Just in: Two Embroidered Oaxaca Blouses
We’ve just added these to the shop where you can purchase them directly and use a credit card or PayPal for no added fees! http://www.shop.oaxacaculture.com Size Small, measuring 19″ wide and 21″ long. Both of these are embroidered using a sewing machine, but the pattern is created free-form. They do not use a template and […]
Jump Start Summer Blouse Sale: Oaxaca + Chiapas
Stay cool and fresh as spring is here and summer is just around the corner. Preview sale of Oaxaca and Chiapas cotton and linen blouses before we put them in our shop. The shop won’t open back up until mid-April. Buy before March 29 and we will take these back to the USA when we […]
SALE Shop Small. Shoulder Bags Just Added.
Our sale continues through December 1. Use Discount Code thankful2023. Everything on our shop is handmade and sourced from outstanding artisans we know personally in Oaxaca and Chiapas. Today, we are featuring four beautifully embroidered cotton shoulder bags with a floral motif. Each is a different color. These are perfect for around town or for […]
Trunk Show: Chiapas French Knot Blouses
I just received another group of 14 French knot embroidered blouses from Francisca in Aguacatenango, Chiapas. The needlework is extraordinary! Francisca is one of the finest blouse makers in this tiny village of blouse makers. The finish work is amazing. All the seams and hems are done by hand. There is no machine stitching used […]
Fun, Cool Cotton Summer Blouses from Oaxaca
I asked Rosario, my friend from Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, to work with me on creating hand-embroidered blouses on machine-washable cotton — perfect for summer wearing. She said YES. They just arrived and are ready for purchase. The embroidery floss is cotton, too. These are whimsical floral designs. Each piece is very different. You can […]
Let’s Go Shopping: Eleven Mexican Shawls, Scarves, Rebozos for Sale
Rebozos are part of Mexican female identity and culture. Frida wore them. So did the women of the Mexican Revolution, 1910-1920. Aristocrats from Spain loved their shoulder coverings as they strolled the Alameda. Indigenous women still rely on them to swaddle and carry infants. Women in El Norte (USA and Canada) find them comforting on […]
India Journal: Ajrakh Block Prints and Indigo
On the second day after I landed in New Delhi, I went to visit the Sanskriti Museum of Textiles near the Qutub Minar 15th century historic site on the south side of town. It’s a small, private collection hidden away behind gates on the expansive grounds of an estate that is now an educational center. I […]
Pop-Up Sale: Oaxaca Quechquemitl, Mexico Stylish Scarf/Poncho
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 […]
Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in Oaxaca
In planning for a visit to India in November 2016 and on the recommendation of a friend, I ordered a copy of Emma Tarlo’s book, Clothing Matters: Dress and Identity in India. What strikes me are the similarities between Mexico and India and the politics of cloth as a statement of belonging, assimilation and independence. […]
Khadi Oaxaca Clothing Now Comes in Yardage, Too
Khadi Oaxaca makes hand-spun organic cotton. Over 100 indigenous women participate in this cooperative located in the Oaxaca mountains halfway between the Oaxaca city and the coast. It takes about three hours to get there. At the winter Museo Textil de Oaxaca expoventa (show and sale), Khadi Oaxaca presented an extensive selection of beautiful clothing […]
Oaxaca Weaving: The Flying Shuttle Loom
The flying shuttle loom is a European innovation brought to Oaxaca, Mexico, with the Industrial Revolution. It joins the back-strap loom and the fixed frame two-harness pedal loom as one of the major three weaving technologies still widely used in Oaxaca today. The advantage of the flying shuttle loom is that it can create […]
Manta Cotton: Handwoven in Oaxaca, Mexico
I’ve been getting quite a few inquiries lately about whether Manta cotton is still being woven in Mexico and if it is available with natural dyes. What is Manta cotton? It is 100% natural unbleached cotton also known as “cotton crudo” or “wild cotton” or organic cotton. Typically it is used to make men’s shirts, […]