Brand New: Raffia Embroidery Kits!

After the great response of my raffia embroidery workshops, I'm excited to announce the launch of our brand-new raffia embroidery kits! Whether you're a complete embroidery beginner or an experienced crafter looking for something new, these embroidery kits give you a lovely introduction to raffia embroidery. They're a great activity to get for yourself to learn something new, and equally great as a gift for a crafty friend or family member. Each embroidery kit includes all the materials needed to get started, including an easy-to-follow instruction booklet. Whilst being enjoyable, raffia embroidery is also super relaxing and a nice mindful activity to de-stress and unwind.  

Raffia embroidery is a craft that involves embroidering with different types of raffia to decorate a piece of natural straw cloth. The technique is often found in traditional straw crafts around the world on items like bags, hats and fans.  

Raffia is a natural fibre that comes from the segments of the leaves of the raffia palm tree and is often used in crafts, interiors and fashion. Natural raffia is also woven to together to create a fabric, and this is what’s used as the base for raffia embroidery in our embroidery kits. Paper raffia, made from cellulose, is then used to embroider into the natural raffia to fill in the design and create the beautiful texture of the embroidery hoop art. Synthetic raffia can also be used, this is made from a mix of cellulose, rayon, nylon or polypropylene.  

I developed my raffia embroidery technique whilst creating my graduate Windrush collection. My graduate collection was inspired by the Windrush Generation and my own Caribbean heritage. One aspect of my research included looking at Caribbean straw crafts. The craft is believed to have originated with the indigenous Caribbean people, such as the Caribs, and was later influenced by the enslaved Africans, particularly from West Africa, who were brought to the region during the transatlantic slave trade. Straw crafts have been passed down through generations, and today, they are still an important part of Caribbean culture. 

Craftspeople use different types of straw, such as raffia, willow, reeds, rattan palms, and banana fibres, to make a variety of items, including baskets, hats, bags, and fans, depending on the plants that are available to them. Today, you can find many of these crafted items in craft markets across the Caribbean, and they are particularly popular with tourists. 

Inspired by my research of Caribbean straw crafts, I developed a raffia embroidery technique that I used to create eye-catching textiles for my graduate collection. Although not the main type of straw used in the Caribbean, I used the fibre that was available to me here in the UK to emulate the crafts and create my own contemporary version of it. I’ve created these embroidery kits to share this technique, and what I’ve learnt about Caribbean crafts.