Flax weaving links
Flax weaving for sale online
The listings below link to a selection of the many flax weavers and retailers that offer flax weaving for sale online, and indicate the different types of flax weaving that are offered for sale. Each of the numbers below — and each of the images in the right-hand margin — link to the website of the flax weaver or the online retail outlet on which the flax weaving is offered for sale.
On some of the websites, you’ll need to click on the thumbnail images to see the images clearly. Even on websites with larger images, it’s often possible to click on an image to see a larger view of the image.
Woven flax bags / ketes for sale — handbags, shoulder bags, purses and pouches:
Natural, undyed handbags: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Dyed handbags with regular patterns (kete whakairo): 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Handbags dyed with multi-blended-colours: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Handbags dyed in a single colour: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Open-weave handbags: 1 2 3 4 5 6
Finely twined fibre handbags: 1 2 3
A search for flax kete on the TradeMe auction site
Woven flax backpacks / pikau for sale: 1 2 3 4
Woven and netted flax flowers / puitputi for sale:
Single flowers and bunches of flowers: 1 2
Bouquets and free-standing floral arrangements: 1 2 3
A search for flax flowers on the TradeMe auction site
Woven and twined flax containers for sale:
Woven bowls, round baskets, boxes and platters: 1 2 3 4 5
Twined pots and round baskets: 1 2 3
Woven flax hats, garments and jewellery for sale: 1 2 3
Woven flax placemats and decorative flaxworks for sale: 1 2 3
Flax art for sale:
Free-standing artworks: 1 2 3 4 5
Piupiu (flax capes or skirts) and poi for sale: 1 2 3 4 5 6 back to top
Museum collections of flax weaving
The Auckland Museum website hosts a collection of 211 beautifully woven ketes (baskets), illustrating the creativity and the great diversity of weaving materials and designs used in traditional Māori weaving. Click on the images to enlarge them, and click on them again to enlarge them still further. When the images have been fully enlarged, they are shown in sufficient detail for an experienced weaver to see how they have been constructed.
The Eternal Thread Gallery page displays beautifully woven ketes, kakahu and korowai (cloaks) that also illustrate the creativity and diversity found in traditional Māori weaving. The page includes detail photos of the weaving.
There are several museum websites that reference their collections of flax weaving online but currently display few or no images of ketes: Te Papa, Okains' Bay Museum, British Museum.
If you’re visiting Christchurch, do make the time to visit the Okains’ Bay Museum, on Banks Peninsula. It has an extensive collection of Māori artefacts including some greenstone pieces and many woven exhibits including cloaks and baskets. Of particular interest are the fishing implements, many of which are woven from flax. Large flax fishing nets hang from the ceiling and a canoe with a woven flax sail makes a striking feature in the middle of the museum. back to top
Flax weaving tutors and courses
In addition to the tutors and courses listed below, please note that I offer regular flax weaving workshops in Christchurch — and one-off workshops in Christchurch and elsewhere by arrangement — see my Workshops page on this website.
Northland: Kerrin Taylor offers a 6-week course at two locations #2 in Whangarei.
Auckland: Nathan Homestead, Rutherford College, Green Bay High, He Waka Matauranga and Auckland City Council offer courses. Unitec offers a Certificate in Traditional and Contemporary Māori Weaving.
Rotorua: Te Puia offers a three-year full time weaving course and part-time community-based courses.
Hawkes Bay: EIT offers courses at Hastings, Taradale, Flaxmere, Napier and CHB. Rauawaawa Charitable Trust offers a course in Hamilton. Wintec offers a Certificate in Mahi Raranga in Hamilton.
Wellington: Wellington High offers 2-week courses. Mana College offers 8-week courses. Newlands College offers a 2-week course. Open Polytechnic offers a Diploma in Māori Art & Design in Lower Hutt that can focus on weaving.
Nelson: Maureen Harte offers one-day workshops in Golden Bay by arrangement
Christchurch: I offer regular flax weaving workshops in Christchurch. Simon Rutherford offers one-day workshops by arrangement. CPIT offers several courses.
Dunedin: University of Otago offers a 5-week course.
Several universities offer papers in flax weaving as part of a Bachelor of Arts or as a major component of a Bachelor of Māori Traditional Arts or a Bachelor of Māori Visual Arts — Te Wānanga o Aotearoa, University of Otago, University of Waikato and Auckland University. back to top
Listings and images on this page
The linked images on this page have been taken from sites that are also linked to in the text, and have been included on this page as an indication of the content of these sites. The site’s owners are all happy for their images to be used here.
If you advertise workshops or a course in flax weaving online, and if I haven’t listed you on this page, do drop me an email if you’re happy to be included in the listings above.
I’d also welcome links to interesting flaxworks that I haven’t listed, though the listings in the for-sale section are not meant to be comprehensive. They’re just based on what I think will be of interest to readers and on my personal taste.
If you happen to notice any broken links on this page before I do, I’d appreciate it if you would let me know. back to top