Nuno Felt Fashion Workshop 2015: Clothing Design with Pre-Hispanic Flair
Escape winter, roll up your sleeves, and make a nuno felted wool garment you will be proud to wear. For seven nights and eight days, from January 17 – 24, 2015, you will experience the textile culture of Oaxaca, make wearable fiber art from felt fabric, learn about natural dyes and the process to make them, […]
Handwoven Basket Fair: San Juan Guelavia, Oaxaca
Today was the first of two Sundays when the Zapotec village of San Juan Guelavia holds its annual basket fair. Next Sunday, February 2, is the last day. They open in the compact zocalo at 9 a.m. By the time we got there, close to noon, there wasn’t much left. Before I could say basket, […]
Basket Weaving Circle in Rug Weaving Village Draws Crowd
Beyond the stream they call the Rio Grande here, the women gather in a circle around the pine-shaded, packed dirt courtyard outside of Ernestina’s house. They are learning how to weave with another sort of material, not the usual hand-spun wool that is traditional for Teotitlan del Valle, the famed rug weaving village. They are […]
Natural Dye Workshop Yields Glorious, Colorfast Textiles
Working with natural dyes like cochineal that yield red, indigo blue, wild marigold (pericone) and fustic to give us yellow, is like being a pastry chef and following a recipe. It helps to know a little chemistry or have a willingness to learn. Eric Chavez Santiago and Elsa Sanchez Diaz, Mexico’s most knowledgeable natural dye […]
Color Intensity of Natural Dyes from Oaxaca Sources
Today I changed the banner of the blog to give you a picture of the range of intense colors we got from the natural dye workshop we just completed with Eric Chavez Santiago. Eric is one of Mexico’s most knowledgeable dye masters and his techniques include how to extract the color without wasting it. We […]
Oaxaca Indigo Dye Workshop Delights Penland School of Crafts Visitors
Dyeing with the natural color of indigo was a highlight of the Penland School of Crafts textile workshop tour of Oaxaca in early November. I brought this wonderful group of women — all first-time visitors to Oaxaca — for a workshop with Eric Chavez Santiago and his parents at their family home in Teotitlan del […]
Morocco Journal 9: Shopping, Eating, Sleeping, Body Work
Back home in North Carolina after 14 days in Morocco, the quintessential shopping bazaar, with a 2-day stopover in beautiful Madrid, Spain. Now, I prepare to return to Oaxaca, but not before a final set of Morocco recommendations to share with you. Marrakech Riad Bahia Salam, Marrakech, a restored mid-range guesthouse situated within easy […]
Morocco Journal 8: Magic Carpet Ride Rug Buying Guide
Rules for rug shopping in Morocco and other advice from a seasoned shopper who admits to being a naive novice when it comes to bargaining in the Land of a Million Carpets. Carpet merchants fill the souks in every Moroccan city. Then, there are the random carpet shops on high traffic tourist pedestrian avenues. […]
Morocco Journal 2: Marrakech–Oaxaca Connection
After a 24-hour journey from Raleigh, North Carolina to Marrakech, Morocco via Madrid, Spain, I headed out on Day One with my guide Fadil into the labyrinthine Marrakech souq (souk). I was forewarned. It is easy to get lost. Don’t even think about going in without a guide, advised a U.S. State Department friend who lived […]
In-Between, Let It Rain, and Murex Sea Snail Purple Dye
August 26, 2013–In Mexico City it’s raining, it’s pouring. I left Oaxaca this morning to a full-tilt drizzle that went on through the night. The maize fields are almost saturated. Whew! My Zapotec friends told me about the mysteries of the ancients. Don’t worry, they said a few days ago. It will start raining […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Secrets — 3-Day Fiber Arts Textile Workshop
Roll up your sleeves to learn the secrets of natural dyes. Oaxaca is famous for cochineal and indigo natural dyes, plus many others. January 2014 January 10, 11, 12, 2014 (arrive January 9) March 2014 March 13, 14, 15 (arrive March 12) Indigenous Mexican weavers also work with pecan shells […]
Chiapas Textiles in Oaxaca This Weekend Only — Exhibition and Sale
El Diablo y Sandia Bed and Breakfast Inn is hosting an exhibition and sale of fine quality Chiapas textiles this weekend only, July 19-20, 2013. The textiles are hand-woven on back-strap looms by the women’s cooperative El Camino de los Altos in San Cristobal de Las Casas. 10 a.m. – 7 p.m. @ El Diablo […]
Dance of the Feather Grand Finale and Rain
I’m finally settled into Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, after a whirlwind two days in Mexico City and a six-hour bus ride south. It’s raining here and has done so for days. Evenings are chilly enough for a blanket. The afternoon sky is filled with dramatic shades of gray cumulus clouds punctuated with intermittent sunlight. The […]
Penland School of Crafts: Oaxaca Registration Form
Penland School of Crafts–Exploring the Textile Traditions of Oaxaca, Mexico — Organized by Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC November 4-10, 2013 Program Costs and Conditions Trip Cost Double room occupancy (per person) $3,185 Single room occupancy $3,485 Included 4 nights accommodation at the beautiful and highly-rated Casa de Las Bugambilias Bed & Breakfast in historic center of […]
Penland Travel Adventures: Exploring the Textile Traditions of Oaxaca
November 4-10, 2013 — 6 nights, 7 days of cultural immersion and discovery! Click Here for Registration Form. Spaces open with full payment. Questions? Call Norma Hawthorne at 919-274-6194 or send an email normahawthorne@mac.com Penland School of Crafts, an international center for craft education located in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, was founded on the […]
Big Oaxaca Rug Sale at Fiber Fiesta, May 17–Siler City, NC
