About the Artisans

Planet-Craft is a small business that acts as a bridge between artisans and you.   Over the years we have worked with many artisans.  Sometimes it is no longer possible to continue working with them, so we have lost touch with some like Saied and Marah in Iran and Robert in Dublin.  Usually though, we do manage to keep a long relationship with all our partners.  On this page we aim to provide an idea of the kind of people with whom we we work.

Tim & Liz!

First and foremost, our very own artisans in Suffolk! Tim and Liz are skilled upholsterers who make the coffee sack footstools, pouffe inners, some cushions and take care of the day to day running of the business.

Hammocks 

The hammocks are from the same region and use this craft as decoration on the sides.   They are made by a womens’ co-operative in Pedro II, in Piauí.   These hammocks really are individual pieces that take a long time to make and decorate. Below are pictures of the women's co-operative in Piauí, Brazil, making hammocks.   

South African Recycled Wood Frame and Mirrors

Here are some pictures of the chaps who make the frames and mirrors in South Africa.  The wood is reclaimed from local homes that are being rebuilt. 

 Ox-Hide Pouffes

Here are some photos of the folks who make the pouffes.  Geraldo and his employees really take care to produce the best.  Below you can see them cutting the ox-hide, preparing the pieces to be sewn together, embossing the top pieces and painting the top piece.  The machine is for cutting the leather strips that will be used to stitch the pouffe together.  The right hand picture shows the 'tamping' to emboss the top piece.

Zapotec Wool Rugs

Our Zapotec rugs come from two families we met in Oaxaca state in Mexico.  We went to see a few until we were happy that we were buying direct from the family and not from an agent.  Here are pictures of the women preparing the wool in the first photo, preparing dyes in the second and finishing rugs on the third (they're pulling out the little rough bits that got mixed up in the spun wool).

Sadhna Textiles

This women's textile co-operative in Rajasthan is based in Udaipur but is really a network that reaches into the rural communities of the area.

Oficino de Augosto

This is Marcelo Costa.  This is a photo taken in a village in rural Minas Gerais, in Brazil.  He is part of a project, Oficina de Augosto, that aims to teach kids in rural areas some extra skills that give them a practical option other than life on the fields or as maids.

Other Brazilian Crafts

We have met so many cool artisan crafts in Brazil, but many aren't appropriate for Planet Craft.  These guys below are making wooden animal sculptures.  The crude carving is done by these younger guys then the finishing done by a more skilled sculpture.  Each piece of wood they get is studied for grain and character before deciding which animal is to be made and in which alignment.  This part of Minas Gerais state in Brazil is very rich in artisan craft. 

Underneath is the wife of João Alves - they make fantastic models that depict day to day life of rural Brazilians in times gone by - especially during the time of slavery. 

Thanks, take me back to the HOMEPAGE.