The CustomMade Crafts Center, Inc.
(CMCC) is an initiative of NTFP-EP Philippines (Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange
Programme Philippines), a collaborative network of non-government organizations and community-based organizations that
empower forest dependent communities to utilize and manage their forest resources in a sustainable manner.
CMCC works with master weavers and indigenous artisans all over the Philippines to create beautiful and functional products that
express the timeless traditions of these cultural communities while meeting the needs of the modern market. Through innovative
product design, CMCC is expanding the market for these works of art to ensure that these communities will continue their
traditions, way of life and keep on nurturing the forests that sustain them.
CMCC engages in environmentally sustainable consumption and production practices, ensuring that raw materials are gathered in
an environment-friendly manner. CMCC adheres to fair trade practices. The pricing of products is guided by the principle of
protecting both the rights of the artisans and the consumers while maintaining economic viability. Income generated from sales is
given back to the communities through continuous product development, technology transfer, capacity building, marketing and
other related services.
Hinabi
The Philippines has a rich tapestry of weaving traditions that span
centuries and pre-date the arrival of Spanish colonizers. For the
indigenous cultural communities of the Philippine archipelago, weaving
is not just a means of livelihood or a pastime. Weaving is an
expression of the community’s unique culture and identity. Weaving
binds families and communities together in their shared history and
traditions, and collective hopes and aspirations.
Hinabi (meaning ‘woven’) pays tribute to the rich cultural traditions and
craftsmanship of our Philippine indigenous artists and artisans. This
book showcases the products of their skill, hard work and creativity as
the works of art that they are.
Piña
Piña weaving in the Philippines began during the Spanish colonial
period, when the colonizers introduced the Red Spanish Pineapple
plant to the country. Piña fabrics are primarily used for garments
and linens. Because of their expensive and luxurious nature, Piña
is reserved for prestigious occasions such as weddings and formal
events.
The Piña weaving process begins with the harvesting the mature
leaves of the Red Spanish Pineapple plant. The pineapple leaf
fibers are extracted by hand to separate the rough fibers from the
fine fibers, and they are air-dried and combed and knotted by hand
to prepare for the loom warp. Weaving Piña is often an
exasperating venture that demands perseverance and hard work –
a simple gust of wind can cause a thread to break. In fact, for a 10
Pure Piña Fabric
Weavers: Aklanon
Fiber Content: Pineapple Fabric
Design: Plain
Dimension: 30” x 36” (1 cut length is 4 yards)
Production Capacity: 30 yards per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
For hand wash, soak in water with mild soap, rinse gently.
Do not rub or wring the piña cloth. Drip dry or air dry.
Dry clean for best results.
To iron, spray the cloth with water to dampen and iron it on low temperature.
Piña Seda Fabric
Weavers: Aklanon
Fiber Content: Pineapple Fabric & Philippine
Silk
Design: Plain Dimension: Cloth - 30” x 36” (1
cut length is 4 yards)
Production Capacity: 500 yards per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
For hand wash, soak in water with mild soap, rinse gently.
Do not rub or wring the piña cloth. Drip dry or air dry.
Dry clean for best results.
To iron, spray the cloth with water to dampen and iron it on low temperature.
Piña Seda Cotton
Weavers: Aklanon
Fiber Content: Pineapple Fabric & Philippine Silk
and Cotton
Design: Plain
Dimension: Cloth - 30” x 36”
(1 cut length is 4 yards)
Production Capacity: 100 yards per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
For hand wash, soak in water with mild soap, rinse gently. Air dry.
Dry clean for best results.
To iron, spray the cloth with water to dampen and iron it on low temperature.
T’nalak
The T’boli women weave beautiful T’nalak that are often described as
“woven dreams,” the gifts of Fu Dalu, spirit of Abaca from where the
threads of the T’nalak come from. Using a backstrap body tension loom,
the weaver literally uses her entire body to weave the tapestry inch by
inch. It takes 3-4 weeks to weave a full roll of T’nalak, sometimes more
depending on the complexity and intricacy of the design.
T’nalak patterns are designed using the ikat (resist-dye) method. They
are dazzlingly complex and mathematically precise; remarkable feats of
higher mathematics from simple people who have no advanced
mathematical training. But as sophisticated as they appear, these
patterns are symbols taken from nature and daily life. Pythons, eagles,
butterflies, and shields are some of the more common motifs that are
abstracted into the T’nalak.
As a bride-price, the T’boli woman’s ability to weave good quality T’nalak
determined her worth in the community.To this day, clans arrange
marriages to ensure that top weavers become part of their family.
T’nalak of the highest quality has been exchanged for horses, carabaos
(water buffalos) and high-prized gongs. It is also said that a sacrifice of a
piece of T’nalak cloth to the spirits can release a person from the grip of
T’nalak,
Traditional Design
Weavers: T’boli
Fiber Content: Abaca (Manila Hemp)
Design: Traditional Ikat Design
Dimension: 23” width
Production Capacity: 30 – 50 meters per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Spot clean or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze or twist the fabric.
Air dry only.
T’nalak,
Modern Design
Weavers: T’boli
Fiber Content: Abaca (Manila Hemp)
Design: Plain | Stripes | Ikat Design
Dimension: 23” width
Production Capacity: 30 – 50 meters per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Spot clean or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze or twist the fabric.
Air dry only.
Malong
The Malong is a traditional cotton “tube skirt” part of
the traditional attire of many of the Mindanao
indigenous cultural communities. Used primarily as
a skirt, the malong is very versatile and can be
used for various purposes: as a dress, baby sling,
ceremonial sash, blanket, sleeping mat, hammock,
headdress, sunshade, among many other uses.
