#guatemalantextiles

[juanjoseojedadiaz]

‪Qué emoción ver el esfuerzo que hace un país que tuve la oportunidad de conocer y al que espero volver, por incentivar el turismo. Los felicito! 🙂👍 #Guatemala #GuatemalaValeLaPena #guatemalacambia #Guatemaltecos #GuateNosUNE ‬#guatemala #guatemala🇬🇹 #guatemalanfood #guatemalapower #guatemalacity #guatemalaimpresionante #guatemalacom #exploraguatemala #guatemalancoffee #guatemalancoffees #guatemalantextiles #travelguatemala #everydayguatemala #explorandoguatemala #therealguatemala #visitguatemala #antiguaguatemala #ciudaddeguatemala #guatemalacity🇬🇹 (en Caracas) https://www.instagram.com/p/ByrNmbnF5uf/?igshid=w55bzuynvl4b

[nickburchell]

Happy Valentines Day to my beautiful honey @summer_loftin!!! What a great place to celebrate ❤️❤️❤️Love these alleyway steps and walls in the little village of Santa Caterina Palopo we visited yesterday. ****************************** #guatemala🇬🇹 #lakeatitlanguatemala #tiles #paintedwalls #textiles #guatemalantextiles #valentinesday2020 #girlsinhats #centralamericatravel #blue #cyan #turquoise #travelphotography #lifestylephotography (at Santa Catarina Palopó) https://www.instagram.com/p/B8jk0W7JgDx/?igshid=11q59sq7lhz3o

[con-amor-ft]

We just got some new thicker jaspe (ikat) cloth from Guatemala. This beautiful thick jaspe cloth weighs 8 oz per yard, as opposed to 5 oz for normal jaspe. The price is by the half yard or 18inch. This cloth is 1 yard wide, 100% cotton and handwoven on a wooden loom. 
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.https://www.instagram.com/p/B8PUAmtBQPv/?igshid=m09m7j6vucno

[leslieworks]

Acquired these 2 gorgeous belts. One from Guatemala and the other by Usmeco Paris. Classic Southwestern boho belts. Love them. 😍😍 . . . . #wunderbarvintage #hobocameo #vintagefinds #vintagebelts #leatherbelts #wovenbraid #brassbuckle #guatemalan #guatemalanbelt #guatemalanleather #guatemalantextiles #usmecoparis #bohobelt #southwesternstyle ## (at Kentish Town) https://www.instagram.com/p/BwCwJi5HW3D/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=n8hz5xsrc2d7

[toottifruitticakes]

Reposted from @the_cake_decorating_co - CONGRATULATIONS to @zombiegirlbakery who WINS a pot of #sugarclay in our monthly competition 😁 . For your chance to WIN, share a picture of what you've made with @sugarstreetstudios With the hashtag #sugarclay on Instagram or Facebook. Give us both a tag as well so we can see what you're making! . #Repost @zombiegirlbakery ・・・ Worry dolls.. the 1st time I use sugar clay and make 3D figures on a wire armature. Lots of room for improvement but learning is fun! :) #zombiegirlbakery #guatemalanworrydolls #guatemala #worrydollcake #worrydolls #colourfulcake #3d #sugarclay #dontworrybehappy #sunshine #sunflowers #guatemalantextiles #sugarart #funcake #zombiegirl #tieredcake #celebrationcake #quotes #lifequotes - #regrann https://www.instagram.com/p/BscoUHxAQlG/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=16fzwzqilmdpz

[toolegittoquilt]

I'm so thrilled about these Guatemalan fabric scraps from @kakawdesigns ! They are GORGEOUS and I'm honored to work with such beautifully crafted fabrics. I was lucky to meet Mari at @renegadecraft in Chicago last year. She works with women in Guatemala to create her beautiful bags, boots, and accessories, always ethically and always with the craftswomen in mind. Please check out her products and especially her story via her website. She is a brilliant and inspiring woman🙌🏻 . . . . #repurposed #textiles #guatemalantextiles #kakawdesigns

[mayandigitalstore]

Mayan Digital Store

[jupiterloumoons]

#guatemalantextiles

[anissette]

Todo está en los detalles. #fashion #sewing #process #GuatemalanTextiles #anissette

[nomadworldventures-blog]

☀️So happy it's Friday! 💃🏻 We are going to add some new items on the site, relax and enjoy each moment of the weekend. 🙌🏽☺️🥂 : : : : : : : : : : #weekend #friday #textiles #guatemalantextiles #guatemala #handmade #handwoven #handstitched #womensfashion #womenempowerment #supporters #ethicalbrand #ethical #ethicallymade #ethicallysourced #ethicalfashion #beauty #womenstops

[boltwest]

❤️ in heaven....#jaspe #ikat #ikatfabric #textiles #textilelove #ihavethisthingwithtextiles #guatemala #guatemalantextiles

[quetzalboutique]

