Vibrant Summer Finely-Woven Kelarai Mat (3ft x 5.75ft)

Tikar Pandan (Pandanus Mat) with Kelarai Weave

This beautiful Tikar Pandan (Pandanus Mats) is intricately hand-woven with pandan leaves that have been stripped off the thorns, smoked over hot coal, carefully split into evenly-sized strands, before being thumped with a blunt pole to smoothen. They are then soaked for three nights (to soften and loosen the colour) and dried under the sun, followed by the hand-dyeing process (by boiling with dyes) and then dried again. Only after these laborious processes the pandan strips would be ready to be woven into intricately-designed mats.

It is truly a labour of passion and perseverance, and would be a conversational piece to the beholders.

About the Artisans

Khadijah Yong, who is the founder of HKY Collections, has personally hand-dyed these pandan strips with a selection of bold and vibrant colours. Her sense of aesthetics often stood out from the rest, with designs and colour palettes that would fit well in both kampung and modern homes, or even art galleries. The thoughtful merging of traditional techniques and contemporary colours have pushed the craft forward, and reflected her long-standing experience in the industry (over 32 years). She works with talented ladies in several villages across Terengganu throughout the production process.