T is for TI LEAF SKIRT

T - TI LEAF SKIRT

Making a Ti Leaf Skirt was not a Skill I ever expected to need to learn.  It was at first very intimidating to find out that we needed to collect almost 100 TI Leaves to be able and make a Skirt as well as our Lei for our wrists, ankles, and head.

200 TI LEAVES collected 

Each leaf has to be washed and wiped down

The center spine is removed without tearing the leaf in half.

Leaves prepped and ready to be tied onto rope 

Leaves are tied TIGHTLY onto a Rope that has been measured to your waist size

Full Tied Skirt ready to be Stripped

Final try on to make sure I have full coverage.

NOW each leaf must be stripped into long thin pieces

Leaves are not stripped until right before dancing so that skirt does not dry out

Fully stripped skirt

TI LEAVES prepared for making wrist and ankle, and head, LEI

Many hands make faster work

A FINISHED SKIRT

Some skirts need to be trimmed to hang even.

Fully dressed in Lei and Skirt

 
The hardest thing about making a TI LEAF SKIRT is knowing that they have a very short life
 of just a few days even if you manage to keep them cool and damp they soon need to be remade.