Collection
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The small bucket bag
Big enough for the essentials and with a handy mobile phone or keys pocket at the front, this small bucket bag can be worn over the shoulder or cross-body style. The strap is made from hand-woven leather tassled horse reins and the butter-soft leather bag comes in a range of colours. Currently available online from Jam Shop.
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Woven cotton and dried grass wall hangings
These lengths of woven cotton and dried grass make simple but stunning wall decorations. We have one in our house and it makes a great focal piece for the living area. Approximate dimensions 150cm long x 100cm wide.
Available from Jam Shop
Click above thumbnail to see fine detail.
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Woven cotton with stick placemats and table runners
These short lengths of cotton interwoven with sticks make great modern-rustic table placemats, while longer lengths could be used as a table runner or wall decoration. They are a modern application of the Fulani custom of weaving cotton in narrow bands. Traditionally these plain bands would be sewn together to make blankets, shepherds’ tunics or prayer hats.
Approximate dimensions of the placemats: 43cm wide x 45cm high, table runner: 150cm long x 38cm high
Available from Jam Shop
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The Large Bucket Bag
Here’s a new style of leather bag in the SAHEL design collection. I wanted to find a way of using the woven leather rope used to make the decorative reins in a traditional Fulani horse complet, and add another large bag to the collection.
The rope lends itself perfectly to a drawstring style, eliminating the need for a zip which is good as I’m trying to use locally sourced materials as much as possible. This bag is big and practical, with six outer ticket pockets and handles that can be doubled up and carried in hand or as a single strap over the shoulder. The decorative tassle on the side can be detached for a more simple look.
Available in a range of summer colours from www.jamshop.org.uk
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The Leather Nosebag
Before having a baby I had a horse here in Africa. It was a brilliant way of exploring the bush and I got to learn more about Fulani culture and their historical love of horses through it. An elderly neighbour said he would hear the horse neigh in the night and believed that it was blessing him. One old man came regularly to clip his ears: no respectable horse here should have overgrown hair in their ears, apparently. Another old man sewed him a cotton nosebag, called a gafakka, from which to eat his millet without getting sand in it.
The bag was made from strips of cotton woven into narrow bands then stitched together. The shape was a basic square with triangular sides and loops attaching the strap which would hang over the horse’s head.
To the amusement of a few locals, I copied the shape and made a fabric bag for shopping at the market. I still use it today – slung over my shoulder it is flat but expands tardis-like to carry a weeks’ supply of aubergines and onions.
I’ve now done a leather version with a tasselled strap for the SAHEL design collection. Several people said they would like to see something like the ruched handbag but bigger so this is it. I hope you like it. Available from www.jamshop.org.uk soon.
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Organic cotton cushion covers
These cushion covers are adapted from traditional Fulani blanket designs. The cotton, grown in a village on the outskirts of Ouagadougou without pesticides, was hand spun, woven by Ussman Tamboura on his loom made from branches and then stitched together by hand. Each cushion is unique and is the product of several days work and hundreds of years of tradition.
The Fulani are traditionally cattle herders and they originally considered there to be only four true colours; black, red, yellow and white. Black because it represents the cow’s dung; red for the cow’s blood; yellow for its urine and white for its milk.
Natural plant and vegetable dyes, indigo and bogolanfini mud dyeing were the traditional methods for colouring cloth across West Africa. Only since the introduction of synthetic dyes have bright colours such as green and orange become possible. The coloured yarns in the SAHEL products are currently made using modern synthetic dyes so as to ensure quality and colour fastness.
The dimensions of these cushion covers are 41cm x 41cm.
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Organic cotton blanket
All Fulani clothes and blankets used to be made from cotton or wool, which was hand spun by women and woven by men from the artisan class. Nowadays few Fulani still follow this tradition because imports dominate the local markets. Woven cloth is now only used for special purposes such as wedding blankets and ceremonial robes.
Fulani weaving is characterised by a series of narrow bands with designs woven across them. Traditional designs were inspired by local animals and Ussman Tamboura, the man who wove this blanket, still likes to incorporate the Tiinde eda – a diamond shape like the marking on the forehead of the African buffalo, which is now extinct in the region. This shape also appears in the Sahel design logo.
The dimensions of this blanket are 120 cm x 180 cm
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Ruched tote
The straps used as handles on the ruched tote are adapted from horse girth straps so they are wide enough to sit comfortably on the shoulder. Each strap takes several days to braid. You might like to read about how these horse girth straps are made. Like most SAHEL bags, the leather body is made from high quality, supple leather professionally tanned in Ouagadougou, the capital city of Burkina Faso.
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Flat tote
The girth straps used for securing a saddle also make super-strong bag handles. Here they are handstitched onto the bag for a rustic twist on an elegant shape. Like most SAHEL bags, the rest of the bag has been machine stitched by a local tailor.
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Ruched handbag
The shape of this ruched bag with drawstring sides was inspired by a favourite bag of mine from Cambodia. We’ve added leather tassles which are made using the same techniques as traditional Fulani horse reins, making this a really flirty little number. Each strap takes about a week to make.