Guatemalan huipil coin purses #newArrivals • VISIT US AT • 3509 E 1st St LA CA 90063 • #handmadeaccessories #guatemala #hechoenguatemala #guatemalan #guatemalteca #guatemalantextiles #huipiles #coinpurses #textiles #indigenous #colorful #embroidered #pajaritos #lovebirds #lovedove (at Quetzal Boutique)

[hiptipico]

We want to do more than just connect you with beautiful, ethically made artisan goods. We want you to gain an understanding of where designs and different textiles originate! Our Facebook group gets exclusive BTS and teaching moments. 🌻 Anyone recognize this huipil from our mini drop last week? Bonus points if you can remember where it's from! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 🔗 Link to join our FB group in bio __ #textileart #handmade #guatemalantextile #knowyourartisan #rainbow — view on Instagram https://ift.tt/2Ovy31P

[folk-ark]

@mayatraditions works with women artisans across Guatemala, connecting them with national and international markets committed to Fair Trade principles in order to preserve and promote traditional Maya knowledge, art, and culture — including traditional medicine! See below. . . . We are excited to share that each weaving cooperative will now their own medicinal garden! This means direct access to traditional medicine for their own communities. Here is Faviana Catarina of Nahuala demonstrating some typical uses. . . . . . . #guatemala #guatemalantextiles #perhapsyouneedalittleguatemala #traditionaltextiles #backstraploom #nahuala #huipil #traditionalmedicine #herbalmedicine #plantmedicine #ethnobotany — view on Instagram http://ift.tt/2F4kDru

[mfst25]

#medicenfer #photography #beach #tbt #live #love #laugh #explore #travel #nature #clouds #beachlife #goodvibesonly #vacations #tumblr #tumblraesthetic #guatemala #gt #guate #escuintla #quepeladaguate #guatemalantextiles #guategram #502 #centroamerica (at San José, Escuintla, Guatemala) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6wlQyhg_pV/?igshid=1lz1pykb7mmlr

[hauteculturefashion]

Have you ever experienced textile love at first sight? I have, and the object of my desire subsequently led me on an embroidery pilgrimage through Guatemala. 

It was 2018: our first ever tour of Mexico had just finished. As part of the tour, we had obviously seen a lot of textiles and specifically, Mexican huipils. I thought I had seen all the huipil designs one could ever imagine. But then I wandered into one shop and saw something completely new to me. A purple and lilac striped huipil with incredibly intricate hand-embroidered birds perched around the neckline. At that moment, I was both lovestruck, and lovesick, to know of its origins as the colour combination was beautiful, the attention to detail spectacular and the craftsmanship so skilful. I asked the store owner where it was from and why was it so different from all the other huipils on sale in the shop and in Oaxaca in general. She told me why: this huipil was from Guatemala.

I bought the huipil in an instant and upon my return to the hotel, I immediately started researching #guatemalantextiles on Instagram and googling Guatemala huipil bird designs. The searches led me to a selection of photos of women wearing very similar woven huipils with stripes and bird embroidery to the one I had just bought. My near-obsessive research took me to the website of Cojolya Association, where I discovered that most of the women in their community of artisans were wearing the huipils  I admired so much! I know from experience that ethnic communities around the world can be identified by the style of clothes they wear and the textiles they make after all this is one of the reasons I started my textile tour company in the first place.  I  reached out to Cojolya and asked them if it was possible to visit their project.  

CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR ANNUAL GUATEMALA: WEAVING, EMBROIDERY & COMMUNITY TOUR

On sale, new and second-hand huipils in the typical style worn by the women of Santiago Atitlan, all abundantly decorated with different species of birds in different sizes amongst local flora.

The base fabric of the huipil is always stripped.

The sizes and details of the birds varies from artisan to artisan

I am the first to admit that I have carved out a dream life for myself. Having the means and ability to follow my textile inspirations around the world to meet and learn from the artisans who make a particular garment is one of the best and greatest privileges of my life. And that is exactly what I did. In August 2019 I left Mexico and travelled to Panajachel on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala, exactly one year after I laid eyes on and bought my bird embroidered huipil.

I took a very rickety boat trip in the rain across the lake and after I got off at the pier, (feeling seasick as a dog, I might add) I walked uphill on the main thoroughfare through the charming town. There were textile shops everywhere and many, many different interpretations of the bird embroidery on striped woven fabric. I was obviously in the right place! This was indeed, a dream come true!

At the top of the hill, I reached the offices of Cojolya Association HQ. Along with many other activities and services they actually specialise in teaching backstrap weaving to local artisans in order to preserve the ancient technique. 

The super supportive and helpful team at Cojolya informed me that although the bird embroidery is still practised by most women in the community, it is not particularly commercially viable for them to earn a living from due to the length of time that takes and the high price associated with the craftsmanship. This was to be the first embroidery workshop anyone from the association had organised. 

