These carefully crafted pieces of art are made in Uganda and make a striking addition to any space, whether displayed as coffee table decor or part of a wall hanging display. Each piece is intricately stitched with raffia ribbon, featuring designs of huts and trees or flowers. Each one measures approximately 7" x 7".

What is bark cloth?

Bark cloth has been manufactured in Uganda for centuries. It takes strength, stamina, and practice to make traditional Ugandan bark cloth. The producers of this surprisingly soft and supple material first scrape away the outer bark of fig trees, then slit the inner bark with a knife and peel it upward off the tree.

They boil the bark in great pans of water to soften it, and then pound it for several hours with heavy wooden mallets until it is much thinner, wider, and softer. This pounding technique gradually increases the size of the cloth from an original width of approximately 18 inches to between two to three meters. The cloth is then sun dried where it darkens to a ruddy brown while the exposed trunk is wrapped in banana leaves for a few days to protect it as new bark grows for another harvest. Once it has dried, the cloth is then ready to be used.