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Moms the Word
We’ve got the motherlode of Mother’s Day gift ideas! Mother’s Day is a pretty big deal around here given that we are a women’s weaving cooperative and that we have a Mother’s Day Gift Guide full of beautiful handwoven gifts like shawls, scarves and jewelry rolls that most moms are drawn to. This year, we’d also like to share some inspirational gift ideas from a few of our fellow Fair Trade Federation brands. You’re going to love these artisan made gifts from around the globe because they are beautiful. And because they’re fair trade, you can feel confident that these brands are all committed to positive change. Everyone here respectfully celebrates the cultures and the talents of the artisans, ensures that the artisans are paid fair wages and have safe working conditions. When you purchase from verified fair trade organizations, you make an impact on the artisans, their families and even their communities. Whether your mom loves to accessorize, travel or drink coffee, we’ve got something to please each one. You could even assemble a gift basket with these beauties!
We’ve long admired Dunitz & Company for their beautiful jewelry handmade in Guatemala. At the helm, Nancy Dunitz is a talented artist and designer who visited the country back in 1989 and has been creating opportunities for artisans ever since with stunning beaded, glass and embroidered earrings, necklaces and bracelets as well a fun collection of works of art earrings that include Van Gogh, Monet, Degas, Chagall and more. We love Dunitz glass earrings paired with our scarves – it’s easy to find colors that complement each other. And if mom isn’t a jewelry gal, check out Dunitz & Company’s handwoven and embroidered masks accented with glass beads.
Mata Traders is a design driven fair trade fashion brand with a goal of ending global poverty. Designed in Chicago and made by artisans in India and Nepal, they make dresses, skirts and tops in fun and sophisticated patterns Gorgeous hand screen printed and block printed fabrics are used to create a wide range of styles (think mini, midi and maxi!) in a broad range of sizes. Many of the products also include beautiful hand embroidery details. We always look forward to seeing what Mata Traders is offering each season and appreciate how comfortable their dresses are to wear. Mata means “mother” in Hindi and is a tribute to Shakti – the female creative power in all of us which makes it even more of a perfect Mother’s Day Gift!
Coffee is something that is favored by many moms out there. If your mom is a coffee lover, consider a gift of delicious Deans Beans coffee! Deans Beans sells 100% organic shade grown coffee that they purchase directly from coffee coops around the world. As fair traders, they believe that relationships are important and for them, it’s all about respecting the farmers, the earth, their employees and you the consumer. Over the years, they have used money from the sales of Deans Beans coffee to address an extensive number of projects in the communities where the coffee beans are grown including reforestation projects, health clinics, building new schools, assisting with international organic certification and much more. Is your mom a bird lover? Try the Birdwatchers Blend, a blend that is certified by the Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center as Bird Friendly® Certified Coffee. Or maybe you’d prefer to create your own custom blend where you get to choose the percentage of beans based on origin and roast. How fun to make a custom coffee for your mom using beans from Guatemala, Nicaragua, Ethiopia, Sumatra and more. You can even add a little decaf if that’s helpful!
Cozy hand knitted socks for mom!? Yes please! Fazl socks are hand knitted by artisans in the Himalayas of India. Soft and warm, the socks are made of acrylic and nylon, all non-allergenic and not itchy at all. Founded by a Canadian couple, Vanessa and Mike who actually met while volunteering at an orphanage in India, Fazl is committed to helping children in orphanages in India by dedicated half of their net profits to them. It’s staggering to think that India is home to a third of the world’s underweight children. Fazl is working hard to address this disparity while also helping to preserve the beautiful indigenous designs. Currently they are offering a special of free shipping when you buy two knitwear products.
Moms work hard all of the time. What better way to celebrate mom than to give her the day off to lounge in a hammock – of course a fair trade hammock! Cielo Hammocks are hammocks made by Maya women in the Yucatan region of Mexico. Cielo delivers all of the materials needed to the artisans and goes back to pick up the completed hammocks. This way, the artisans are not forced to put money up front or to take loans out in order to work. As a Certified B Corp, they strive to be poverty disruptors, to empower women to be heads of their family and leaders in their communities. Cielo has a non-profit arm that offers literacy classes, scholarships, drug, alcohol and violence workshops in the communities where the artisans live.
Hopefully we inspired you with some ideas to honor your mom this year no matter what your budget is or what your mom’s interests are. All of the brands here represent humans doing amazing things for other humans and the Earth and for that, we couldn’t be more proud!
