Figure 115.—Sleeping mat (fala) double butt commencement:

The commencement is made by crossing two butt strips (1, 2) with the under side (tua) of the leaf uppermost and the sinistral bearing strip above (2). In this position, the sinistrals are held by the right hand while the left hand manipulates the dextrals in turn according to a commencing transverse check or twill while the right hand drops the sinistrals into position in turn. The technique is similar to that in the wall screens and laulau but instead of the whole line of crossing wefts being in position, the dextral (3, 5, 7) and sinistral (4, 6, 8) butts are added on the right as the last weft of the previous strip is used. The left hand also retains the dextrals until a sufficient number to form a working edge are engaged. Then with each rearrangement or movement of dextrals, the top working dextral is dropped and the next dextral picked up. In this way the width of the commencing edge is reached.