Artisan Hand weaving
THE RFB JOURNAL

Field Notes

On craft, provenance, and living with handwoven art.

Every piece in the shop is the result of months of skilled work in a specific place — by a named artisan, using techniques passed across generations. This journal is where that context lives. Notes from visits to artisan communities, practical guidance on displaying and caring for handwoven art, and the occasional deep dive on what makes one tradition different from another. Read slowly. These objects were made that way.

Journal

How to Judge Quality in Handwoven Art: A Collector's Guide Across Six Traditions
How to judge quality in handwoven baskets and figures: strand counts, light tests, natural dye checks and bark versus fabric, across six Indigenous traditions.
Ghana vs Rwanda Baskets: Which Works Best in a Modern Interior?
How to choose between Ghana Bolgatanga and Rwanda Agaseke baskets — materials, scale, palette, and where each belongs in a modern room.
Two Colombian Traditions: Werregue Baskets and Ticuna Figures Compared
A comparison of two Colombian Indigenous traditions — Werregue basketry from the Chocó and Ticuna figures from the Amazon — and what they share.
Wounaan vs Emberá Baskets: The Full Comparison
A full side-by-side of Wounaan and Emberá basketry — materials, motifs, makers, and how to tell them apart on sight.