The Perfect Holiday Gift: Barkcloth Sparkle Notebooks

This holiday season, we’ve got something that will add a little extra sparkle to your present pile! Musana now offers barkcloth notebooks with glittered pages.

Some of you might be wondering, “What’s barkcloth?!” 

If you’ve ever purchased items from Musana, you probably received your jewelry in a handmade, barkcloth bag.

This stiff, fabric material is made by the Baganda people, and our artisans purchase large rolls of it so they can carefully handcraft each notebook and barkcloth jewelry bag.

We love this material’s earthy and traditional vibe, but more than anything we love that it’s eco-friendly and locally crafted.

Traditionally, barkcloth was used to create everything from clothing and mosquito nets to bedding and placemats. In fact, royals from the Buganda Kingdom wore barkcloth for special occasions like weddings, healing ceremonies and funerals. 

Our executive director, Melissa was kindly given the “recipe” for creating barkcloth from a local maker. Here’s how the process works:

First, the artisan has to remove the bark from the mutumba tree

Next, they’ll hammer down the bark with mallets until it’s flat

Then they’ll boil the bark in water to soften the fibers before they lay it out in the sun to dry.

This process takes more than a month to complete, and sadly, the art of creating barkcloth is declining.

At Musana, we’re dedicated to keeping this ancient artistic tradition alive. We hope you’ll enjoy our unique and eco-friendly journals, and share this Ugandan tradition with your friends and family this holiday season.

Click here to purchase your barkcloth notebook.