Rafia is a natural material used for a variety of crafts.
Raffia is a type of fiber that is harvested from raffia palm. The fiber can be used for a variety of crafts to include woven mats, baskets and hats.The fiber can also be used as embellishments or folded and tied into a variety of shapes.The fiber is easily molded and the shape is maintained due to the density of the material. Raffia can be dyed in a variety of colors and synthetic raffia can be purchased which is made of twisted paper. One popular raffia craft is an angel which can be used as year-round home decor, gifts or toppers for Christmas trees.
Head and Body
The head of raffia angels are usually made to be very simple. They do not have any facial characteristics to include a nose, mouth or eyes. The head and body are constructed by coating a small foam or wooden ball with glue and wrapping pieces of raffia around the ball in various directions leaving approximately 21 inches of raffia hanging on each side of the ball. A piece of raffia can be wrapped under the ball and tied in a ribbon to differentiate the head from the body.
Limbs
The only limbs that a raffia angel has are two arms. The arms are designed much like the head so that they do not have any distinguishing features such as fingers. Limbs can be formed by folding pieces of raffia which measure 19 inches. Limbs are approximately one-third of the width of the ball so multiple pieces of raffia may be needed. Small sections of raffia can be used to tie small ribbons approximately one half of an inch from each end to form wrists and secure the raffia pieces together. The arms can be secured to the body with raffia using an x-shaped pattern which wraps around the body of the angel directly underneath the head.
Clothing
Raffia angels are usually outfitted with clothing made of fabric or unrolled synthetic raffia in various colors. One of the simplest clothing design choices is an apron secured at the waist. An apron can be made by unrolling a piece of raffia approximately 16 inches in length. Position the top of the unrolled piece so that it slides under the neck of the angel and flows down the front of the angel. A second piece of partially unrolled raffia can be tied around the torso to secure the apron to the angel.
Finishing Touches
When the main body and clothing of an angel is completed, it is up to the creator to determine which embellishments should be added to their angel. Embellishments can include wings made of spread raffia cut in wing shapes, folded raffia fanned out to resemble raffia, stamps, flowers, hair or a variety of other embellishments.
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