What Is Rafia?
From crafts to jewelry to home decorating items and floral displays, the natural product raffia has many creative uses. Raffia can also be used as a gardening tool; strands are used for tree grafting. Derived from palm tree leaves, raffia can be woven, tied, draped, packed, shredded and braided. Its versatility has made raffia a very popular, useful product. Raffia is also relatively inexpensive.
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Source
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Raffia must go through a harvesting and drying process before it is made available for other purposes. The leaves of the Raphia palm tree are used to create the raffia that we are familiar with. Once the membranes on the underside of the palm leaves have been stripped and allowed to dry, fiber strands are harvested and marketed.
Features
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Raffia is a creamy beige color when dried. The strips are straw-like but more flexible than straw. The strands can be woven to create mats, baskets, hats or even shoes. Raffia can also be shredded and packed to be used as stuffing for pillows or other items or as decorative packing material.
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Geography
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A tropical climate is needed to successfully grow the Raphia palm. Known for their long leaves, species of the Raphia palm are abundant in Madagascar and Mozambique as well as South and East Africa. Other species of the Raphia palm are found in South and Central America.
Uses
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Woven raffia wreaths provide a great backdrop for an autumn home decoration. Raffia can also be used as ribbon or string for craft projects or to add a final touch to wrapped gifts. When a wreath or other item will be used outdoors, raffia is a good choice, because it will not shrink when exposed to moisture.
Types
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Since raffia can be dyed, it's available in a wide variety of colors including lavender, green, red, blue, gold, dark brown, yellow and orange. Raffia may be purchased in ribbon-like strands or in more natural forms. When packed in bales or boxes, raffia may be sold by the pound.
Benefits
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Since raffia feels soft and silky when exposed to steam, it is used in Shmeisse or the art of Jewish steam-room massage. Long, lathered brushes made from raffia have been used for more than 100 years in this treatment.
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