Plate LIII. Incomplete Samar mat of medium grade showing woven-in design.
Basey mats are of two general kinds: those with plaid designs woven in and those on which the designs are embroidered. The former are the more difficult to weave; but as there is no decoration to be added, they are the cheapest mats obtainable, the prices for the ordinary grades ranging from ₱0.80 to ₱3 each. Some weavers turn out only blank mats of one color and do neither designing nor decorating. Straw used on these is usually dyed, very few mats of natural colors being made. They are worth from ₱0.50 to ₱2 each and are generally sold to girls who are skillful in embroidering designs. These girls decorate the mats and sell them for from ₱2.50 to ₱6 each, the price depending upon the original cost of the mat and the amount of decoration put upon it. The ideas for the designs on Basey mats are usually obtained from pictures or textiles. The straws, both bleached and dyed, are split in two for embroidering purposes. This makes them thinner and more pliable.
Plate LIV. A cheap Samar mat with woven-in design.
The time necessary for making a plaid mat sold for two pesos was found to be as follows, an eight-hour day being used as the basis of a day’s work:
| Days. | |
| Gathering tikug | 1.00 |
| Dyeing tikug | .25 |
| Flattening tikug | .25 |
| Weaving mat | 3.50 |
| Total time | 5.00 |
The selling price of the mat was one peso, the cost of the dye 15 centavos, which left the weaver a balance of 85 centavos for five days’ labor. The plaids used in Basey mats are simple, but the embroidered designs are extremely intricate. They consist for the most part of foliage, flowers, and animals. Weavers are often given a contract to make a stated number of mats in accordance with a design furnished them. A few are capable of reproducing almost any pattern presented,[24] but if they are not told exactly what colors to use they employ every shade, color and tint they can secure. The Basey mats are distinguished by the multitude of colors used. In general it may be stated that the chief criticism of this product is the gaudy effect produced by the colors used. In some cases the colors are well toned and harmoniously combined, but the majority of the mats produced contain vivid colors which are not all harmonious. Through the schools, efforts have been made to reduce the number of colors and to modify the gaudy and complicated floral designs. An improvement is seen each year.