Let's Celebrate International Women's Day
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International Women's Day is celebrated every year on March 8th. It's a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women while also issuing an important call for gender equality. 
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Finding the "H" in Kitchen Towels
“Hache” is the name of the weave that we use to make our luxury kitchen linens. It is named for the tiny “H” formed by the weave (pronounced hache in Spanish). Quite complicated, the Hache weave is made using a 4 harness loom combined with fancy footwork. The weavers have to really concentrate on their work so that the “H”’s appear in the correct place!
In Guatemala it is quite common for a town to specialize in a particular weave. The ability for us to weave different designs has led to custom work in Guatemala (as well as the U.S.) for various designers. Here in the U.S., our Hache line has taken off. Customers love not only the look, but the feel of the Hache kitchen linens. This weave construction leaves many surfaces of the yarn open to the air or water which makes them very absorbent. And of course, the visual pattern is complex and attractive, elevating them to true gift worthy status! Our Hache weave is available in kitchen towels, dish cloths as well as kitchen towel/dish cloth sets.
As time has passed we have had several new weavers enter the cooperative, so we recently asked Don Oscar to return to teach Hache again. We are excited to roll out a beautiful new Black and White Hache Towel Set with a vivid red border. Stay tuned, it will soon be followed by a Black and White Hache with black border.
How Do the Women Get Paid?
So, how do the women get paid for their work? That is a question we get frequently. October is Fair Trade Month and we thought it would be a good time to answer that. Our answer sometimes startles people, because WE actually don’t pay the women for their work!!! What??? What I mean to say is that over the course of years of working closely with the Maya Mam Weavers cooperative, we have practiced all of the Fair Trade Principles starting with fair wages, but we have gone farther than that. Historically, “fair trade” has been when companies from the global north purchase crafts and products from producers in developing countries who are socially and economically marginalized for a fair price to sell in a market that can handle higher prices.
Instead of simply purchasing the products from the women to sell in North America, we have worked with the women since 2008, first to organize a cooperative and then to help them develop business skills so that they are now able to run the cooperative on their own. Through education and training-- in literacy, weaving and sewing, and business skills -- the women have developed the ability to take on leadership roles.
Mayamam Weavers in the U.S. markets the products made by Maya Mam Weaving Cooperative, on a business to business basis. Here in the US we purchase and pay for the products we buy from the cooperative, then sell them to wholesalers and consumers in the U.S and Canada. In Guatemala, the cooperative has been working to develop that market, selling to wholesalers and consumers, as well as doing custom weaving for designers and other cooperatives.
So back to the payment question! Within their own business, the women pay themselves based on the work that they complete. The rate of pay is calculated based on the average productivity at an hourly rate. The rate is calculated based on Cajola’s wages, using construction labor as an “unskilled amount” and teachers wages as a “fully skilled” wage. The basic wage rate in the cooperative is about 60% higher than unskilled labor. The highest wage rate is about 90% higher than construction, and comparable to teacher salaries. When the women work as coordinators -- for quality control, production, or sales & marketing -- they earn at that higher hourly rate. The foot loom, backstrap weavers and the seamstresses are paid for the work that they complete. The cooperative has developed flexible work rules so that the women can fulfill their family responsibilities while maintaining a commitment to work.
A few years ago, when some women with secondary education entered the cooperative, they were able to help the other members ask questions and understand the answers about how their pay was calculated. Last year they learned how to do time studies of their work and they have adjusted some of their rates. Of course along with adjusting the rates to be paid, they had to understand how the cost of products impacts the pricing and the profit margin.
In the beginning of 2018 they formed the Sales and Marketing Council, made up of the Production Coordinator, the Sales & Marketing Coordinator, the Finance Coordinator, the Quality Control Coordinator, the New Products Coordinator, and rotating representatives from the three different work areas (foot loom weavers, seamstresses, and backstrap weavers). Their initial objective was to develop the Guatemala market, but it didn’t take long for them to essentially begin to manage the entire business, including human resource issues. The fantastic benefit has been that when the coronavirus pandemic arrived, they were already in a position to manage the business!
We believe that part of the secret to their success lies in all of the members working together in one location. Many artisans in Guatemala work from their homes and the cooperatives they form allow them to market products together and purchase supplies. Because the Maya Mam Weavers cooperative started off all working in one location, they were able to develop and easily share their skills, creative ideas, and areas of expertise to form a TEAM. And that's where the magic lies, in realizing that we are better together.
Jocón, What is that?
