This handbag is called a shikra, which is made using a unique form of tatting. The bag will last much longer than crochet items, as each cross of fibers is joined by a solid knot. Even if one or fifty of the cords are cut or broken, the bag will not come undone. This original type of tatting does require extra time to make, and the process required to make a full sized shikra is very time consuming. Artisans harvest the pita leaves, scrape the extra leaf material off of the fiber and then proceed to wash, dry, and spin it. The final tatting process will complete the two or three day process necessary to weave a single shikra. The price may seem high, but our superior quality will hold up to the test of time. Made of the amazingly strong pita rainforest fiber, you will have no trouble carrying heavier loads. Smaller ones are perfect for stuffing with potpourri to hang in a bathroom or place in your lingerie drawer. All Kallari handbags are handmade from natural rainforest fibers. We dye our crafts with coloring agents extracted from over twenty rainforest plants. Most small dyes used today for commercial purposes are synthetic and cause widespread contamination of rivers and lakes, especially in developing countries where the clothing industry is not monitored for the environmental impact of synthetic dying agents. Our cooperative is currently researching ways to cultivate various Amazonian plants used for the natural dyes in order to replace the toxic synthetic dyes currently used in the clothing industry.