SECOND EDITION
Artisan Textile Resources A GUIDE TO GLOBAL HANDMADE TEXTILES FROM THE MEMBERS OF WARP
Weave a Real Peace is a networking organization whose mission is to foster a global network of enthusiasts who value the importance of textiles to grassroots economies.
www.weavearealpeace.org
i
WARP October 2015 Welcome to WARP’s second Artisan Resource Guide, This guide will introduce you to the rich resources that Weave a Real Peace (WARP) members have to offer. Within these pages, you will find beautiful textiles to purchase—retail and wholesale—as well as individuals that offer services to grassroots economies that depend on textile production. WARP has a broad spectrum of membership including all manner of textile enthusiasts, makers, consultants, educators, fair-trade professionals; along with community-based programs, projects, and organizations stitched together by a common thread of creating a more connected textile community. If you are not a member, please join us today by visiting our website at www.weavearealpeace.org. First and foremost a networking organization, you can help WARP create a more connected textile community by sharing this resource with everyone you know. Cindy Lair Board Chair, Weave a Real Peace (WARP)
Mission To foster a global network of enthusiasts who value the importance of textiles to grassroots economies
Purpose • Exchange information • Raise awareness of the importance of textile traditions to grassroots economies • Mobilize textile enthusiasts • Create conversations that result in action
WARP’s Core Values • Textiles are an important component of the human experience. • Networking and sharing information creates an environment for constructive action. • Making connections between textile artisans worldwide promotes positive social change. • Interacting with people who have similar values enriches our lives.
WARP Committee Philis Alvic (Chair), Jackie Abrams, Liz Gipson, and Marilyn Murphy Creative and Editorial Services - Second Edition Designer, Tonia Dee Martin; Proofreader, Nancy Arndt On the cover: Mayan Hands basket weaver Caterina Barán from Chimaltenango, Guatemala
TABLE OF CONTENTS Retail
Above the Fray: Traditional Hilltribe Art.................................................................................................................... 3 Amigos de Taquile *...................................................................................................................................................... 4 Anyi, Inc.*....................................................................................................................................................................... 5 Bebali Foundation *...................................................................................................................................................... 6 Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco .................................................................................................................... 7 ClothRoads, a Global Textile Marketplace................................................................................................................ 8 Cotton Clouds, Inc. *.................................................................................................................................................... 9 Cultural Cloth *............................................................................................................................................................ 10 Endangered Threads Documentaries *................................................................................................................... 11 Fusion De Maya *........................................................................................................................................................ 12 Grupo Ecologico Teixchel (Asociacion de Artesanas de Tejidos Ecologicos) *................................................. 13 ibu ................................................................................................................................................................................. 14 Industrious Anarchy ................................................................................................................................................... 15 The Little Silk Road Shop *........................................................................................................................................ 16 Marrakesh Express *.................................................................................................................................................... 17 Mayan Hands *............................................................................................................................................................ 18 Partners for Just Trade *............................................................................................................................................. 19 Queen Amina Embroidery *...................................................................................................................................... 20 STUDIOBOOKS *.......................................................................................................................................................... 21 Threads of Life ............................................................................................................................................................ 22 Thrums Books *........................................................................................................................................................... 23 UPAVIM Crafts *........................................................................................................................................................... 24 *Wholesale Accounts Available
Above the Fray: Traditional Hilltribe Art 2141 Crest Dr. Eugene, OR 97405 (541) 485-9386 maren@hilltribeart.com www.hilltribeart.com Contact person: Maren Beck or Josh Hirschstein
Above the Fray presents handwoven, naturally dyed silk, cotton, and hemp textiles selected from independent artisans, and from village markets in the hilltribe regions of Laos and Vietnam. Developed over years of visits, our close relationships with the artists enhance our ability to represent this region’s finest traditional textile arts. In an era of rapid modernization, we recognize that these traditional artists, their hereditary art forms, and their indigenous cultures will better sustain their vitality and vibrancy if broader interest is cultivated.
Wholesale
Katyi Ya’a: Taller Colectivo de Algodón Nativo ...................................................................................................... 25 Ngurunit Basket Weavers .......................................................................................................................................... 26 PAZA ............................................................................................................................................................................. 27 Schacht Spindle Co..................................................................................................................................................... 28 Y’abal Handicrafts ...................................................................................................................................................... 29
Services
Jackie Abrams (Consultant, Designer)..................................................................................................................... 30 Philis Alvic (Consultant, Designer)........................................................................................................................... 31 Cloth Conspiracy (Consultant, Designer, Conservation/Restoration, Curator)................................................ 32 Jackie Corlett, Motif (Consultant)............................................................................................................................ 33 Carol Hayman (Tour Operator)................................................................................................................................. 34 Dr. Lin Hightower (Consultant, Designer, Curator, Tour Operator)..................................................................... 35 Janice G Knausenberger (Consultant, Designer).................................................................................................... 36 Local Cloth (Community Organization)................................................................................................................. 37 Anush Mirbegian (Consultant, Designer)............................................................................................................... 38 Noble Journeys (Consultant, Tour Operator).......................................................................................................... 39 PUCHKA Peru (Designer, Tour Operator, Internships)........................................................................................... 40 Sarah Saulson (Consultant, Designer).................................................................................................................... 41 Karen Searle (Conservation/Restoration)............................................................................................................... 42 Adrienne Sloane (Consultant).................................................................................................................................. 43 Diane de Souza Designs (Consultant, Designer, Production Dyeing)................................................................ 44 Tia Stephanie Tours, Cultural Journeys (Tour Operator)....................................................................................... 45 Traditions Mexico Cultural Journeys (Tour Operator)........................................................................................... 46 Index.............................................................................................................................................................................. 47 Note: all images are used with the organization or individual's permission. Please do not reuse without seeking permission of the owner.
