History
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Now days people like very much the objects which are made of natural weaving materials. These natural materials are used not only for decorative objects but also for objects which we use daily. Our products are very popular not only in our country but abroad too. Among our objects of excellent quality everybody can find pieces for his/her taste.
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Historical survey
We can find in folk culture objects which are made of reed-mace threads. Along the rivers which flow in the lowlands, thanks to the floods, there are many marshy places where the reed-mace grows.
The Transylvanian reed-mace weaving was mentioned for the first time in 1653. In those settlements where the reed-mace grow, there were a few weavers who worked for selling and for living. Along bigger marshes, lakes and rivers many cottar were occupied in weaving reed-mace. With the drainage of the mashes the weavers tried to find other occupation, but in many villages the inhabitants sticks to this old domestic industry, so most of them went to faraway places, where the could have found raw materials.
The continuance of the reed-mace domestic industry usually can be experienced in places where most of the inhabitants couldn't work on the fields because these were of bad qualities and in this way they had to find something else to survive.
In the end of the 19th century intellectuals from villages and little towns took part in the maintenance and spreading of the reed-mace domestic industry. In 1896 only a few people worked in the reed-mace weaving industry most of them were from Satu Mare county (6 villages), Maros-Torda county (8 villages). By the end of the 20th century in the Transylvanian communities the reed-mace weaving was almost forgotten, only two or three villages kept the many centuries old tradition of reed-mace weaving.
Reed-mace weaving and binding
The reed-mace weavers and binders work with different raw materials. For binding, the weavers use the reed-mace which has narrow leaves ( Typha angustifolia ). The reed-mace which has wide leaves (Typha latefolia) is good for weaving because it's soft and it's stalks are flexible. The reed-mace weaving is easier than the binding. Usually the men are who are preoccupied by reed-mace weaving. They work with a wooden handle, iron needle and penknife.
The reed-mace binding needs more preparations and arrangements than the reed-mace weaving. This is the reason that are know less places where people are specialized in reed-mace binding than in reed-mace weaving.
The other reason is that the reed-mace with narrow leaves is rare.
The basket binding preparatory works
After cutting the reed-mace is put on a dry place, then it is bind into the sheaves and it is taken home.
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The reed-mace drying: Is smaller binds it is dried on the sun or on the attic.
The steps of the basket weaving
The choice: The length of the reed-mace threads depend what kind and what size of objects we want to make.
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Soaking: The dry reed-mace threads are moistened that they be more flexible at the process of weaving.
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Drying
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