We’re excited to have a guest blogger this month! Rafael Gomez is a Guatemalan living in the USA who can be found in the kitchen or by the grill whipping up amazing culinary concoctions, gardening, working towards his biomedical engineering degree and the talent behind @chapincookin on Instagram. He’s sharing a great recipe today for a homemade Guatemalan soup.
It’s a small glimpse into how we are all different but ultimately the same. We all have that one meal that brings us back home, for me that’s Jocón. The simplest way to introduce someone to Jocón is to say it’s the Guatemalan chicken noodle soup. While that's the simplest way to put it, it's also not the most accurate way to describe it. Just like any meal that brings you a certain amount of comfort while you are sick, during cold rainy days, when homesickness strikes, describing it solely on what it looks like and tastes like isn't good enough, but I will try.
First of all, we have to remember that this meal doesn’t cost a fortune. It's a meal that everyone in Guatemala knows based on how simple and cheap it is to make. For me, one of the easiest ways you can interact with a culture you don’t know is by sitting at the dining table, wherever that may be. So pull up a chair and sit down for a second and immerse yourself in the sounds and smells of my kitchen.
You will need:
chicken
tomatillos
water/broth
jalapeño
onion
garlic
cilantro
green onions
green bell peppers
Masa or corn starch (key ingredient)
Salt and Pepper to taste
(Sometimes)
ginger
sesame oil
These are your ingredients, nothing particularly expensive, nothing from some random remote mountain in the middle of the jungle that only blooms once a year during a solar eclipse. The two unique ingredients to most people in the states are masa and tomatillos.
The masa is used as cornstarch to thicken the soup so it feels more filling. You can sub in corn starch to get a similar result. However, that’s not the only use of masa. Masa is commonly used to make tortillas. Tomatillos are little green tomatoes you can find in the grocery store that have an outer husk that hides the tomatillo. They are tart in taste and a bright green similar to green tomatoes. Other names for these little guys are miltomates, tomates verdes, tomates de cascara, or tomates de fresadillas. Tomatillos are usually the main ingredient behind several of the salsa verde recipes that people know and love.
An important part of the recipe is to start by roasting the vegetables. By roasting the vegetables over an open fire it lets them extract all the wonderful flavors of the vegetables and still have a hearty meal. This version of jocón that I made is vegetarian. Quick history lesson, the reason I made the jocón vegetarian is because before the Spanish came along, that's how it was made, vegetarian.
The essence of most meals that warm the heart and soul have similar components, inexpensive and humble ingredients that are cooked with love. So the next time you want to explore a new culture, or get a small essence of what a culture has to offer. You can comfortably do it from your dining room table.
Check out Rafael's complete recipe for Jocón here and let us know if you try it!
When a Kimono is Not a Kimono
The term “Cultural Appropriation” has been tossed around quite a bit in the past few years. Mayamam Weavers is very sensitive to the theft of the beautiful huipil designs of the traditional Maya dress and the women in the weaving cooperative participate in the struggle for the recognition of the designs as heritage and identity. And it is clear when a fashion designer uses a design copied from traditional Maya embroidery that that is appropriation and it’s wrong. But it took listening to a recent podcast episode to sensitize ourselves to our own act of cultural appropriation as we had appropriated the name “kimono” for one of our woven products.
Cultural appropriation happens when we make use of something without fully understanding its context or meaning. Several years ago, we had chosen to use the name kimono for an open front, “flowy” long jacket that is handwoven on a foot loom by the women of our cooperative. Our inspiration for change began with Manpreet Kalra of the Art of Citizenry and her July 2020 Navigating an Unequal World podcast, episode 3 titled “Which is it, Cultural Appreciation or Appropriation”. The podcast had recommended reading an article written by a Japanese American woman, Emi Ito titled, "An Open Letter to White Makers & Deisgners Who are Inspired by the Kimono and Japanese Culture." Ito is a teacher and sustainable fashion advocate who has been successful in reaching out to fashion brands who misuse the name kimono and helping them find alternative solutions. The article made the role of the kimono in Japanese culture, tradition, and identity very clear. It was such a learning experience to discover how easily lack of knowledge about another culture can lead to unintentional cultural appropriation, but cultural appropriation nonetheless.
Photo by Jie on Unsplash
The fact that we meant nothing bad by naming our garment a kimono is fine, but once we understood the deep cultural significance of the kimono in Japanese culture it was clear we had to change the name of our product. The kimono is a sacred garment. When companies sell kimonos as fashion, they are erasing the definition as well as the history of kimonos. Not only did our kimono have its own unique shape and style, it didn’t have a connection with Japan, or with Japanese culture.