Left: Maren and Josh, Above the Fray owners, with silk weavers.
Middle: A weaver in Houaphon Province, Laos, wearing her traditional shaman’s shawl.
Right: A silk weaver in Houaphon Province, Laos, showing her naturally dyed silk ikat. 3
Amigos de Taquile
Ayni, Inc.
41342 O Rd. Paonia, CO 81428
2345 Airline Dr. Raleigh, NC 27607
(970) 527-6570 tarasam@tds.net http://taquilefriends .blogspot.com Contact person: Tara Miller or Samuel Brown
We offer fine handwoven and knitted textiles from Taquile Island, Lake Titicaca, Puno, Peru, that have been fairly traded for solar supplies over a three-decade relationship. As a ceremonial family member, we are considered to be padrinos, co-parents, parents, and even grandparents within an extended family on Taquile. Our collection for sale includes wool and alpaca hats, ceremonial purse-bags, eyeglasses leashes, wrist ties, vests, and gloves. Visit our blog, email, or telephone for details on specific items.
(919) 606-9140 Hedy Hollyfield or (703) 768-7174 Barbara Wolff ayni_usa@yahoo.com www.ayni-usa.org
Ayni aims to preserve cultural heritage in Peru and to promote social welfare in Andean communities through sponsorship of cultural programs by selling Peruvian art and crafts. A small not-for-profit organization founded in 2006 by Hedy Hollyfield, Kathlyn Avila, and Barbara Wolff, Ayni helps to keep Ayacucho’s fiber traditions alive. Your purchase of Peruvian crafts and textiles supports cultural preservation projects in Ayacucho, Peru, as well as the communities that spin, dye, and weave the fiber.
Contact person: Hedy Hollyfield or Barbara Wolff
Wholesale Accounts Available
Wholesale Accounts Available
A family from Taquile Island poses with Tara Miller and Samuel Brown with their new solar panel. 4
Top: Handwoven eyeglasses leashes with traditional double warp patterns. Bottom: Finely knit earflap hats in various sizes.
Tapestry “Inca Terraces.”
Top: Tapestry “Fish Weaving.” Bottom: Gift card detail. 5
Bebali Foundation
Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco
Kubu Roda, Jalan Bisma 3, Ubud, Bali 80571, Indonesia
Avenida Sol 603 Cusco, Peru
+62-361-976581 William@ypbb.org www.bebali.org www.plantmordant.org Contact person: William Ingram
The Bebali Foundation works with indigenous weavers in remote, underdeveloped villages across Indonesia, to incubate community businesses, responsibly manage natural-dye resources, and nurture traditional culture. The foundation’s Plant Mordant Project offers natural dyers worldwide a unique opportunity to make reliable colors exclusively from plants by sourcing powdered leaf from the Symplocos trees as an alum substitute. It is currently developing community-based, sustainable production of indigo, Morinda red, and Ceriops brown dyes for export markets.
Wholesale Accounts Available
Indonesian traditional weaving uses Symplocos as a red dye mordant. 6
Top: Livelihoods for Sympolocos collectors encourages conservation of threatened Indonesian forests. Bottom: Symplocos collectors sorting leaves in Flores, Indonesia.
51-84-228-117 cttc@terra.com.pe www.textilescusco.org Contact person: Nilda CallaĂąaupa Alvarez
The Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco (CTTC) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1996, when the textile traditions in the Cusco region of the Andes were in danger of disappearing. Currently working with over 450 weavers in ten communities, we manage traveling exhibits, a museum, retail stores, teaching and training centers, and provide ongoing support to our community members. Our objectives are to revive and continue the cultural heritage of textile creation, educate people to its tradition, and stimulate the production of traditionalbased textiles. Tours are offered through Andean Textile Arts (andeantextilearts.org). Our products are available in the United States through www.clothroads.com.
A Chinchero elder wearing her manta and spinning indigo-dyed wool.
A handwoven tote bag using naturally dyed yarns in the central pattern. 7
ClothRoads, a Global Textile Marketplace
Cotton Clouds, Inc.
306 N. Washington Loveland, CO 80537
5176 S. 14th Ave. Safford, AZ 85546
(970) 685-4964 info@clothroads.com www.clothroads.com Contact person: Marilyn Murphy
ClothRoads is your gateway to a world of authentic textile culture. Here you’ll find folk textiles, accessories, fabric, and fiber materials from many corners of the globe, along with stories of indigenous artisans and ancient techniques used in both traditional and modern ways. From the rivers of India to the mountaintops of Peru, we go directly to the source to bring you the work of skilled artisans who are dyeing, weaving, spinning, printing, and embroidering some of the world’s most beautiful objects. When you purchase from ClothRoads, you help us build and develop new markets that allow artisans and communities— especially women and girls—to flourish.
Naturally dyed and handwoven bags and scarves from the artisans of the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco. 8
Top: Handwoven and naturally dyed silk scarves and shawls from Lao artisans. Bottom: Your indigo resource for dyes, fabrics, products, and videos.
(800) 322-7888 info@cottonclouds.com www.cottonclouds.com Contact person: Irene Schmoller Wholesale Accounts Available
Dyed cotton fiber.
Cotton Clouds proudly offers Mayan Hands products and Tintes Naturales Friendship Towel Kit. Read more about this collaboration on the Tines Naturales blog www .naturaldyeproject.wordpress.com. We supply quality cotton and cotton-blend, rayon chenille, bamboo, linen, and blended cellulose yarns, on cones and skeins. Exclusively designed kits are available for weaving towels, scarves, throws, and home décor. We offer a wide selection of cotton fibers—Pima and Acala ginned cotton, Easy-to-Spin® Acala, Pima, Brown and Green slivers as well as punis, hand-dyed sliver and our educational, “All About Spinning Cotton” kit, Handspinning Cotton, and how-to DVDs.