The central thoroughfare of the town is lined with market stalls selling fresh produce and embroidery threads.

Second-hand huipils are on sale to both locals and foreigners

A local lady shows us one of her hand-made bird embroidered huipils for sale

After stopping in a local shop to choose colours for the embroidery (I picked pink, purple, green and yellow) I was taken to the family home of Andrea, who was to be my teacher for the day. We shared coffee with her other sisters and brother and then went out to work on their balcony.

She spoke a little English, I spoke a little Spanish and we made up for the rest with Google translate. I told her the story of the huipil I found in Oaxaca and how it had led me on an embroidery expedition to Guatemala, to Lake Atitlan and now to her very own front porch. It was a very beautiful and profound moment for me, reflecting on the journey and sharing the story with Andrea, one of the actual artisans who specialise in creating this deeply feminine cultural artefact which I had fallen in love with. 

Andrea also told me the history of the bird embroidery motif, in particular, it is said to date back to when the houses of the town had thatched roofs. Women would embroider the beautiful, colourful birds who nested in the thatched beams of their homes. As a trade to the village increase, women were able to obtain books with illustrations of different birds from all over the world and thus their embroidered aviaries began to expand to incorporate the new species they learned about. 

Andrea uses my huipil as inspiration for the bird we will embroider during our workshop.

Andrea uses her book of illustrated birds to use a reference for her embroidered designs

The internet also comes in handy for seeing different species worldwide.

Andrea showed me a selection of her collection of handmade huipils, as well as a bird encyclopedia she frequently used, so we could choose the best bird design to work with. We decided on a Tangara species and Andrea drew the design directly onto the garment with a biro pen.

The artisans from this town have been drawing birds their whole lives and understand the proportions of the delicate birds features so well that they can reproduce their dimensions quickly and accurately.

The technique is certainly not easy, but not impossible. If you take your time, watch and listen carefully, you can get into the flow of the embroidery after a few hours. The style is highly detailed and because the artisans are proud and precise they want you to produce the best embroidery possible. We used long and short embroidery stitches to effectively colour in the drawing. At the time I remember feeling that during the first few hours my bird looked as sophisticated as a child’s pencil colouring, but as I built up layers, and my confidence, the bird began to become more 3D and lifelike. We used a mix of blanket stitches around the edges and added fly stitched to create the texture of the feathers on the wings.

The process is as hard as it is deeply rewarding. After five hours, I was very pleased with the final outcome. There was such a sense of achievement and also even more respect for the craftsmanship and culture that goes into every one of these embroidered huipils.

Andrea in action, threading up the needle ready to add important details

The embroidery technique uses a combination of long and short stitch embroidery to fill the central areas

On my first visit to Andrea, I didn’t have an embroidery hoop and the local women don’t use them which made the process more difficult for me at times.

My teacher Andrea has been embroidering her own huipils with birds since she was around 10 years old. The huipil I am wearing in the photo was the one I bought in Mexico which inspired me to travel to Guatemala and find the community of artisans that made it.

Birds, butterflies, flowers and leafs have long been used as inspiration for decoration on the women’s huipils and the men’s pants in Santiago Atitlan.

French knots, blanket stitches and long and short stitches are used to build the texture of the bird’s feathers.

I returned to Andrea’s house a week later to work on a second bird – this time a green and yellow parrot – which was bigger and therefore included greater detail. I felt more confident but still needed a lot of help from Andrea and together we created a beautiful bird. It was very special to be able to return to work with Andrea and to continue to learn from her: we will reconnect again when I visit her every year before the start of our annual Guatemala: Weaving, Embroidery & Community textile tour.

Falling in love with that huipil in Oaxaca, Mexico,  is absolutely what led me to discover Guatemala and the wealth of textile mastery that is still so integral to the culture. The experience was one of the most profound moments I’ve had since starting Haute Culture Textile Tours. It was a wonderful reality check to be able to appreciate how far the company has come. I feel so lucky and privileged to be able to fall in love with textile and then follow the story of its production right back to its roots. To be able to learn the technique myself directly from the community of artisans who make it part of their visual identity, and then share the experience with other textile enthusiasts, is why I’m doing what I’m doing.

Andrea and I with the finish bird design after 5 hours.

This bird embroidery with Cojolya Association is one of the many highlights on our Guatemala: Weaving, Embroidery and Community Tour.

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   Suggested further reading for Guatemala

MAKING MEMENTOS WITH PINE NEEDLES IN LAKE ATITLAN, GUATEMALA & BACKSTRAP WEAVING WORKSHOP IN GUATEMALA

Are you going to Lake Atitlan or Guatemala? Why not pin this post and save it for later?

My mission to make the beautiful bird embroidery of Guatemala with Cojolya Association Have you ever experienced textile love at first sight? I have, and the object of my desire subsequently led me on an embroidery pilgrimage through Guatemala.