While the concept of fair trade no doubt celebrates cultural differences, one of the nine principles of Fair Trade is to respect cultural identity. As a fair trade organization, this is extremely important to us. So with a little brainstorming with our team, we came up with a new name for our product – introducing the Windowpane Weave Wraparound!
If you're interested in additional reading about this topic:
My Kimono is Not Your Couture by Emi Ito
Introducing Asencion
Say hello to Asencion!
Asencion Lopez is a talented backstrap weaver and has been a member of the cooperative for the past fourteen years. In that time, a lot has changed in her life and she recently reflected with us.
As a young mother of a two-year old son, Asencion first joined the cooperative in 2006 and trained to be a seamstress. She eventually decided she would rather be a backstrap weaver since she had been weaving for years and had the comfort level, speed -- and talent -- supporting her.
Before Mayamam Weavers, Asencion was a weaver in her home. In order to make ends meet, she also harvested coffee on the plantations and collected firewood in the mountains and brought it down to Cajolá to sell. She immediately recognized how her life changed when she began working with the cooperative. “I like this work because we are indoors, and harvesting coffee was very difficult, working under hot sun or strong rains. Working on the plantation isn’t always reliable work either.”
Asencion took advantage of the adult literacy classes in the afternoons, learning to read and write. She is thrilled to be able to read the details of the orders that come in and she understands the importance of education.
Working with a group the size of our cooperative is a distinct advantage according to Asencion. She is grateful that there is always work available. As a single weaver working out of her home, the work wasn’t always consistent. The money she earns now allows her to buy food, clothes, and pay the electric and water bills, among other things. She’s even been able to help other members of her family over time.
Fast forward to 2020 and Asencion now has three children, the now 15-year-old son Christian, a 6-year-old son Gustavo and a 2-year-old daughter named Karla. In the past, she has brought Karla to work with her, but she’s concerned with the pandemic that it won’t be feasible any longer. Because she works with the cooperative, Gustavo was able to attend XNQ, the Reggio Emilia inspired preschool. He is comfortable speaking Spanish in addition to his native mam language. Asencion is one proud momma and appreciates the support that parents get from the school as well.
As a highly skilled textile artisan, Asension's favorite products to weave are the colorful Celebration table runners.
Currently, the cooperative's working hours have been limited because of a government imposed curfew during the pandemic. It has been difficult for the women to cover all of their expenses. They are looking forward to the day when this will change--hopefully one day soon!
Are you interested in meeting some of the other members of our cooperative? Check out some of our earlier blog posts…
The Secret Behind the Ceramics of San Antonio Palopó
We recently spoke with our founder, Caryn Maxim, about her travels around Guatemala over the years. One story she highlighted was the discovery of a charismatic man who inspired and trained a community on Lake Atitlán to create beautiful handcrafted ceramics.
Back in 2003, my first visit to Guatemala was as a tourist. I visited Panajachel on Lake Atitlán and took the obligatory launch tour across the lake including visiting San Antonio Palopó, known for its distinctive ceramics. The ceramics are beautiful, handmade and hand glazed, and you can find them now all over Guatemala. It wasn’t until this past summer when showing my cousin some of Guatemala’s attractions that by a wonderful serendipity we stumbled into the Ceramics Maya Ke (though the business card says Maya Ken, it seems Maya Ke is their more recognized name). It happened to be the day of San Antonio’s annual fiesta, so only a couple of workers were around. They volunteered to call the owner and invited us inside to wait. Then, one worker asked, “Do you want to meet Ken?” I had no idea who “Ken” might be, but I am always game to meet new people!
So, into the next room we went and found Ken Edwards, an amazing human being. Ken was 94 years old, sitting in front of a computer screen in a simple studio-as-bedroom with a spectacular view of the lake. Ken is very hard of hearing, so our conversation seemed a lot like shouting, but his story was remarkable, and we felt so fortunate to meet him. Although I (and many others) thought that the distinctive pottery of San Antonio Palopó was a traditional local style of ceramics, that is not the case.
