This pop-up clothing sale features the indigenous Mexico short poncho or triangular bodice cover-up called a quechquemitl in the Nahuatl language, used by pre-Hispanic women throughout the country.
It’s my favorite accessory and that’s why I have too many of them! Slip one over your head, and your shoulders and bodice are covered beautifully, even if you are only wearing a tank-top or halter. It’s a one-piece scarf, too, that never falls off!
My 2011 Quechquemitl Blog Post
How to Wear a Quechquemitl
Here I am offering — in like-new, rarely worn condition — some beautiful indigenous clothing made by women and men in Oaxaca villages, most made with natural dyes, some hand-spun native cotton. As you might expect, they are from some of Oaxaca’s finest weavers, dyers and designers.
All prices include shipping within 48 U.S. states! Send me an email and tell me which piece(s) you want. I’ll email you a PayPal invoice. Purchases must be made by June 30. I will ship from Santa Fe, New Mexico after July 7.
Native, rare Oaxaca coyuchi cotton quechquemitl, hand-trimmed in green, $125 USD
- Coyuchi Cotton Quechquemitl (above) handwoven in the village of San Sebastian Rio Hondo on the back strap loom by Khadi Oaxaca. Color is a warm caramel. One size fits all. $125 USD.
1B. Coyuchi hand-spun wild cotton quechquemitl, close-up
Note about coyuchi cotton: This is rare, wild native cotton grown in the high mountains of Oaxaca that separates the valley and the coast.
2. SOLD. This pericone (wild marigold) dyed quechquemitl (below) is exactly the same style as the one above, made in San Sebastian Rio Hondo by Khadi Oaxaca. It is golden-yellow and the hand weaving shows the variegation of the process. One size. $145 USD.
Pericone and indigo quechquemitl, hand-spun cotton, soft gold and variegated blue
Pericone quechquemitl with indigo blue cotton thread. $145 USD
3. Below. Pericone/indigo/coyuchi dress, size M/L. I made a pattern from a favorite Dosa dress and have sewed it multiple times with French seams, patch pockets, and lots of designer detailing and hand stitching. For this dress, I bought hand-spun cotton fabric from Khadi Oaxaca that is hand-woven and dyed with wild marigold, indigo and integrates native coyuche cotton. $165 USD.
3B. Detail, Dosa-inspired dress with Khadi Oaxaca fabric
Here is the full dress below.
3A. Size M/L dress made with Khadi Oaxaca handspun + woven cotton. $165 USD
4. Alfredo Orozco nut-dyed quechquemitl, below, is woven on a flying shuttle pedal loom in the deshillado technique, which means there is an open-weave. You can see the detail in photo 4B. This one is more pale beige than brown. Touches of cream-colored ikat add interest. One size. $85 USD.
Hand-woven, nut-dyed Orozco quechquemitl with ikat warp threads, $85 USD
Below is the weave detail of the fabric above. Finish work is done by Alfredo’s wife Veronica on the sewing machine.
4B. Orozco beige quechquemitl detail with open weave.
5. SOLD. Below, same Orozco style as #4, but with indigo blue dyed threads to add detail of design. One size fits all, $85 USD.
Orozco quechquemitl with nut and indigo dyes. Detail is with open weave. $85 USD
#5B. Orozco nut/indigo dyed quechquemitl, more beige than photo shows. $85 USD
6. Melon colored cotton top, below, size medium, from the Oaxaca shop of Remigio Mestas, Los Baules de Juana Cata, the finest in town. Machine chain stitching, commercial thread, signed by back-strap loom weaver. $75
Cotton top from Remigio Mestas’ Los Baules de Juana Cata, $75 USD
6B. Detail of cotton top from Remigio Mestas
7. SOLD. Turquoise quechquemitl, one size, with machine chain stitch detailing, hand-finished seams and hem. From the best shop in Oaxaca, Los Baules de Juana Cata and Remigio Mestas. $125 USD.
Quechquemitl in brilliant turquoise from Remigio Mestas, one size, $125 USD
7B. Detail of turquoise quechquemitl. Not discolored, just photo light variations.
8. Wine Red Quechquemitl, below, from Los Baules de Juana Cata and Remigio Mestas who personally works with indigenous weavers and embroiderers to make the finest garments. One size. $125 USD.
Wine Red Quechquemitl, one size, $125 USD, from the shop of Remigio Mestas
Detail of wine red quechquemitl from Remigio Mestas’ Oaxaca shop
Let me know which one you would like to purchase by number — send me an email. I’ll be going to the USA in early July and will mail to you via USPS after July 7. Thank you very much!
