postimäki near porvoo

Old home of  hatstraw maker at Postimäki, "mail post hill"

So how are these made?

The first things you need are the straws

The straws are plaited together to form a band

The plaited strawbands are flattened with a pressure roller

One product of the Postimäki residents was this kind of strawband. These were sent to next handicrafters in Porvoo town, to sew them side-by-side together, to form a hat

Final product was a hat or a bag

You could also make straw-bocks of the straws

Postimäki people had to mill their grain with hand-rotated stones to produce flour - bread was not sold in shops, as there were no shops either...

Postimäki museum is being kept in condition by voluntary people