Besides fruit and leaves, it turns out that there is another part of banana plant that can be used as crafts material, it is banan leafe. Indeed, for some people, banana leafs are considered as useful dry waste. But now in the hands of creative people, banana leaf has become many unique handicrafts and has high economic value.
The banana leafs are made for various home decorations and other items. Among them, home decor products (tissue holders, ashtrays, wall hangings, wall clocks, photo frames, bookcases), key chains, pencil cases, bags, wallets, hats and sandals. The length of the manufacturing process also varies. If the banana leaf is dry, for some items that easy to make, it can produced between 10 to 25 pieces per day.
To make some crafts from this material is not too difficult, you just need to make the initial design of the object you want. After that, of course, prepare the equipment and materials needed as complement to the main material, which is dry banana leaf.
To make good quality of crafts products, of course you also have to use good banana leaf raw materials as well. For that you must be able to choose the type of banana leaf that has good quality. One example of a good banana leaf is the one that has dried on the tree, i.e. the condition of the leaf is completely dry, so there is no need to go through the drying process (just let it air dry).
To make this craft more natural, you should not use artificial dyes or preservatives. Usually the craftsmen use the natural color of the banana leaf by adjusting the theme of the product made.
To glue the pieces of banana leaf, you can use paper glue, or fox glue which is commonly sold in the market. Although fox glue costs more expensive, it’s worth it for its strong adhesion.
To make a painting from banana leaf, you can use plywood as the media for painting. Or you can also use other media such as thick cardboard, wood and others. To attach the leaf to the media, you are free to use any method, but what must be considered is that before attaching the banana leaf to the media, you should make a painting design that will be made on the media.
For example, to make a calligraphy painting, usually the background of the painting is made with all dark colors. After drying, it is pasted with calligraphy letters made from brightly banana leaf. In order for the banana leaf stick evenly, you can use a weight when attaching the leaf to the media.
–sh
