This 7.5x5.5 inches journal is made of genuine cowhide leather in dark brown and commercial version of the handwoven fabric T'nalak bought from Custom Made Crafts Center (marketing arm of the Non-Timber Forest Products Exchange Program).
 
"T’nalak is a sacred cloth woven by the T'boli people in communities around Lake Sebu, Mindanao island. Traditionally made by women of royal blood, thousands of patterns that reference folklore and stories are known to the T’boli women by memory. Fibres used in weaving are harvested from the abaca tree and prepared in a process known as kedungon. 
 
T’nalak is used for ritual purposes, as an offering to the spirits and during festival celebrations. It is also exchanged between families for food and supplies in the T'bolis’ barter economy, which endures to this day. Many communities rely on the commercial sale of t’nalak to earn a living."*
 
This journal’s leather spine was hand-punched, then hand-sewn with strong thread using traditional long stitch binding. It has 240 pages of 85 gsm, acid-free blank, ivory-colored sheets made of pure ECF (elemental chlorine free) ecological pulp that is versatile and can take fountain pen ink and light watercolor.
 
*https://www.thetextileatlas.com/craft-stories/tnalak-weaving-philippines
 
Packaging
 
The journal will arrive wrapped in honeycomb paper inside a kraft mailer box.
 
On Repair and Rebinding
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We offer free services for minor repair needs such as reattaching metal charms and cleaning of covers with leather conditioner. We charge corresponding fees to cover labor and materials costs for major repairs such as lock repairs and elastic and cover replacement.
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We also offer rebinding services with new blank sheets once you have filled out the pages. Rebinding fee for this journal size is P350. Please message alunsinahandboundbooks@gmail.com.
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