Top: Handwoven towel. Bottom: Yarns for weaving. 9
Cultural Cloth W3560 State Rd. 35 Maiden Rock, WI 54750 (715) 607-1238 info@culturalcloth.com www.culturalcloth.com Contact Person: Mary Anne Wise Wholesale Accounts Available
A bed "in situ" in our retail shop, Maiden Rock, Wisconsin. 10
Endangered Threads Documentaries Cultural Cloth collaborates primarily with women throughout the developing world to produce exquisite home textiles and personal accessories. Our colorful retail shop is filled with gorgeous textiles. The shop is a test kitchen where we cook up products that have a sustainable chain of production. Products that test well become eligible for wholesale production targeted to a select group of nationwide retailers. As lifelong textile artists, we understand the demands of our market and are available for consultation on product feedback, design, and development. We offer tours to Guatemala to "buddy up" with the Mayan women whom we’ve taught to hook rugs and successfully shepherded them through the Folk Art Market application process.
Global textiles on display.
1530 Tuolumne St. Vallejo, CA 94590
A 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit focusing on filming Maya weaving and textiles in Guatemala and southern Mexico. Endangered Threads Documentaries (ETD) (707) 643-7765 DVDs document the history and practices of Maya kathleen@endangeredthreads.org weavers, with intimate views of their lives and art form. These documentaries will be of interest to staff and www.endangeredthreads.org public audiences of museum exhibitions, anthropology teachers and students, fiber artists and weavers, textile Contact person: enthusiasts, and travelers. ETD documentaries are used Kathleen Vitale to educate Maya children on the colorful and creative history of weaving in their own culture. Spanish Wholesale Accounts Available and English soundtracks are included on most ETD productions. Customized video loops for museums exhibiting Maya textiles are available.
Endangered Threads Documentaries.
Top: Laura Jacqueline Gomez Ramirez, 12, shows off her parrot Lorenzo. Bottom: ETD documentaries highlight Maya weavers and their weaving. 11
Fusion De Maya: Marjorie Durko Puryear, HANDWOVENS July 1- Oct 31: PO Box 421 Montrose, AL 36559 Nov 1- June 30: 20 Bay View Ave. South Dartmouth, MA 02748 (917) 566-4211 mpuryear@umassd.edu mardurpur.blogspot.com Contact person: Marjorie Durko Puryear Wholesale Accounts Available
Five bamboo chenille scarves.
12
As a textile artist, product designer, and collector of indigenous textiles, I focus on fine craftsmanship and indigenous textile traditions. I am owner, designer, and colorist for Fusion de Maya that specializes in one-of-a-kind scarves, shawls, and decorative pillows using various cottons, silk, linen, and bamboo, and chenille threads. The products are skillfully woven by indigenous weavers on traditional backstrap looms who belong to two weaving cooperatives in the highlands of Guatemala—Asociación Maya de Desarrollo and Fundación Tradiciones Mayas. Because of my association with these two fair-wage textile cooperatives, Mayan weavers are provided income opportunities while sustaining traditional practices.
Top: Silk, Tencel, and bamboo scarves and shawls. Bottom: Raw silk and cotton shawl.
Grupo Ecologico Teixchel (Asociacion de Artesanas de Tejidos Ecologicos) Canton Chuacante San Pedro la Laguna Solola, Guatemala 011 (502) 5641 9451 or 5932 0000 teixchel@gmail.com Contact person: Berta Angela Navichoc Cotuc (Spanish only) Barbara Ancheta (English)
Teixchel is a cooperative of weavers made up of mainly widows or single mothers. Most of the women weave at home on backstrap looms. They make scarves, shawls, many styles of bags, backpacks, cushion covers, placemats, table runners, change purses, baskets, and traditional cloths for wrapping goods and food. New designs are always appearing. Products are made with either plant-based dye from materials harvested locally or purchased yarn with ecologically sound dyes. Backstrap weaving and natural-dye instruction can be arranged, and we accept special orders.
Wholesale Accounts Available
Bags hanging at the cooperative store in Guatemala.
Choose from a wide variety of scarves, shawls, and bags. 13
ibu 183 King St. Charleston, SC 29401 (843) 647-8031 susan@ibumovement.com www.ibumovement.com Contact person: Susan Hull Walker
Industrious Anarchy Ibu is a collection of luxurious women's garments and home dĂŠcor handcrafted by global women artisans. It is offered both online at ibumovement.com and at the ibu Showroom at 183 King Street in Charleston, South Carolina. Susan Hull Walker, a weaver and former minister, along with ibu's in-house seamstress and design team, collaborate with artisan groups in Chiapas, Madagascar, India, Laos, Thailand, Uzbekistan, and beyond to create kantha swing vests, dusters, boleros, hand-felted cocoon wraps, ikat jackets, handwoven tote bags, and smoking Jackets from vintage silk. Many bolsters, cushions, headboards, benches, and throws will also be available.
Chiapas Chic, handwoven cotton ruanna.
14
Top: Striped wild silk ruanna from Madagascar. Bottom: Hand-felted silk burlap Cocoon Wrap by U.S. artisan Kathryn Roth.
1157 S. Taylor Ave. Oak Park, IL 60304 (708) 203-6843 industriousanarchy@mail.com www.industriousanarchy.com Contact person: Maggie Leininger
Naturally dyed handspun yarns.
Industrious Anarchy is a social-conscious enterprise promoting eco-friendly production of textiles via an online marketplace, on-site workshops, and collaborations with farmers and producers of textile goods. Products for sale include handspun yarns, naturally dyed goods, handwoven and knitted wearables, and much more. Collaborations include working with the Fibershed, Illinois Humanities Council, Urban Threads, and other entities that support culturally and environmentally informed production of objects.
Handspun handwoven churro wool and cotton throw.
