I waited four months for these hand-woven tatami chairs and poufs to arrive from China, and they were so worth the wait. I discovered this shop on Etsy and their story really spoke to me, so I wanted to share it here. It's a bit of history, cultural insights, and appreciation for artisan crafts. And above all else, it's the strength of women woven through centuries. In my search for tatami chairs, I discovered a shop on Etsy called GrasShanghai. The shop owner, Betty Tian, is originally from a rural northern county in China called Hubin. She moved to Shanghai when she was accepted into university there, and while Shanghai is a bustling and exciting city, she found she missed the simple life back in the country. With Shanghai being the concrete jungle that it is, Betty and her mother came up with the idea to bring nature into people's homes.
According to GrasShanghai's About page, women have been using cattail and reeds to weave all kinds of household items and furniture, such as bedding, baskets, shoes, and fans for over 1,000 years in Hubin. It's apparently the last place in China that continues the tradition. The About page suggests it's possibly also the last place in the world to carry this tradition, but I'm not sure about that. I turned to the worldwide web to try to verify this and a brief Google search shows me that there are other people also weaving cattail. But perhaps it's the technique or style they use? I'm not sure. My university offered an "underwater basket weaving" course, but I didn't take it. What I love about her story is the imagery of the men collecting the cattail during the summer and then women gathering daily to weave. Each morning, the women soak the cattail to soften them so that they're easy to weave. Then they gather at someone's house or in the alley to weave together. As they weave, they talk, laugh, and bond as women do. The weaving brings them together as a community and it also allows them women to be financially independent. It may sound silly, but these chairs make me feel connected to history and to my heritage, even though my family's not from Hubin. I feel connected to these women and that makes me smile. I can feel their love and strength in each weave as I look at or sit in my chairs. I wonder if they ever think about or try to imagine who might sit in the chairs they make or use the baskets they weave. As for me, I feel like I can see their sun kissed faces, their smiles, hear their voices as they gossip and complain about their husbands. There's something really special about these women weaving their way through history, and providing for their families. The artistry and craftsmanship of the chairs I received are impeccable. They're very sturdy and I'm just amazed that someone's hands made these for me. They also make the perfect seating arrangements for tea around our little living room table giving our home a little extra loving character. On top of that, they're versatile! The poufs are great for sitting on, propping my legs up on while sitting in the tatami chairs, and stacking them to use as an ottoman for resting our feet on while sitting on the couch, and they can also be used as a little table (if you put a protective mat over them). If you can't already tell, I absolutely love my new tatami chairs and poufs.
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