The Baqui-baqui school bag

Title

Creator

Sage, Raymond R.

Language

English

Source

Volume II (Issue No. 6) December 1913

Year

1913

Subject

Bag design

Textile design

Hand weaving

Weaving

Plant fiber industry – Capiz (Western Visayas)

Baqui-baqui (Plant)

Rights

In Copyright - Educational Use Permitted

Fulltext

THE BAQUI-BAQUI SCHOOL BAG. Uy Raymond R. Sack. General Office. THE baqui-baqui school bag, now extensively made in many of the hand-weaving classes of the Philippine public schools, but not widely known by this term, derives its name from the material from which it was first fabricated. The bag is the result of numerous trials and experiments in the evolution of raffia and lupis bags, until now a strong, service able, and perhaps commercial bag has been fabricated. Numerous materials may be utilized in its fabrication, among which abaca, lupis, tikug, balangot, buri midribs, and baquibaqui are to be noted. The proper preparation of these materials has been taken up in detail in a previous number of The Phil ippine Craftsman (Vol. I, No. 4). PREPARATION OF MATERIAL. For convenience, the following brief description of baquibaqui and its preparation is given. Baqui-baqui is a sedge so far reported only from Capiz; it may, however, be found in other parts of the Philippines. It is over 2 meters high and, like balangot, grows in swampy places. The base of the stalk is as large as a pencil and sends forth a few leaves. At the base it is more or less round, but as a whole the stalk is three-sided and tapers to a compound cluster of flowers. Baqui-baqui appears much like balangot (Cy perus malaccensis), except that it is taller and the stem is harder and more rigid. The triangular stem of this sedge is split lengthwise into two or three segments in such a manner as to leave an angle of the stem on each. The soft pulpy substance adhering to the in terior of the stem is then removed by scraping and the strips are made uniform in size. To bleach baqui-baqui, it is dried in the strong sunlight for two or more days. Care should be taken to protect this material from dampness for if such precaution is not taken inferior re sults will be secured. Quite often baqui-baqui becomes brittle a few days following its preparation, but this difficulty may be overcome by leaving it in a dry place for several days, at the end of which time it becomes tough and pliable and is ready for working. The last step in its preparation is the process of flattening, done in a simple manner by pulling each segment several times 409 410 THE PHILIPPINE CRAETSMAN over a round stick, exercising care that the sides of each are so folded as to insure uniform width throughout. TECHNIC. For beginning the bottom see figures 1 to 4. From these figures it is noted that two bamboo strips of equal dimensions throughout and running lengthwise of the bottom form the foundation over which the split segments of baqui-baqui are in terwoven or bound. Over this foundation doubled strips of baqui-baqui are laid in pairs, one pair on the upper side and one on the under side. These too are bound securely by four weavers or strips of the same material running lengthwise between the THE BAQUI-BAQUI SCHOOL BAG 411 two bamboo strips. This process is continued until the bottom is finished. In hand bags of the size given herein (Plate I) 29 double strips are required for each long side of the bottom, and 28 double strips for each end. The end segments are added as the bottom of the bag is made, and are securely bound in place by weavers of baqui-baqui running horizontally around the bottom. These strips form the rib or foundation work of the sides and are purposely laid double in order to procure the necessary number of strips for the openwork of the sides, in cidentally making the bag stronger and more durable. (Figures 5 and 8.) Upon the completion of the bottom, a simple weave or pairing is begun by which all straws are securely bound and held in their proper positions. Care should be taken that the strips or segments of baqui-baqui are kept perpendicular while the first few horizontal side weavers are being interwoven with the perpendicular ribs. After one or two rows of the horizontal weavers have been completed these strips will hold their proper positions. The finish at the top of the bag is important but not difficult. (See figures 16 to 19.) A start can be made at any of the four corners. The rope effect common to all finished bags of this nature can easily be secured by following the figures referred to above. After the desired number of rounds have been com pleted, it will be noticed that the remaining ends of the perpen dicular strips are pointing toward the bottom of the bag. (See figure 18.) These are tightly pulled to make sure that they are firmly fastened, after which they should be evenly trimmed to a uniform length with a sharp knife. (Figure 19.) 412 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN THE HANDLES. For beginning the handles, figures 6 to 10 should be studied for the process of making the rosettes from which the handles are hung. In order that the load or strain may be distributed as equally as possible, these rosettes are placed near the top and middle of the sides. For the attachment of handles see figure 11 and for their fabrication note figures 12 to 15. These handles are very simple in fabrication, a foundation of baquibaqui being used which is wrapped with narrow twisted strips of the same material making a durable handle binding with an appearance similar to that of rope. These handles may also be made of abaca, which is serviceable and durable. No set way is given for the fabrication of these bags; how ever, for a suggestion, see Plate I, showing a neat standard bag of approved dimensions. It is believed that school bags of this class can well be ipade into a commercial article of importance; however, in doing so endeavor should be made to limit the cost of production to the minimum. At the present time, bags as shown in Plate I are produced at 50 centavos each; while those shown in Plate II THE BAQUI-BAQUI SCHOOL BAG 413 Fig. 3 Fig. 5 Fig. 6 Fig. 1 Fig. 8 Plate IV. Steps used in making 414 THE PHILIPPINE CRAFTSMAN Fl!! 10 Fig H Fig. 10 Fig'? f,gi3 THE BAQUI-BAQUI SCHOOL BAG 415 retail at 1*0.50 to Pl each. These prices are rather high when considered from a commercial viewpoint; however, by fabricat ing the bags in large quantities and leaving off much of the overcrowded decoration it is believed that these prices can be reduced considerably. Baqui-baqui bags are of economic importance in school life. The matter of taking care of schoolbooks is an essential feature of daily school life, and if for no other reason, these or similar school bags could well be utilized. EVOLUTION OF WOVEN FURNITURE. In all probability there was a time when no woven furniture was made, but a review of past eras shows that something in this line, if no more than the weaving of splint and reed bottoms of primitive seats, has long been known. Such reed bottoms may have been the precursors of the frames of hickory withes, or the modern, elegant, bent woods, though these may hardly be termed woven. It is very likely that the most primitive form of industry in the domestic manufacture of household equipment tended to the use of pliable vegetation, like rushes, which would stiffen into a permanent form when dry; hence it is certain that woven furniture is by no means modern in its origin. Primitive peoples are said to have made bridges by twisting together tough vines, just as the children in country districts make swings of grape vines. These ropes of vines were swung across streams or ravines and formed supports for the boards or logs used for flooring. This construction became the model for the suspension bridges of to-day. That chairs, tables, beds and other furniture were evolved from the same material is a plausible theory. (A. W. Adams.) o o o “Technical instruction must be regarded in the first place as a means of character-training, and it must be supplemented by other forms of instruction with a view to making it as manysided as possible. In the life of great economic groups and of nations there are moments; and they are the critical moments, in which neither knowledge nor skill, but character, decides the day—character that has learned to regard its own egoistic in terests as of no account when their sacrifice is demanded by the welfare of the community to which we belong, the welfare of the service that we have chosen, the welfare of the subordinates intrusted to our care.” (Dr. Georg Kerschensteiner.) 120565----5

pages

409-415

Media