Handwoven Palm Leaf Basket Tote — Moroccan Straw Market Bag with Leather Handles

A market basket woven by hand from dried palm leaf, with the fronds laid in a herringbone pattern that runs the full height of the body. The weave gives it a matte, slightly coarse grain and enough structure to stand on its own when you set it down. The mouth is wide and tapers gently towards a narrower base, so it keeps its shape whether it is carrying groceries, a beach towel or a laptop and notebook.

Specifications

Construction

• Herringbone weave: the split palm fronds are worked in a chevron across the whole body, then closed at the top with a braided rim that holds the opening in shape.
• Leather handles: each handle is rolled leather, seated on a stitched leather patch and fixed through the rim with a rivet on either side.
• Two carry heights: the short handles sit in the hand; the long handles clear the shoulder. Pick the one you want above.
• Natural variation: palm leaf is a plant fibre, so tone, grain and weave tension differ slightly from basket to basket and from the photographs. This is characteristic of the material, not a fault.

Care

Keep it dry. Brush loose dust away with a soft brush and spot-clean marks with a barely damp cloth, then let it air-dry fully away from direct heat. Do not soak or machine wash. If you are storing it for a season, pack the body with paper so it keeps its shape.

About the craft

Palm-leaf baskets are woven across Morocco from fronds that are cut, dried, split and worked entirely by hand. Karchel buys direct from the workshops that weave them.