Guest Post: Take (or Gift) a Oaxaca Embroidery Workshop Online

Are you looking for a last-minute meaningful gift? Are you looking for a creative Covid-19 diversion? Do you want to learn traditional Oaxaca embroidery techniques? Do you want to support an indigenous family who depends on textile sales for livelihood?

There is no tourism now, so no sales. My friend Susan deLone thought up this great way to learn and help a woman embroiderer in Oaxaca.

If your answer is YES to any of these questions above, please read on …

An Invitation from Susan deLone to Learn Oaxaca Embroidery

I am the director of a Latino tutoring program for families in New Jersey. All of our families come from the pueblos of Oaxaca.  We started a Zoom class with craftswomen from Oaxaca to teach our moms and kids.

One talented woman, Rosa, has been teaching embroidery with great success. She is originally from the village of San Bartolome Ayautla, where women make exquisite embroidered blouses and dresses.

 I attend these classes given by Rosa as well. The classes are in Spanish. Rosa is the wife of a Oaxaca doctor who was himself, infected with COVID-19 and spent two months in hospital. He had to learn to read and write all over again. He continues to improve.

Rosa is also a housekeeper for a Philadelphia family who now lives in Oaxaca.

I find Rosa to be exceptional…warm and patient, eager to teach, well prepared.  She also gives homework!  I enjoy her class very much.

I hope you will want to learn from her by Zoom.  She will send a Zoom invitation to you once you have registered. We are taking registrations for an introductory set of 4 classes for $50 USD.

How to Register:

Mail a personal check for $50 USD to Susan deLone, 4300 Church Road, Doylestown, PA 18902. Questions: send an email to Susan at sdelone@comcast.net Susan is looking into creating a Venmo account, too, for those who want to pay online.

More Class Info:

Each class is 40 minutes and there will be a set time depending on Rosa’s availability. There is no translator, however, Rosa’s hands are demonstration enough! It is easy to learn by watching. The figures are not as elaborate as those shown in these examples. They are very simple. Rosa draws a flower or a person and we draw on our own fabric. Rosa recommends that you use cotton. She teaches different stitches by demonstration. You have a week to do these patterns on your own, and then bring your work to the next class for show and tell.

Supplies:

You provide your own cotton, embroidery floss (thread), hoops, needles, scissors. White cotton is recommended.

In embroidery you can chat and have fun…it’s like having coffee with friends and also making something beautiful. This is a wonderful, meaningful gift to yourself or someone who appreciates needlework.