Malong Fabric
Weavers: T’boli
Fiber Content: Polyester
Design: Stripes | Plain
Dimension: 27” x 156” per piece
Production Capacity: 120 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
Malong
Hinabol
Hinabol weaving is a timeless tradition among the Higaonon people
of Bukidnon province. Hinabol is the binukid term for woven. It is
used to refer to the woven hemp skillfully made by the Higaonon
women. It is characterized by the use of different colors and
interesting designs produced through resist dyeing (binudbod),
twisting (gunti) and alternating techniques (kinatupi). Higaonon
people believe that weaving is a happy activity. No weaving activity
should be conducted when they have a death in their community.
Every 2 to 4 years, Higaonon weavers perform panlabuwon, a
ritual imploring the ancestral spirits to bless the weavers with good
health. Participated only by women weavers, this ritual takes an
entire week and and no other members of the community are
allowed to go inside or eat in the house where the ritual is taking
place.
In Higaonon olden culture, Hinabol is used as a clothing material,
blanket, fishing net and bag. Traditional bags made of Hinabol are
the kamuyot and aba-aba that are used by Higaonon men and
women to carry their bolos and betel nut chewing paraphernalia.
These bags are also used as a peace offering when there are
conflicts. It was used as an item to bail out a person who had
wronged someone in the community. Nowadays, Higaonon people
give Hinabol as sug-ot or gift of friendship to those who visit them.
Hinabol,
Traditional Design
Weavers: Higaonon
Fiber Content: Abaca (Manila Hemp)
Design: Traditional
Dimension: 16” x 39”
Production Capacity: 280 meters per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Spot clean or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze or twist the fabric.
Air dry only.
Hinabol,
Modern Design
Weavers: Higaonon
Fiber Content: Abaca (Manila Hemp)
Design: Plain | Stripes
Dimension: 16” x 39”
Production Capacity: 280 meters per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Spot clean or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze or twist the fabric.
Air dry only.
Ramit
The Ramit, primarily characterized by its distinct stripe
patterns with cultural Mangyan designs, are used by the
women as skirts, belts, headbands and blankets. Men are
culturally prohibited to weave as this is a task reserved
only for the women, including the embroidery and sewing.
The men instead support in the preparation of the
materials to produce the Ramit.
Ramit,
Traditional Design
Weavers: Mangyan Weavers
Fiber Content: Cotton | Synthetic
Design: Bugtang | Minatahan | Tinikling | Busang
Alimumot | Binanalyo | Sinuknap | Ga Suloy Bayong
| Dobol Pinamgasan | Pakudos | Diduyan
Color: Black and White
Dimension: 23” x 108” per piece
Production Capacity: 10 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
Ramit,
Modern Design
Weavers: Mangyan Weavers
Fiber Content: Cotton | Synthetic
Design: Bugtang | Minatahan | Tinikling | Busang
Alimumot | Binanalyo | Sinuknap | Ga Suloy Bayong
| Dobol Pinamgasan | Pakudos | Diduyan
Color: Multi-color
Dimension: 23” x 108” per piece
Production Capacity: 10 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
Ifugao
The Ifugao indigenous cultural community live in Central Cordillera
in Northern Luzon. They call themselves Ifugao, which literally
means “inhabitants of the known earth”: a self-ascription intended
to distinguish them from the spirits and deities that inhabit the
different worlds in the Ifugao cosmology. They are known for the
Banaue Rice Terraces, an agricultural and engineering feat that
has been hailed as the “eighth wonder of the world.”
Ikat is a style of weaving that uses a resist-dyeing process on the
threads before they are woven in backstrap looms. The Ifugao ikat
uses natural colors extracted from tree bark, special mud from the
rice terraces, bushes, shrubs, and yellow ginger combined with
lime.
Ifugao Fabric
Weavers: Indigenous Ifugao
Fiber Content: Cotton
Design: Ikat Design
Dimension: 18” x 72”
Production Capacity: 10 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
Kalinga
The Kalinga indigenous cultural community live
on the eastern side of the Cordillera mountain
range. The Kalinga are dubbed as the “Peacocks
of the North” because of their elaborate dress,
personal ornamentations, and tattoos.
Kalinga Fabric
Weavers: Mabilong Weavers
Fiber Content: Cotton
Design: Gilamat | Ilaglis | Gililing
Dimension: 20” x 216” (6 yards per piece); Tapis
– 28” x 58”; G-String – 11.5” x 130”
Production Capacity: 10 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
Inaul
For the Maguindanao, weaving is a spiritual exercise and
one of the highest forms of artistic expression. The inaul
(pronounced “inol”), the Maguindanao traditional fabric,
depicts the community’s rich Muslim culture and heritage
with its striking colors, intricate brocade patterns, and use
of metallic threads. The dominant colors of the inaul
symbolize virtues and qualities that are valued in
Mindanao culture: red for bravery, orange and yellow for
royalty, green for peace and tranquility, black for dignity,
and white for purity and mourning.
Inaul Fabric
Weavers: Maguindanaon
Fiber Content: Rayon and Silk
Design: Stripes
Dimension: 27” x 156” per piece (4 meters)
Production Capacity: 12 pcs per month
Fabric Care Instruction:
Gently handwash or soak in water with mild detergent without bleach.
Do not wring, squeeze, or twist the fabric.
Air dry only..
