ቁሳቁስ ሰፌድ
አማርኛ

Ethiopian handcraft

ሰፌድSefed

How is a sefed made? From the centre out to the rim.

A step-by-step look at how this woven grass tray is made by hand, from the first knot at the centre to the finished rim.

See the stepsWhat is a sefed?

What is a sefed?ሰፌድ ምንድን ነው?

A sefed is a wide, flat household tray, coiled and stitched from dried grass.

A sefed is a wide, flat, round tray made by coiling bundles of dried grass into a spiral and stitching each new round to the one before it. There are no separate rows: it is a single continuous coil that keeps circling outward until the tray is wide enough.

Sefeds are traditionally made by women, and the craft is usually learned at home and passed down through generations. The same coiling technique is used for the mesob and the injera basket; the sefed is the open, shallow member of that family.

What goes into a sefed

ግብዓቶች

Only four things are needed. Here they are on a sefed that is still being made.

A sefed being made on a woven mat: 20 rounds of coiled grass already stitched into a flat tray, the current round running on from its edge and lifting into the loose grass bundle, a wrapping strand hanging from the stitch, three dyed chevrons in the outer rounds, an awl lying with its point to the work, a spare bundle of grass and three hanks of dyed straw. Point at the figure, or at a part in the list, to see that part. The arrow keys step through the parts, Space takes it apart or puts it together, and Escape puts it back.

  1. Thick, stiff grass stems grouped together form the core of the coil. New stems are pushed in as the old ones run out, so the bundle never ends.

  2. Thin, flexible grass strips wind around the bundle and loop into the round before it. These stitches hold the whole tray together and give it its texture.

  3. Only a small amount of grass is coloured, usually red, purple and green.

  4. A pointed tool opens a gap in the previous round so the wrapping strand can be pulled through.

How a sefed is made, step by step

አሠራር

Follow the rings: each step adds a round, just as the tray grows outward one coil at a time.

  1. ፩Step 1

    Gather the grass

    ሣሩን መሰብሰብ

    Suitable grass is cut, then sorted: stiffer stems for the core bundle, finer ones for wrapping.

  2. ፪Step 2

    Dry and prepare

    ማድረቅና ማዘጋጀት

    The grass is dried, cleaned and split to an even width so every round comes out smooth.

  3. ፫Step 3

    Dye a few strands

    ማቅለም

    Strands chosen for the motifs are dyed and dried again; the rest keep their natural straw colour.

  4. ፬Step 4

    Start the centre

    መሃሉን መጀመር

    A small bundle is wrapped tightly and curled into a tiny knot — the very first turn of the spiral.

  5. ፭Step 5

    Coil and stitch, round by round

    እየጠቀለሉ መስፋት

    Using the awl, the bundle is stitched to the previous round as it circles outward, keeping the tray flat. Because each stitch sits next to one in the round before, the stitches line up into faint spokes that swirl out from the centre.

  6. ፮Step 6

    Stitch in the motifs

    ጌጡን መሥራት

    In the outer rounds, dyed strands replace natural ones for a few stitches at a time, building small chevrons and arrow shapes — red, purple, green — spaced around the tray.

  7. ፯Step 7

    Finish the rim

    ጠርዙን መጨረስ

    The bundle is tapered so the last round blends in, and the edge is wrapped tightly to stop it unravelling. The spiral is complete.

Where you'll find a sefed

አገልግሎት

  • Winnowing grain

    እህል ማበጠሪያ

    Used to winnow and clean grain such as teff: the grain is tossed so the chaff blows away.

  • Drying and serving

    ማድረቂያና ማቅረቢያ

    Used to spread out grain, spices or coffee to dry, and to serve bread at the table.

  • Wall decoration

    የግድግዳ ጌጥ

    Hung on the wall as decoration and often given as a gift at weddings and celebrations.

Next object

Clay

Jebena · ጀበና

The round-bellied clay pot at the heart of the coffee ceremony.

How it's made →