India Journal: Top Artisans at Nature Bazaar
Nature Bazaar is an effort by the Delhi Department of Tourism to bring the best artisans from throughout India to the city for permanent exhibition. Or, let me say, the space is permanent and the artisans rotate. So, it’s more of a pop-up and the artisans change about every six weeks. This group goes until November 30, 2016.
Indigo-dyed organic cotton block print from Rajasthan
I returned on my own so I could leisurely browse the textile collection, speak with the makers, and go through the stacks of cloth in search of indigo blue, red madder, turmeric root dyed yellow cloth. I didn’t want to miss anything. This extended to a three-hour meander to uncover as much as possible.
Block print yardage, turmeric w/ indigo over-dye (L). Madder w/indigo over-dye (R).
My textile artists friends tell me that the Nature Bazaar cooperative is the best source for India arts in Delhi. Funds from the purchases go directly to the artisans who participate.
Waiting patiently for customers, Nature Bazaar
My friend Lee Schwartz, who just returned from a 10-day tour of Rajasthan, claims she saw nothing of the quality on the tour that she encountered at the National Crafts Museum in Delhi. After a visit there, today, I still rank Nature Bazaar as the top shopping spot in Delhi, with second place going to FabIndia.
Ahmedabad artisan folds shawls inset with mirrors embroidered to silk/wool blend.
As with Oaxaca, it’s important to know where to source. I’ve decided to focus this India visit on textiles and not on typical sightseeing and monuments (though tomorrow we leave for Agra and the Taj Mahal).
Fine miniature paintings with gold leaf, an art form
There is so much here that zeroing in on what is important to me helps conserve energy. It’s impossible to get to more than two or three places in a day because of the intense traffic, horn-honking and dust. It just wears you out!
Indigo dyed patchwork quilt, with dresses, blouses on table.
At Nature Bazaar, I met Margaret Zinyu, who has a degree from the National Institute of Design in Ahmedabad. She planned to go into fashion design but decided to return to her native Nagaland, in northeast India on the Myanmar border, to work with local weavers using cotton dyed with indigo. She is just starting her company Woven Threads and this bazaar was the premiere of her products.
Margaret Zinyu of Woven Threads, Nagaland, India
India is at the crossroads of the ancient Silk Road. The people here are a multicultural blend of Asians and Europeans, Hindus and Muslims. There is as much diversity here as I see in Mexico. The people from the Himalaya foothills, part of India, bring their kite flying traditions to the crafts of the country, for example. These are for sale at the Nature Bazaar, too.
Most of India’s indigo is cultivated in Tamil Nadu, in the south
Wood carved stamps used for block printing at Nature Bazaar
There are also several stalls with hand-wrought silver jewelry from the Himalayas and Afghanistan. Many of the designs looked North African, like those I had seen in Morocco and southern Spain.
Tribal jewelry maker from Himachal Pradesh in the Himalayan foothills of India.
Example of ornate silver earrings inlaid with garnets and embellished with pearls.
There is no cochineal here, of course. This is a humid country and the insect is only found in hot, dry climates like Mexico where the nopal cactus thrives. So madder, the red dye that is more the color of red earth than intense carminic red, is what is found here. However, indigo is king in India and the British capitalized on its export starting in the early 17th century. Today, it is only cultivated in Tamil Nadu in the south of the country.
India’s indigo from Tamil Nadu, in the south
Walking the streets and riding the Metro, I see women of all ages wearing saris and the shalwar kameez pantsuit with tunic top and harem-style pants dyed with indigo blue. Women’s clothing of India is beautiful, lightweight and easy to wear.
India’s sari, block print with gold and indigo
Mexican indigo is extracted from the native plant Indigofera suffruticosa, known as añil, found in the tropics of the Americas. Native indigo from India is Indigofera tinctoria, known as true indigo, and is found in Asia and Africa. The plant and leaf structures are different, but the process to produce the color is the same.
Handmade palm brooms
The most intense blue comes by dipping the cloth at least several times in the indigo dye bath.
Papier mache toys and mobiles at Nature Bazaar
My goal on this trip is to bring back examples of of cloth dyed with indigo, using a variety of weaving, tie-dye and printing techniques.
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Posted in Cultural Commentary, Textiles, Tapestries & Weaving
Tagged blue, cloth, crafts, India, indigo, Mexico, natural dye, natural dyes, Nature Bazaar, New Delhi, organic cotton, shopping, textiles, weaving