, which is then distributed to women who are spinning on drop spindles in their homes; a technique practiced by women in Ethiopia for centuries. A few women have now adopted various designs of spinning wheels to speed up the process.

Enjoy these beautiful statement pieces. They will last you a lifetime!

The cotton yarn is then put into hanks, dyed and hung out to dry. At the same time, the weaver will be preparing his loom by measuring the much finer warp threads, tying them onto the previous warp, and winding on the new warp until it is finally ready for weaving. For the throw blanket width, more than 1,500 warp threads are required. The warp needs to be wound on with tension to ensure consistent texture of the finished product and more efficient weaving. This process takes time (about 4 days), patience, and teamwork.

It is only then that the weaving process begins. The weaving alone can take up to a day to produce one piece. After being woven and removed from the loom, the throw blanket will go to the fringing department where the warp threads will be twisted together to form tight fringes and then knotted. The throw will then be washed, dried in the sun and ironed. Finally, they will be quality checked and prepared for export. They are available for retail and wholesale orders.