Handspun handwoven naturally dyed silk and linen cloth. 15
The Little Silk Road Shop
Marrakesh Express
N. Husainov #1 Bukhara 200118, Uzbekistan
791 College Ave. #2 Haverford, PA 19041
The Little Silk Road Shop has strong ties in Central Asia gained by establishing reliable contacts with officials and cooperating closely with artisans, craft persons, 009 (989) 362 49454 workshops, and manufacturers. Our collaborative team littlesilkroadshop@gmail.com is producing masterpieces that combine the modern style with the cultural traditions. We provide work and www.facebook.com/ a sense of pride for the women who make these textiles. littlesilkroadshop Using traditional designs and motifs, natural dyes, and fabrics and upcycling, we meet the demands of modern Contact person: lifestyles in a way that keeps ancient traditions alive. Azizbek Gulyamov Wholesale Accounts Available
Artisans at work on Suzani textiles.
16
Beautify people’s lives and homes with beautiful embroideries.
(610) 649-7717 sdavis@uslink.net www.marrakeshexpress.org Contact person: Susan Schaefer Davis Wholesale Accounts Available
Rug woven in N'kob, Morocco.
Giving Moroccan women access to a world market by selling their weaving online, thereby retaining more profit as they bypass the middleman, is my focus. On my website, you can “meet” and buy directly from Moroccan weavers in the nonprofit section, Women Weavers OnLine. The rugs are handwoven wool and usually oneof-a-kind; some women can also weave to order. I lead cultural tours where we visit some of the weavers, as well as meet other Moroccans in their homes. When I am in Morocco in the spring, I can shop for a Moroccan rug in the style, colors, and size you would like.
Top: Pillow woven in Ben Smim. Bottom: Buying a rug at an artisan's home during a tour. 17
Mayan Hands 9607 Dr. Perry Rd. Suite 114 Ijamsville, MD 21754 (518) 729-1900 info@mayanhands.org www.mayanhands.org Contact person: Anne Kelly
Partners for Just Trade The mission of Mayan Hands, a nonprofit, fair-trade organization, is to empower Guatemalan Mayan women artisans in their quest to bring their families out of extreme poverty while maintaining the culture they cherish. The Mayan Hands artisan partners create highquality handmade textile and artisan products that include scarves; handbags and other accessories; home décor such as table runners, placemats and napkins; pine-needle baskets; felted-wool animals; friendship bracelets; Judaica products; Christmas and other holiday gifts.
Wholesale Accounts Available
A magnificent pine-needle basket.
18
A Mayan Hands basket weaver at work.
2236 Tower Grove Ave. St. Louis, MO 63110
Partners for Just Trade (PJT) is a fair-trade, nonprofit organization that builds partnerships between artisans in need and consumers in the United States. PJT (314) 707-2831 addresses the root causes of poverty through fair-trade pjt@PartnersforJustTrade.org sales, education, solidarity, and a commitment to trade justice. We work primarily in Peru and import knit stuffed www.partnersforjusttrade.org animals, alpaca hats and scarves, Chulucanas pottery, nativities and ornaments, and more. We also have Contact person: screen-printed bags and wallets and handwoven scarves Cheryl Musch from Cambodia; metal art and papier-mâché from Haiti; and scarves from Egypt. PJT is a member of the Fair Trade Wholesale Accounts Available Federation.
Stuffed animals are hand knit in remote Huancavalica, Peru.
A Peruvian knitter from the artisan group El Mercurio. 19
Queen Amina Embroidery
STUDIOBOOKS
c/o Ya’u Tanimu, Dept. of Teacher Education, Institute of Education Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Kaduna State, NIGERIA
7 Hickory Ln. Hilton Head, SC 29928
011-234-80-3932-8035 hassanayusuf73@gmail.com Contact person: Hassana Yusuf, Manager
The Hausa people of northern Nigeria are renowned for embroidery of voluminous robes known as babban riga. In Zaria City, robe embroidery was primarily done by men until the 1970s, when women began to take up the hand-embroidery work. In 1994, several excellent women embroiderers, who were interested in embroidering smaller pieces using robe designs, such as pillows, pouches, and placemats, came together to form the group, Queen Amina Embroidery, managed by Hassana Yusuf.
Wholesale Accounts Available
Embroidered pouches for computers, smartphones, and small items. 20
(843) 785-8383 kellym13@juno.com www.studiobooks .homestead.com Contact person: Mary B. Kelly Wholesale Accounts Available
Top Right: Embroidered placemats with variations of the Northern knot pattern. Bottom Right: Embroidered pillows in Northern knot and “come and see” patterns used in men’s robes.
STUDIOBOOKS is a publishing company and bookseller, founded in 1990. The items published are directly related to my textile research. In 1980, I began a yearlong project in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. I lecture for textile tours, sponsored by the Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., and the Vesterheim Norwegian American Museum, Iowa. I have published Goddess Embroideries of Eastern Europe, Goddess Embroideries of the Balkan Lands and Greek Islands, and Goddess Embroideries of the Northlands (a trilogy of textile symbols) and in 2012, Goddess Women Cloth. I offer charted grids for embroidery from various countries including Norway.
21
Threads of Life Kubu Roda, Jalan Bisma 3, Ubud, Bali 80571, Indonesia +62-361-976581 William@threadsoflife.com www.threadsoflife.com Contact person: William Ingram
Left: Representing weavers’ heirloom-quality master works. 22
Thrums Books Threads of Life is a fair-trade gallery in Ubud, Indonesia, that works directly with over a thousand weavers on twelve islands across Indonesia. Through its work, rural poverty is alleviated utilizing culture and forest conservation. The heirloom-quality textiles and baskets Threads of Life commissions are made with local materials and natural dyes. With the proceeds from sales, Threads of Life helps weavers form independent cooperatives and manage their resources sustainably.
