THE STORY BEHIND THE CRAFT
Cane that bends without breaking
Selvi Ramasamy
Thondamuthur, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
Representative photo: Smitam Lifestyle · CC BY-SA 4.0 · credits
Meet the maker
Selvi Ramasamy
Cane & jute weaving
“Plants give us the fibre. We only give them a new shape.”
Selvi (a fictional demo maker) moved from cane furniture to bags at the request of her self-help group.
Selvi began weaving cane chairs with her father and moved to bags when a local self-help group asked for smaller, lighter products. She sources cane from a cooperative in the hills and twists jute by hand for handles and coils.
Visit profile- Making time
- About 3 days
- hours of handwork
- 9
- Materials
- Cane, Cotton lining
- Origin
- Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
- Craft
- 9 years of practice
How it is made
Step by step
Cane is soaked overnight to become pliable, then woven over a wooden form. The shape is left to set before trims and lining are stitched by hand.
- 01
Soaking
Cane strips soak overnight so they bend without cracking.
- 02
Weaving
Strips are woven over a wooden form in a tight hexagonal pattern.
- 03
Setting
The bag dries on its form to hold its shape.
- 04
Finishing
Handles, trims and lining are stitched by hand.
Tradition & history
Cane weaving
Cane weaving is a furniture craft adapted here for lighter, everyday pieces.
Materials
Cane, cotton lining.
Sourcing
Cane from a hill cooperative; lining fabric from local handloom offcuts.
Impact & fair price
How this price is made
Smaller products mean faster turnover for makers who once waited months for a furniture order.
Maker's share (estimate)
- Materials
- ₹380
- Labour (9 hrs) × ₹120
- ₹1,080
- Listed price
- ₹1,700
An estimate from material cost, hours and margin — not an official market price.
Own this piece
Cane-weave Handbag
₹1,700
Cane from a hill cooperative, soaked overnight so it bends without cracking.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE CRAFT
Cane-weave Handbag
by Selvi Ramasamy · Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu
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Reviews
- A
Ananya (demo)
Beautiful bag, handles could be a bit longer.
More stories
Cane-weave Handbag
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