How to Make a Mkeka

The mkeka is the mat upon which all other six Kwanzaa symbols rest. It represents an African saying that "no matter how high a house is built, it must stand on something." You can buy a mkeka of either straw or fabric, but it is more fun - and more in keeping with the Kwanzaa principle of kuumba, or creativity - to weave your own.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Books Of Kwanzaa Crafts
• Fabrics
• Scissors
• Foamboard
• Staple Removers
• Staplers And Staples

1. Find some cloth you like, in either bold African-style prints or in the Kwanzaa colors red, green and black.
2. Cut the cloth into two sets of strips: 1/2 inch wide by 26 inches long for the horizontal strips and 1/2 inch wide by 20 inches long for the vertical strips. You'll need about 52 of the shorter strips and about 40 of the longer ones.
3. Place a piece of 12-inch-by-18-inch foamboard on a table and lay the longer strips across it lengthwise. The strips of fabric should stick out about 3 inches beyond both sides of the foamboard.
4. Staple both ends of each strip to the board.
5. Weave the shorter pieces into the longer ones in a vertical direction, alternating colors and patterns. Leave about 3 inches at each end.
6. Continue weaving until the foamboard is covered and you've got about 3 inches of fringe sticking out on all four sides.
7. Start at one corner and tie each two strips into a knot. Work your way around until you've tied them all.
8. Remove the staples.

Tips & Warnings

• This is just one kind of mkeka. For ideas and instructions on making other kinds, as well as some of the other Kwanzaa symbols, look in books on Kwanzaa crafts, including the one noted at left.
• You can find foamboard at an art, craft or office supply store. Look for colorful cotton fabric in craft, quilting or fabric shops. Or ask a friend who sews whether you can raid his or her scrap collection.