306 N. Washington Loveland, CO 80537 (970) 685-4964 linda@ligon.org www.thrumsbooks.com Contact person: Linda Ligon
Thrums Books is a world of textiles in books and other media. Which do we love more: traditional publishing or traditional textiles? It’s a draw. Tangible books —well made, made to last, beautiful photos, thoughtful page design, deep content—we love making them. Handmade cloth—expressions of people and cultures and the timeless touch of human hands—that’s what our books are about. Thrums Books are available through our sister company, www.clothroads.com.
Wholesale Accounts Available
Center: Working directly with weavers on twelve Indonesian islands. Right: Supporting the development of weavers’ cooperatives.
23
Katyi Ya’a: Taller Colectivo de Algodón Nativo
UPAVIM Crafts 9607 Dr. Perry Rd. Suite #114 Ijamsville, MD 21754 (301) 515-5911 mary@upavim.org www.upavimcrafts.org Contact person: Mary Joan Ferrara-Marsland
UPAVIM Crafts is a fair-trade business that is a part of UPAVIM, a cooperative of about eighty women who live in an impoverished community on the outskirts of Guatemala City. For over twenty-five years, their goal has been to improve the quality of their lives and community through education, job creation, health, and nutrition. They produce an array of colorful products made from handwoven fabric including kitchen items, jewelry, fashion accessories, bags, recycled gifts, holiday décor, and toys and gifts for babies, children, and pets. All profits go to funding their alternative school.
Calle Independencia s/n San Juan Colorado Oaxaca, Mexico 951 219 3111 or (530) 419-5191 USA
mdmacsems@gmail.com Contact person: Margaret MacSems
Wholesale Accounts
Katyi Ya’a is a young, multi-generational organization run collectively in the indigenous Mixteco village on the coast of Oaxaca. Our name means brown cotton, and we spin and weave native, locally grown, organic natural brown and white cotton. While cotton and textile production is centuries old, a democratic women’s textile collective is something new. Katyi Ya’a produces highquality backstrap loom–woven textiles that include shawls, scarves, pillow covers, table runners, placemats, napkins, and shoulder bags. Besides taking custom orders, we sell drop-spindle and wheel-spun thread in three different weights.
Available
Holiday oven mitts and pads.
24
Top: Ingrid and her sister with the pop-up bunny. Bottom Left: Recycled corte, man’s necktie. Bottom Right: Gnome ornament.
Backstrap loom–woven pillow covers.
Center: Natural cotton drop-spindle handspun thread. Right: Backstrap loom–woven Kuyuchi shawl. 25
Ngurunit Basket Weavers
PAZA
PO Box 352 Maralal 20600, Kenya
Casilla 837 Cochabamba, Bolivia, South America
254 (721) 565383 llemunyete@gmail.com Contact person: Laura Lemunyete
The Ngurunit Basket Weavers is a cooperative based in the Ngurunit Community of Samburu County in northern Kenya. Their baskets are sold under the label of Nomadic Baskets. The product line is based on the traditional style of the Rendille camel-milking basket, which was a dying craft before the women of Ngurunit banded together to preserve it. Now, the traditional weave using doum palm and wild sisal with bead and shell decorations is used to weave many different usable designs and sizes. These beautiful baskets are perfect for use in home and office or as a special gift.
A meeting of the members of the Ngurunit Basket Weavers.
26
Top: A basket weaver at work. Bottom: Nomadic Basket’s product line is based on traditional camelmilking baskets.
(591) 727-62665 dkdutcher@hotmail.com www.pazabolivia.org Contact person: Dorinda Dutcher
PAZA is the volunteer work of Dorinda Dutcher and supporters who help Andean weavers preserve their weaving heritage and care for their families with the sales of their craft. The program in Bolivia includes the Club de Artesanas in Independencia, natural-dye workshops, product design and development, and a volunteer program. The traditional line of products includes ch´uspas (shoulder bags), incuñas, and tapa bancas (lengths of woven cloth). New designs include various styles of cosmetic bags, guitar straps, yoga mat straps, and belts. Production is limited because of the lengthy handcrafted process from sheep to weaving.
The weavers and the work of PAZA.
27
Schacht Spindle Co.
Y’abal Handicrafts
6101 Ben Pl. Boulder, CO 80301
7 Calle 13-29 Zona 1, Quetzaltenango, Guatemala
Schacht is experienced with shipping to foreign countries and working with weaving and spinning projects worldwide. Established in 1969, Schacht is a full-service (303) 442-3212 weaving and spinning supplier. Manufacturer of the judyp@schachtspindle.com award-winning Cricket Loom, innovative folding travel Sidekick Spinning Wheel, Ultra Umbrella Swift, and www.schachtspindle.com the new Zoom Loom—4/4 pin loom. Other popular products: the Flip rigid-heddle loom, Ladybug and Contact person: Matchless spinning wheels, Wolf Pup, Baby and Mighty Judy Pagels Wolf Looms, Standard Floor Looms—as well as all of the accessories to go with them. Other products include the Cranbrook Countermarche Loom and the Schacht Reeves Spinning wheel.
Baby Wolf folding floor loom. 28
Cricket rigid-heddle loom.
Ladybug spinning wheel.
00 (502) 5326-84784 info@yabal-handicrafts.com www.yabal-handicrafts.com Contact person: Allison Havens
Circo Campas Bag.
Y’abal Handicrafts is a Guatemalan, fair-trade business that supports two women’s cooperatives of indigenous backstrap weavers through the sale of our textiles and embroideries. We also provide micro-credits, job-training programs, and maternity leave for the women weavers. As Y’abal weavers, we are proud of our quality craftsmanship and contemporary design in our collections for men and women that includes bags, purses, scarves, and home accessories.
