This highly illustrated book gives step-by-step instructions on how to make your own piupiu, the traditional Maori flax skirt. Experienced Rotorua weaver Leilani Rickard covers everything you need to know - from customary uses of harakeke or flax, to the simple tools you will need to finish the garment. Colour photographs record every phase of the craft process; from selecting the right flax frond to cutting and preparing it; to dyeing the flax through to binding and strengthening the waistband; pattern making; storage of the finished garment and more. The craft advice is accompanied by a gallery of flax skirt creations in both traditional and modern styles.
Author Biography
Leilani Rickard is a weaver who lives in Rotorua and was taught how to make piupiu as a young girl by her grandmother. This is her first book, which she had dedicated to her own four granddaughters. Leilani likes to experiment with weaving flax fibre and has produced garments for the Wearable Arts pageant in Rotorua, as well as for kapa haka performances.
