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

Should You Hang a Handwoven Basket? Where Fine Coil Work Actually Belongs
Fine Wounaan and werregue baskets are made to sit, not hang. Which pieces go on a table, shelf or floor, which few belong on a wall, and how to light them.
Why I Pay Wounaan Weavers Before the Basket Is Finished
How the RFB deposit system works: monthly payments to our Wounaan partner who distributes to master weavers, plus off-cycle deposits when families need them.
How Much Do Wounaan Baskets Cost, and Why
Wounaan baskets from Panama's Darién cost $80 to $20,000. Here's what determines the price: months of dye work, sometimes years of weaving, all by hand.
What Is Hösig Di? The Wounaan Basket Fine Enough to Hold Water

Hösig di is the Wounaan name for coiled baskets stitched from chunga palm so tightly they hold water with no sealant. A look at how they are made and how to recognize an authentic one.

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.
What Are Werregue Baskets? The Chocó Weaving Tradition Explained
An introduction to Werregue baskets and plates — the Wounaan Chocó tradition, the werregue palm, and the dyes that give it depth.
Who Are the Wounaan? Panama's Most Collectible Baskets Explained
Who the Wounaan are: history, language, the villages where their basketry is made, and the artists shaping the tradition today.