Top: Cooperative of weavers from Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. Bottom: Calado Scarf. 29
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER
Philis Alvic
Jackie Abrams 110 Arbor Hill Commons #24 Brattleboro, VT 05301 (802) 257-2688 jackieabramsvt@gmail.com www.jackieabrams.com Contact person: Jackie Abrams
I am interested in helping to develop small craft industries within communities in need. The technical assistance I offer may include teaching, producing goods, and marketing. I teach both crocheting and basketry techniques and often work with recycled materials—discarded plastic bags and old clothes. I have had experience working with women in both Ghana and Uganda.
2815 Phoenix Rd. Lexington, KY 40503 (859) 276-0356, (859) 227-2137 (cell) philis@philisalvic.info www.philisalvic.info
I can help you evaluate your products for the market in the United States and design items using local skills and materials. Working together we can develop a marketing plan that includes expansion while involving everyone in the business success. As a short-term consultant in Peru, Morocco, Nepal, India, Armenia, South Africa, Namibia, Kenya, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Madagascar, Tanzania, and Sri Lanka, I bring the understanding of forty years' weavingand craft-organizing experience. Researching early Appalachian weaving centers for Weavers of the Southern Highlands, University Press of Kentucky, 2003, impressed on me the similarities with crafts production in emerging international countries.
Angels from Africa
Coiled baskets of plastic bags.
30
Top: Jackie in Ghana with KamiAmi women. Bottom: KamiAmi wallets crocheted from plastic bags.
Philis Alvic in Sri Lanka with members of Pung Craft, a cooperative that makes baskets from Cattail (Typha) stems and leaves.
“Angles from Africa” – small dolls or ornaments designed for the Episcopal Diocese of Kagera from materials available in northwestern Tanzania. 31
CONSULTANT
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER, CONSERVATION/RESTORATION, CURATOR
Cloth Conspiracy 2810 Wilderness Pl. Boulder, CO 80301 (480) 280-2185 newland.judy@gmail.com www.clothconspiracy.com
Ancient Peruvian Fragment.
32
Jackie Corlett, Motif For sixteen years, I lived a museum life. I am available for museum consultation on any issue, but specialize in exhibit design and development and curating textile exhibitions. I am a textile historian with expertise in Southwestern textiles and archaeological textiles, particularly ancient Andean cloth. I have experience in textile preservation, conservation, and archival storage of materials. I teach weaving, spinning, and natural dyeing and love sharing the joy of sustainable ecodyeing. My Esty shop, judyblues dyelab, donates 5% of all profits from eco-dyed fabrics to WARP.
Top: Textile collage, eco-dyed with lavender. Bottom: Detail of eco-dyed fabric.
201 E Church St. Royal, IL 61871 (217) 552-0537 motif@motifltd.com www.motifltd.com Contact person: Jackie Corlett
Left: Motif Smiles 1— Motif Team, Bangladesh.
Working with artisan groups having growing pains is my best fit. Since 1989, I have lived and worked with artisans, providing a healthy training ground. I co-founded Motif, a fair-trade accessories business in Bangladesh in 1998. Consultancy and training, that I deliver on a myriad of growth issues, are from firsthand experience. Although I’m a designer, all the logistics of running a business must work as well. When it does, artisans grow from being solely producers to professional suppliers.
Center: Design Workshop, Cambodia. Right: Clear Communication Workshop, Bangladesh. 33
TOUR OPERATOR
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER, CURATOR, TOUR OPERATOR
Carol Hayman 1001 Eason St. Austin, TX 78703 (512) 477-3099 chayman@austincc.edu http://carolhaymanphotos .weebly.com/peru.html
Dr. Lin Hightower, Art Professor, Kennesaw State University During a Peruvian Reality and Craft Tour you will spend a few days in Lima visiting museums and craftspeople. Then fly to the lovely mountain town of Ayacucho to visit with artisan families including Hojalateria Araujo, the award-winning family workshop famous for tin candleholders, crosses, mirror frames, and ornaments made out of new and recycled tin; Professor Agripino Huaman Palomino, maker of delicate silver and gold filigree jewelry; and the weavers of the Santa Ana barrio to watch them dye and weave. The hospitable artisans invite you into their homes so you can see how they live.
Professor Agripino Huaman Palomino, a silver filigree jeweler from Ayacucho at work. 34
A member of the Hojalateria Araujo tinware artisan workshop.
(470) 678-6239 lhightow@kennesaw.edu www.linhightower.com Contact person: Lin Hightower
I am a professor at Kennesaw State University in Atlanta with an MFA in Fibers and doctorate in Art Education. I have served as an artist and art product designer for low-income artisans in Turkey, Nepal, India, Thailand, Egypt, Morocco, and Peru. My product designs expanded artisans’ sales markets while preserving their indigenous art techniques and cultural heritage. I have received three Fulbrights for work in this area. I have designed and taught courses at universities abroad to expand my work and make it sustainable.
Hightower designs for the Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco Artisans, Peru.
Top: Bags designed using Thai Mudmee fabric for Mahasakham Un. Bottom: RINAC Textile Museum, Thai Mahasakham Un exhibit. 35
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
Janice G Knausenberger
Local Cloth
3336 Memphis Ln. Bowie, MD 20715
3 High Bluff Dr. Weaverville, NC 28787
(301) 805-0959 Janice@jgkdesigns.com www.jgkdesigns.com
For over twenty-five years, I have served as an international consultant specializing in weaving and other fiber arts, production efficiency, and design. I have lived and consulted in the Caribbean, Africa, and the United States, and I have experience working with people from diverse backgrounds, ages, and skill levels. Skilled in translating customer’s stated and unstated expectations into handwoven articles, I know how to translate vision into art inspiration.
Janice and Kenya weavers in Njabini experimenting with new designs with naturally dyed handspun wool. 36
Top: Njabini Woolcrafters in Kenya, with products made during a workshop. Bottom: Working with weavers in Nairobi, Kenya.