Mark Your Calendar! Oaxaca Cultural Navigator’s Big Folk Art and Textile Sale in historic downtown Siler City, NC at Fiber Fiesta, Friday, May 17, 6:00-9:00 p.m. I have a stash of naturally dyed, hand-woven rugs from the Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca weaving studio of Federico Chavez Sosa and his wife Dolores Santiago Arrellanas. Spread the Word. […]
Shopping in San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca
My sister and I set out for San Antonino Castillo Velasco, Oaxaca, to visit the potter Don Jose Garcia Antonino who makes life-size human figures sculpted from local red clay called barro rojo. We decided to go before everyone arrived for the wedding so that we could focus on the shopping day at hand. Barbara has […]
On the Road to Tenejapa, Chiapas, Mexico
Tenejapa is a Tzeltal-speaking Mayan village in the Chiapas highlands about 45 minutes by collectivo from San Cristobal de las Casas. Though it is off-the-beaten-path and receives very few foreign visitors, Tenejapa is alluring because of its vibrant Thursday market and its fine textiles — among the finest in southern Mexico. I heard that Maria […]
Chiapas Pottery Village Amatenango del Valle
Bela, of Bela’s B&B, our favorite San Cristobal de las Casas home away from home, invited us to go along with her to the pottery village of Amatenango del Valle on a quest to replace a ceramic chiminea. The village is about an hour from the city by taxi in the pine forest highlands where sheep graze […]
Felted Fabric Fashion Oaxaca Style
Making felt is one of the oldest forms of fabric known to humankind–a process more than 6,000 years old. Felt happens when sheep wool is moistened, heated and agitated. For our Felted Fashion Workshop with Jessica de Haas in Oaxaca this week, we used merino wool dyed with natural plant materials — […]
Indigo Blue, Color of Kings: Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop
If you are looking for hands-on instruction, a cultural immersion into natural dyes of Oaxaca, and would love to have an experience learning from the Museo Textil de Oaxaca’s director of education Eric Chavez Santiago, please contact me. We organize programs for museums, textile guilds, fiber artists, designers and anyone wanting to know more about hand-dyeing with […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop: A Gift of Color From Mother Nature
Several months ago Australian home furnishings designer Lauren Bennett contacted me about taking a natural dye workshop in Oaxaca with her business partner Genevieve Fennel. Lifelong friends with a passion for textiles, they started the Sydney-based company Walter G & Co. almost two years ago, importing textiles from India to market a home decor line […]
Omar’s Hat: Spinning and Knitting Hand-Dyed Wool Roving in Oaxaca
Knitting IMHO is a form of weaving, so I fit right into Teotitlan del Valle where weaving is the culture. Fiber and textile artists tend to experiment with different forms of the art. But first, a bit about the wool. This is 100% super wash merino roving with a 23u top that I bought from […]
Natural Dyes Making Comeback in Oaxaca
A special feature of our upcoming Felted Fashion Workshop that starts February 2 is the day we will spend with Eric Chavez Santiago at his family home in Teotitlan del Valle. Eric, who is the director of education at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, will work with us to dye the 25 pounds of merino wool […]
Felted Wool, Fiber Arts, Textile Design, Art to Wear
On Wednesday I’m leaving North Carolina to return to Oaxaca for several months with two pieces of luggage stuffed mostly with wool roving, notions, needles, felted pin cushions and embellishments (buttons, beads, lace, used coffee and tea filters). This morning UPS delivered 25 lbs. of ecru wool roving that we will be dyeing with cochineal, […]
Young Oaxaca Weavers Honored and Encouraged
Faye Sims, a textile friend from Salt Spring Island, Vancouver, BC shared a blog story today about the new exhibition at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca and I wanted to pass the gist of it on to you! The story refers to Eric Chavez Santiago, our close family friend and we are incredibly proud of […]
Best of Week Day of the Dead Photographs: Kathy Heath AKA Louie
“This trip was the perfect way to re-invest in my interest in photography and explore a fascinating country and culture [of Oaxaca, Mexico] at the same time. I can’t imagine an instructor or guide who could have better managed the balance and flexibility to so successfully meet all the goals of the program,” says Kathy […]
Oaxaca’s Remigio Mestas Revilla: Textiles That Feed the Spirit
Remigio Mestas Revilla is a hero to many of us in Oaxaca, Mexico, who love indigenous textiles. For 33 years, he has worked with weavers in remote villages to revive lost traditions and preserve those that are at risk of becoming a lost art. His collection can be seen at a new gallery he operates […]
Oaxaca Textiles, Rug Sale and Cultural Talk in Atlanta, GA
Atlanta, GA friends of Oaxaca will host Eric Chavez Santiago and his sister Janet Chavez Santiago on October 3 and 4. They will present rugs (tapetes) hand-woven by their family on tapestry looms, and talk about the weaving, natural dyeing and textile traditions of Oaxaca. If you live anywhere nearby, please make your reservation to […]
Day of the Dead Exhibit at Duke University with Photos, Chavez Santiago Talk + Rug Sale
Map to Friedl Bldg/Duke University http://maps-test.oit.duke.edu/building/138 October 2, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Duke University is the ONLY North Carolina presentation/sale of Chavez Santiago family rugs. Eric Chavez Santiago is director of education at the Museo Textil de Oaxaca, a weaver and expert in developing and using natural dyes. Janet Chavez Santiago is a linguist and education […]