Intricately carved mangle board from Värmland County, Sweden, dated 1726, showcasing traditional craftsmanship. Klick on the picture for more info! Cold mangling is a fading tradition. While sleeping on mangled sheets is pleasant, but the deeper reason for its decline is that bast fiber fabrics such as hemp and flax are no longer commonly made at home, and are used less often overall. Historically, however, mangling was essential, an important step in finishing hemp and flax cloth. First,...

Hemp nomad sacks and rugs Hemp fiber, once tied to the vital production of rope and other maritime goods, has largely faded from view. Yet northern Anatolia still preserves this heritage in hand-crafted rugs, sacks and saddlebags made from remarkably strong and fine hemp. These weavings survive in the mountainous region near the Black Sea coast and extending through the inland valleys of western Turkey. Anatolia is often associated with colorful wool kilims. These differ markedly from the...

Commencing fieldwork in Yunnan province, China the Sani people and their satchels were among Rob’s earliest fascinations with hempen culture. The Sani live around Shi Lin the iconic “Stone Forest” land-scape of weathered Karst limestone and red clay soil in a perfect setting for growing hemp. In the early 1990s every Sani woman nurtured hemp crops (likely only some few today), harvested and processed its fiber, and wove strong fabrics for clothing and various household items. But, the hemp of...