WEAVING A MAT FROM RAFFIA

When I visited a colleague of mine who was in confinement, I noticed that the mat that her baby girl was sleeping on was not like the usual ones woven from mengkuang leaves.  On closer look, the mat was made from raffia strings.  My friends my bought raffia strings from the store and wove the mat for her grandchild.  Then she sewed lace around the finished mat to dress it up. 
Next week, I am going to buy some raffia strings and see if I can weave a mat looking like that in the picture.  Wish me luck!