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Sixteen petals ring the rim of this mat, crocheted alternately in white and natural fibre so the edge reads like a sunflower head. Inside them, banana fibre is twisted into cord and coiled outward from a small centre, each round stitched to the one before it. Studio Moya works with women artisans in West Bengal, who build it 16 inches across, wide enough to sit under a serving dish or carry a centrepiece. This is the 16 inch white-bordered size.
Store in a dry place away from direct sunlight to maintain colour and texture lean gently with a damp cloth; avoid soaking or machine washing.
SKU: SM-BFTM-RO-02Style Code: SM-BFTM-ROHSN Code: 63049200Region: West bengalState: West bengal
Curated by Studio Moya
Each piece is handcrafted, so slight variations in colour, texture and dimension are natural and celebrate its handmade origin.
Sixteen inches is bigger than a standard placemat and that changes what it is for. A dinner plate sits inside it with a wide margin showing, which is the charger-plate look. It also works as a stand-alone centrepiece mat under a fruit bowl, a teapot and cups, or a stack of serving dishes.
There is a second size. The natural-bordered version of this mat is 13.5 inches and reads as a regular placemat. If you want four settings and a centre piece, the 13.5 inch mats at each seat with this 16 inch one in the middle is the combination that works.
The white in the border is what makes this version flexible. On a dark wood table the petals throw a bright scalloped outline that you see from the doorway. On a white or marble top they disappear into the surface and the coiled centre floats. Decide which effect you want before ordering, because the all-natural version behaves quite differently on the same table.
Keep the crockery plain. The border is already a shape, and a patterned plate on top of it makes the eye work. White ceramic, clear glass, brass and unglazed terracotta all sit well. Stainless steel is the one to avoid, since the cold grey fights the warm fibre.
Round mats do not tessellate the way rectangles do. On a round dining table they follow the curve naturally. On a long rectangular table, leave more space between settings than you think you need, or the circles start to crowd.
Between meals it stores flat, not rolled. Standing it on edge or rolling it will work the coils loose over time.
Two different crafts meet on this mat, and the join between them is the part worth looking at.
The centre comes first. Banana fibre is twisted into a continuous cord, then wound from a small starting coil outward in a flat spiral, with each round stitched into the round beneath it as the disc grows. You can follow the spiral with a finger from the middle to the rim without losing it. That single unbroken line is the tell of hand coiling rather than machine weaving.
Then the disc stops being the whole object. The maker switches tools and works the rim in crochet, building sixteen flat petal shapes outward from the edge, alternating a white yarn with the natural fibre so the two colours fall opposite each other all the way round. Each petal is finished and anchored into the coiled edge before the next one starts.
Counting is the hard part. The petals have to divide evenly into a rim the maker built by hand, and a coil that ran slightly wide leaves either a gap or a crowded pair at the closing point. Getting sixteen even petals onto a hand-coiled circle is a planning problem solved on the object itself, without a pattern to measure against.
The finished mat is 16 inches across.
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Basketry is a sustainable craft practiced across India using natural fibers like bamboo and jute. Traditional weaving techniques create durable baskets, mats, and functional household items with regional craftsmanship.