Ken and his wife arrived in Guatemala back in the 90’s, with kilns, and without specific plans. They were in search of high-quality clay that is found in this area because of the rich volcanic riverbeds. According to Ken, when his minivan arrived at the foot of a steep hill where his rental house was located, many local residents appeared and helped him move the kiln and his other belongings up the hill to the house. Amazed by the warm reception, he had the idea to see if any local residents would like to learn the ceramics work that he was taught while living in Mexico in the 1950’s and 60’s. He saw that many young men didn’t have a job or go to school, so he taught them some skills and eventually encouraged them to open their own workshops.
Ken taught the men how to use molds to make their pottery more consistent and to make it more efficiently. He also introduced modern high firing techniques that allow lead to burn out of the glazes, thus the San Antonio pottery is lead-free and microwave safe. All of the pottery is hand painted and no two pieces are alike. Now, in 2020, there are four different ceramics workshops in San Antonio Palapó, creating ceramics in the same style as Ken, and you can find these distinctive ceramics all over Guatemala…and the world!
Visit our Sale Page to find our embroidered Twill Bistro Aprons in three colorways.
Introducing Miriam
Every so often we like to take the opportunity introduce you to a member of the cooperative, so you can see who is behind the beautiful products of Mayamam Weavers. Say hello to Miriam Perez who has been working with the cooperative for 5 years but only just recently became a weaver.
Miriam first became involved with the non-profit organization Grupo Cajolá, when she sent her two daughters, Rosy and Dayana to their preschool, “Teaching the Wisdom or our Elders.” As a certified teacher herself, Miriam understands the importance of getting a good education. While her daughters were attending preschool, Miriam offered to volunteer with Grupo Cajolá as a literacy teacher for the weaving cooperative. (Grupo Cajola was able to find funds to pay her.) She began teaching two classes in the middle of the day. Many of the women never had the opportunity to go to school, so the goal was to develop their academic skills so they could accept more responsibility at work. For some, it wasn’t possible to read the list of what fabrics needed to be woven next or to record their work hours.
During her time as a literacy teacher, Miriam also represented the weaving cooperative as a member of the board of Grupo Cajolá. Along the way, she learned more about the organization and the responsibilities of the board.
“Being part of the board of directors helped me to better understand my commitment to the organization and our goal to improve our community.”
Miriam continued to teach the literacy classes for three years. As the women passed their elementary school equivalency exams one by one, Miriam expressed interest in joining the foot loom weavers. She had always been weaving at home on a backstrap loom, as most Mam girls are taught to weave by their mothers. Once she joined Mayamam Weavers, she spent countless hours practicing on the foot loom, gaining confidence and speed along the way.
“At first it was very difficult, but with practice and determination, I have achieved my objective to be able to work on this (foot) loom.”
In February of 2019, Miriam was asked to take on the important role of Production Coordinator for the cooperative. She now has the responsibility of making sure that all of the products are delivered on time, coordinating the work between the foot loom weavers, the seamstresses and the back strap weavers.
As Production Coordinator, Miriam is also part of the Sales & Marketing Council which has representatives from the seamstresses, the foot loom weavers, the back strap weavers, marketing & sales, finances, and quality control. Every other week they meet to plan their work, talk about new products, discuss work issues in the different groups and make decisions.
Miriam is thriving in her new position and is proof that education is an important piece of the road to success.
Worldwide Pandemic and a Stronger Community
Anybody tired of the corona virus yet? Yes, we feel you. Looking back a month or two, we never could have dreamed that the world would be like this.
Struggling with a new not-so-normal routine, we are finding ways to live in uncertain times.
We believe there will be good that comes from all of this. It is hard and people are struggling, but without hope, we have no reason to get up each day, no reason to reach out and help our neighbors.
"Accept – then act. Whatever the present moment contains, accept it as if you had chosen it. Always work with it, not against it. Make it your friend and ally; not your enemy. This will miraculously transform your whole life.” – Ekart Tolle
A Guatemalan returning from a trip to Italy on March 13th became the first person to test positive for Covid-19 in Guatemala. President Giammettei immediately closed the airport and called for a work stoppage of all non-essential work, and subsequently instituted a nationwide curfew. Nearly 4 weeks later there are 80 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Guatemala (as of April 8th).
For the time being we are moving forward in Guatemala, the best we can. As with everyone in the U.S., we face an enormous uncertainty in the coming months, regarding the virus itself and whether it will spread to Cajolá. And even more frightening, is the collapse of the economy in the US, where 40% of our population is working to support their families back home. As word spread around our community about the potential damage this pandemic could cause, fear began to grow.
What comes out of this? A stronger community.