(828) 407-0678 chairman@localcloth.org www.localcloth.org Judi Jetson, Chairman
Local Cloth began in 2011 when founder, Judi Jetson, then an employee of HandMade in America, imagined a new way to grow the craft economy employing the economic development strategies traditionally used in developing countries of import substitution and adding value. If we love local food, why not local fiber? Our mission is to support and sustain the regional fiber and textile arts economy and professions through collaboration, education, and innovation. We aim to grow the fiber economy in the southern Appalachian region, focusing on craft artists, fiber animal farmers, and small-scale fiber mills and processing businesses.
The western North Carolina region has more than 400 fiber art professionals, a higher number, per capita, than anyplace else in the United States. Artist Barbara Zaretsky produces garments made from hand-dyed silk stamped using natural colorants.
Top: Local farmer Bryan Orr, Vice Chairman of Local Cloth, raises a small flock of 100 Shetland sheep. Bottom: A weaver at work.
37
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER
CONSULTANT, TOUR OPERATOR
Anush Mirbegian 231 Jackson St. Apt. 2 Brooklyn, NY 11211 (315) 783-8045 anushmirbegian@mac.com www.anushmirbegian .tumblr.com
Joan Noble/Noble Journeys With ten years of experience working independently in the contemporary and high-end fashion industry, I provide design and creative services including product development, market research, graphic and marketing support, styling and presentation ideas, and collaborative projects. To date, I have worked with artisan business including Zardozi, Dot2Knot, and Saleh Fine Silk in Pakistan and Afghanistan, Loom to Luxury in India, and Caritas in Armenia. Wearable textiles, fashion and clothing, and accessories are the focus of my work. I'm looking to work with artisans interested in applying their techniques to a contemporary fashion product and market.
Anush Mirbegin (center) in India.
38
5435 E. Placita Del Mesquite Tucson, AZ 85712 (800) 566-9228 or (520) 319-1929 joan@noblejourneys.com www.noblejourneys.com Contact person: Joan Noble
We offer creative, enlightening, and delicious journeys to Morocco, Peru, Italy, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Mongolia, and more. Meet artisans in their homes and villages, shop in local markets, and dine in private homes as well as local restaurants. Stay in charming small hotels typical of each locale. Great guides, excellent private transportation, unique activities thanks to longtime friendships with local people eager to welcome us and share their daily lives and culture. Hands-on workshops can be arranged and programs customized to your specific wishes. We specialize in working with small groups and individuals.
Sunrise in the Sahara.
39
DESIGNER, TOUR OPERATOR, INTERNSHIPS
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER
PUCHKA Peru Urb. Brisas de Santa Rosa Mz. I, Lt. 17III Etapa, San Martin de Porres Lima 31, Peru Canadian address: 2645 Mt Stephen Ave. Victoria, BC V8T 3L5 51 (991) 368-938 giancarlo@puchkaperu.com or sasha@puchkaperu.com http://puchkaperu.com Contact person: Giancarlo Soldi or Sasha McInnes
Sarah Saulson We are a small service company built upon fair/ ethical-trade ideals. Our purpose is to share some of the extraordinary, fascinating, and magical history, sites, textiles, folk art, and traditions of Peru via tours: Twenty-two days in enchanting Peru with nine days of workshops visiting Lima, Arequipa, Colca Canyon, Cusco, Machu Picchu, and much more or twelve-day tour to Ayacucho/Huamanga to see the WARI/Huari archaeological sites; visit villages, markets, museums, and workshops of many textile/folk artists. Internships with Living National Treasure and master weaver Maximo Laura and other Indigenous Peruvian textile and folk artists available.
In the PUCHKA Tapestry Studio in Arequipa. Maestro Laurade (left) demystifying the process and preparing his group of students to dive in. 40
Top: Maestro Marcial (center) holding his lovely Tablah de Sarhua painting. Bottom: Sra. Leonora Condori (teaching a Puchka (drop spindle) workshop.
105 Crawford Ave. Syracuse, NY 13224 (315) 449-9423 sfsaulson@twcny.rr.com www.sarahsaulson.com
I am a full-time professional weaver, designer, dyer, and teacher for nearly 30 years. I have a background in anthropology and in-depth knowledge of the technical side of weaving and yarns, color, and textile design. A faculty member at Syracuse University, I am available to provide design and weaving support and consultation to producer groups.
Two generations of weavers in Maheshwar, India, at the Handweaving School.
Sarah and a weaver in Northern Ghana create twisted fringe. 41
CONSERVATION/RESTORATION
CONSULTANT
Karen Searle 2108 Randoph Ave. Saint Paul, MN 55105
Adrienne Sloane Repair and restoration of precious heirloom textiles: specializing in knit, crochet, lace, beaded bags.
31 Barnard Ave. Watertown, MA 02472
(651) 338-1698
(617) 926-1914
ksearleart@gmail.com
aonels@yahoo.com
www.karensearle.com
www.adriennesloane.com
I am a practicing fiber artist with many years of both hand- and machine-knitting experience. My degree in anthropology has helped inform a strong interest in working with knitters internationally to strengthen their abilities so that they can sell their knit goods at fair-labor prices. I have taught sculptural fiber overseas and worked with indigenous knitters in Peru and Bolivia. I would welcome the opportunity do such work again.
Images from Andrea’s time in Peru.
42
43
CONSULTANT, DESIGNER, PRODUCTION DYEING
Diane de Souza Designs
Tia Stephanie Tours, Cultural Journeys
PO Box 2051 El Prado, NM 87529
1260 Patricia Ave. Ann Arbor, MI 48103
(575) 770-2572 dyeingtoweave@gmail.com http://dyeing2weave .wordpress.com
Naturally-dyed color wheel.
44
TOUR OPERATOR
My primary expertise is in dyeing natural fibers in enviornmentally sound methods useing natural-dye extracts. Services include instruction, consultation on methods, costs, processes, and viability and dyeing of natural fibers. I also have considerable experience in natural-fiber manufacturing and construction techniques including weaving, spinning, and knitting.
