All things DIY have been very popular these past year. Do you want to give it a try? Wanna play designer? Because if you want a custom-made product from Ock Pop Tok, you usually have to place a wholesale order (hello Minimum Order Quantity) or pay extra if you don’t meet the MOQ… However, those past two years, we’ve seen how intrigued and excited our weavers were when tasked with a custom order no matter how small it was (even just one piece…).
We wanted them to still get this thrill of working on something new…
As things slowly ease back to “normal”, we wanted them to still get this thrill of working on something new, something totally different to what they are used to. Plus, we also wanted to give our individual customers the possibility of ordering a custom piece handmade in Laos without the constraints of wholesale order. We basically wanted to – as one says – kill two birds with one stone…
We had to choose a technique that didn’t require us setting up a pattern…
We needed it to be quite straightforward for both the customer and the weaver. We had to choose a technique that didn’t require us setting up a pattern because that would drastically increase the price and we wanted it to remain affordable. And, reasonable in terms of size so that it could be woven within a few days and not cost an arm and a leg in shipping fees. This is why we decided to offer you the possibility of playing designer and designing your own… bath mat!
What’s a bath mat if not a smaller version of our super popular tapestry rug?! Plus, the interlocking tapestry weaving technique is the perfect technique as there’s no need to set up any patterns. It requires the weaver to make the pattern up as she goes along.
The weaver creates the motif by adding colored yarns by hand. Where sections of color meet, the pattern threads are twisted (interlocked) around each other, locking them together so they don’t loosen up. We use the tapestry technique for our home decor range, including rugs, cushion covers, table runners, placemats and now bath mats!
The different steps
Wondering how it works? It’s pretty straightforward. Basically, you will go through the same process designers who work with us for their own brand do. You will place your order on our webshop. Only one option is available, a 50 cm x 75 cm 100% handspun cotton bath mat.
You can choose a maximum of three additional colors from our selection of twenty.
Once your order has been placed, you will receive an email with a grid to color and more details on the colors available. It’s now time to play designer! The base color – the one used for the warp – is compulsory. It’s natural cotton, which is a very light shade of beige. You can choose a maximum of three additional colors from our selection of twenty.
The grid to color is basically dozens and dozens of small rectangles next to each other. Each rectangle represents a surface of 1cm x 4cm. So coloring a row of 25 rectangles in one color will cover 25 cm x 4 cm. Two rows of 25 rectangles in one color? It will cover 25 cm x 8 cm. Keeping this in mind, will help you have a better idea of how the bath mat will look woven. The weavers usually count in “lop” and we’ve modified the size of a “lop” here to make it easy for them to follow your designs.
Keep in mind that round angles a bit complicated to achieve using the interlocking tapestry technique…
If you have a closer look at the tapestry technique (watch this video), you will see that making round shapes, flowers or similar designs are quite complicated. We want you to be as creative as possible for your design but keep in mind that kinda straight geometric shapes work best… You want stripes on your bath mat? Because of the relatively small size of the mat, you would need to make one stripe a minimum of two rectangles, so 2 cm at least.
Once you’ve colored your grid, scan or take a picture of it and send it to us, including the color references. Add a note whether you would like fringes or not. We can make two types of fringes, you can choose which one you like best.
After we’ve received your DIY design, unless we have any questions, we’ll get started on your bath mat right away. One week later, you’ll receive your DHL tracking number by email and a few days later, your bath mat would have been delivered. Easy-peasy.
So who’s ready to give it a try? I already designed two (the ones pictured here) and I must say it’s very gratifying to see your design come to life and know that somehow, wherever you are in the world, you connected with a Lao artisan to design a product made in Laos! How cool is that?!
Order yours now!