Following a meeting with the health center in Cajolá, Grupo Cajolá established new practices consistent with good medical practices to avoid contacting or spreading the virus. After some thoughtful reorganizing allowing for more space between the seamstresses’ workstations and the weavers' looms, to add hand washing stations inside and outside of the building, the health inspector visited and approved our plan to return to work within the limitations of the nationwide curfew. Because of the curfew, members of the cooperative are working half days, arriving at 7am and leaving at noon. The seamstresses, backstrap weavers and foot loom weavers stay within their group and limit the number of people they interact with on a daily basis. Each work group has access to their own bathroom which is supplied with soap. When someone arrives to visit Grupo Cajolá, there is a hand washing station before they can enter. Six foot spacing has been marked at our entrance so visitors can also respect the social distancing rule.
The seamstresses have made masks using our striped fabrics for everyone to wear at work or while shopping. They are also selling them to the community at an affordable rate – offering to give one to anyone that needs one and is unable to pay.
Guatemala’s Ministry of Education closed the schools and has “gone online.” Unfortunately, the students of Cajolá do not necessarily have access to “online”. With that in mind, the Internet Center will be admitting 3 people at a time to use the computers.
Our preschool is not in session, but the teachers are taking turns visiting each child’s home to explain carefully the precautions they need to take to prevent the spread of the virus. The after school program, “Helping with Homework” that is usually held in the internet center, has not been able to work with students either. On the bright side, administrators from the Ministry of Education have come to present workshops to all of our teachers on the national curriculum which will ensure that the educational opportunities are above par in the future.
Our Scholarship students are receiving their scholarships, with the consent of Maya Educational Foundation, regardless of each situation. The private universities are continuing to charge monthly fees in spite of not giving classes, only some homework assignments.
Our situation in Cajolá began with fear, but after finding tangible actions to work on each day, we are more optimistic now. We are taking this opportunity to strengthen our commitment to collective work and solidarity. There is hope in people working together. We are planning a vegetable planting project to supplement the corn, beans, and squash that is the backbone of Cajolá life. As the vegetables are harvested, they will be shared among everyone in Cajolá, particularly the people in the most need.
If you're interested in hearing more about Mayamam Weavers and you'd like to receive updates, please subscribe to our email list here. We'd love to have you join us! We promise not to send more than one e-mail a week and we will never share your information with another organization.
Discovering the Ir - RESIST - able Art of Jaspe
Just as weaving is an ancient craft found around much of the world, jaspe (pronounced hah-spay) is a weaving technique found around much of the globe. In other parts of the world, it is referred to as ikat. One of the oldest weaving techniques, jaspe is a tie and dye or resist – dye method where patterns are created in the yarn through tie dyeing before the weaving begins.
A very elaborate and time-consuming process, jaspe requires 25 steps. In Salcajá, Guatemala, not far from our town of Cajolá, people and families break down those steps and specialize in different parts of the process. Some prepare the yarn for tying, some specialize in tying the knots to make the different figures, and others focus on doing the actual dyeing.
Our weaving cooperative is always ready to learn new skills, so when FUNDAP offered an opportunity to have a training in the dying and weaving of jaspe, we jumped! FUNDAP is a non-profit organization in Guatemala that seeks to eradicate poverty by providing support and education/training to lower income people and communities. One of the many ways they help communities is by supporting artisans like ours. Nine of our weavers embarked on a 3-week training course under master weaver Clemente Ruiz and his assistant. The women learned and practiced each step of the process, all the way through the weaving of the fabric that incorporated their tie-dyed yarns.
The multistep process of jaspe begins with taking the yarn from the skein and winding it around a bobbin that holds the yarn neatly so it can be warped. The yarn is then stretched out to lengths that match the length of the finished fabric. Next, strands of yarn are counted, tied and knotted together in bundles before dyeing. The dye won’t penetrate where the bundles are tied – this is where the patterns form. The patterns, or figures, can be quite intricate (such as flowers, geometric forms or dolls). Simply knotting the bundles (the bundles contain different numbers of threads depending on the figure) leaving various distances between knots and having various thicknesses of knots creates an amazing number of different designs!
Once the bundles are complete, the yarn is dyed. After the yarn dries, the work of untying all of the knots begins. It is important to unbundle the yarns carefully in order to maintain the design. From here, the jaspe warp is put on the loom. In our case, it took five people to coordinate the tension as they put the yarn on the loom so that the design stays intact.
There is a lot of excitement around our new skills and how we can use them. We just may be dreaming about incorporating jaspe in our Christmas weaving.