(734) 769-7839 info@tiastephanietours.com www.tiastephanietours.com Contact person: Stephanie Schneiderman
Top: Indigo pot. Bottom: Woven shibori.
Left: Gauze and brocade weave on backstrap loom: Amuzgo community, Xochistlahuaca, Guerrero.
We design and operate textile art and cultural journeys to Mexico, parts of Colombia, and Panama. Our tours focus on natural dyeing and ikat dye resist, and the weaving techniques woven on backstrap and pedal looms, such as brocade, gauze, and tapestry. We explore textiles and dress as ethnographic expression that forms an essential part of the cultural landscape of the country. Our tours explore the coast and isthmus of Oaxaca, La Chinantla, Oaxaca, the Sierra Norte and Valley of Tehuacan, Puebla, and the Maya highlands of Chiapas. We also offer a unique program on the Mexican Rebozo: Ikat Techniques and Traditions.
Center: Evaristo Borboa, master ikat dyer and weaver of the Mexican Rebozo de "jaspe" (ikat), Tenancingo, State of Mexico. Right: "Caracol purpura pansa" purple dye tradition of the Mixteco community, Pinotepa de Don Luis, Coast of Oaxaca.
45
INDEX TOUR OPERATOR
Retail
Traditions Mexico Cultural Journeys 117 Garfield #7 Ashland, Or 97520 (541) 646-0496 traditionsmexico@yahoo.com www.traditionsmexico.com
Traditions Mexico has been creating pioneering cultural tours focused on indigenous textiles and lifeways in southern Mexico since 1996. Our tours introduce you to the people and places of another land, another way, and another pace. We take you across the cultural gap by creating encounters around common interests such as weaving, pottery, or food creation. In this way, we share and participate, creating dynamic encounters and breaking down barriers. Our knowledgeable guides take travelers to places of rich, ancient, and little-known traditions to meet the last of the Mixtec shell dyers, Zapotec silk producers, backstrap weavers, and cotton spinners.
Above the Fray................................... 3 Amigos de Taquile ............................ 4 Ayni, Inc.............................................. 5 Bebali Foundation ............................ 6 Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.............................................. 7 ClothRoads......................................... 8 Cotton Clouds, Inc............................ 9 Cultural Cloth................................... 10 Endangered Threads Documentaries................................ 11 Fusion De Maya............................... 12 Grupo Ecologico Teixchel............... 13 ibu...................................................... 14 Industrious Anarchy........................ 15 The Little Silk Road Shop............... 16 Marrakesh Express.......................... 17 Mayan Hands................................... 18 Partners for Just Trade.................... 19 Queen Amina Embroidery............. 20 STUDIOBOOKS................................. 21 Threads of Life................................. 22 Thrums Books.................................. 23 UPAVIM Crafts.................................. 24
Wholesale
Spinning cotton on tour in San Juan Colorado, Mexico.
46
Top: Embroidery on velvet in Santa Rosa de Lima, Mexico. Bottom: Backstrap weaving natural brown cotton in Huazolotitlan, Mexico.
Amigos de Taquile............................. 4 Ayni, Inc.............................................. 5 Bebali Foundation ............................ 6 Cotton Clouds, Inc............................ 9 Cultural Cloth................................... 10 Endangered Threads Documentaries................................ 11 Fusion De Maya............................... 12 Grupo Ecologico Teixchel............... 13 Katyi Ya’a.......................................... 25 The Little Silk Road Shop............... 16 Marrakesh Express.......................... 17 Mayan Hands................................... 18 Ngurunit Basket Weavers............... 26
Partners for Just Trade.................... 19 PAZA.................................................. 27 Queen Amina Embroidery............. 20 Schacht Spindle Co......................... 28 STUDIOBOOKS................................. 21 Thrums Books.................................. 23 UPAVIM Crafts.................................. 24 Y’abal Handicrafts........................... 29
Community Organization Local Cloth....................................... 37
Conservation/ Restoration Cloth Conspiracy............................. 32 Karen Searle..................................... 42
Philis Alvic........................................ 31 Cloth Conspiracy............................. 32 Cultural Cloth................................... 10 Dr. Lin Hightower............................. 35 Diane de Souza Designs................. 44 Fusion De Maya............................... 12 Janice G Knausenberger.................. 36 Anush Mirbegian............................. 38 PUCHKA Peru.................................... 40 Sarah Saulson.................................. 41
Internships Center for Traditional Textiles of Cusco.............................................. 7 PUCHKA Peru.................................... 40
Personal Shopping Marrakesh Express.......................... 17
Consultant
Production Dyeing
Jackie Abrams.................................. 30 Philis Alvic........................................ 31 Cloth Conspiracy............................. 32 Jackie Corlett, Motif........................ 33 Cultural Cloth................................... 10 Dr. Lin Hightower............................. 35 Local Cloth....................................... 37 Janice G Knausenberger.................. 36 Marrakesh Express.......................... 17 Anush Mirbegian............................. 38 Noble Journeys................................. 39 Sarah Saulson.................................. 41 Adrienne Sloane.............................. 43 Diane de Souza Designs................. 44
Diane de Souza Designs................. 44
Curator Cloth Conspiracy............................. 32 Dr. Lin Hightower............................. 35
Tours Cultural Cloth................................... 10 Mayan Hands................................... 18 Carol Hayman.................................. 34 Dr. Lin Hightower............................. 35 Noble Journeys................................. 39 Marrakesh Express.......................... 17 PUCHKA Peru.................................... 40 Tia Stephanie Tours.......................... 5 Traditions Mexico Cultural Journeys................................................46
Video Loops Endangered Threads Documentaries................................ 11
Designers Jackie Abrams.................................. 30
47