Day 2: Shop Wool from Norma’s Oaxaca Closet: Deep Discounts
Ends Thursday, November 14, 2024 at 3 PM! Perfect for winter warmth. For years, I’ve stored beautiful wool hand wovens from Oaxaca and Chiapas in a cedar chest that Teotitlan del Valle carpenter Elias made for me. This cedar chest is called a baule, which traditionally is gifted at Zapotec weddings to store valuables and […]
Loving Indigo Blue from Oaxaca and Japan
I’m smitten with indigo. I first fell in love with it years ago in Oaxaca, Mexico, where I discovered it is grown along the tropical, humid southern coast of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. The type of indigo grown in Oaxaca is a different strain. The botanical name for the Oaxaca indigo plant is Indigofera suffruticosa, also […]
Sashiko in Takayama
I spent the morning with Keiko-San at her home gallery twenty steps away from the Red Bridge. There is a green bridge, white bridge, and red bridge here. Landmarks to navigate location. Japanese are very organized and clean. Hisa, a local translator, met me at the red bridge along with Keiko-San to take me to […]
Kyoto Food and Fashion
We missed the debate! It was held at 10 am Wednesday morning here. I’m traveling g with friends who have been to Japan nine times. The plan was to hit the streets. But it was modified to spend the day in the giant air conditioned Takashimaya department store to shelter from the 98 degree weather […]
Japan Blue and Pottery
it’s now 8:09 am. We are 13 hours ahead of you. I’m not sure how to calculate when the debate will happen or if we missed it. the started with $9 cups of coffee — price unknown to us in the Hotel Granvia lobby cafe until we were presented with the check. Saving grace is […]
NEW! One-Day Indigo Dye Workshop
Indigo blue is one of those magical colors that so many of us covet. It comes from a leafy green plant that looks like pea shoots and is found in many countries around the equator including Africa, India, Japan AND Oaxaca, Mexico. Laboriously cultivated and processed in the humid conditions of Santiago Niltepec near the […]
A World of Indigo in Albuquerque, NM
In Oaxaca, indigo is cultivated in the hot, sub-tropical climate along the southern coast in a town called Santiago Niltepec on the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. A leafy plant, it is usually found in the band around the world along the equator. For example: Africa. India. Japan. South Carolina. There are exceptions, as this Indigo Around […]
In Pinotepa de Don Luis, Home to Purple Snail Dye: Oaxaca Coast Textile Tour
Did I mention that the Oaxaca coast is HOT! At 90 degrees Fahrenheit and close to equal humidity, the Costa Chica, the area between Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, and Acapulco, Guerrero, is sultry, even in winter. Women here in recent memory, wore wrap-around skirts called posohuancos, and were bare-breasted. In the 1960’s, the Church (ie. Catholic […]
Deck Your Halls with Oaxaca Rugs: Shop Open
We got this shipment of hand-woven Oaxaca rugs just in time for the holidays. Even if you are celebrating small (and we hope you are), these floor coverings (or display them as wall hangings) are a great decor enhancer for a fresh, new look. Made in Oaxaca, Mexico, by Taller Teñido a Mano on a […]
Guest Post: Thanksgiving Sale for Oaxaca Coast Textile Artisans
Most of us have made the difficult choice to NOT travel to Oaxaca at least until the pandemic is under control and a vaccine is readily available. I have heard from many people asking what we can do, absent of travel, to support indigenous artisans who have been VERY hard hit by the tourist economy […]
Introducing Taller Teñido a Mano Natural Dye Textiles For Sale
I’m doing my best these days from my little apartment in Durham, North Carolina, to help promote Oaxaca artisans, primarily those who work in textiles. Today, I am excited to announce that I am representing the work from the natural dye studio Taller Teñido a Mano located in downtown Oaxaca city. See below for photos […]
Collector’s Edition: Oaxaca and Chiapas Textile Sale
Today I am offering 9 treasures from my collection for sale. These are pieces I have never or rarely worn. They live in my Durham, NC, closet. Many of you know that I am now walking 8,000 to 10,000 steps at least four times a week and have maintained size small for almost two years. […]
Japan Blue: Textile Study Tour to Mt. Fuji Indigo Studio
The Japan Textile Study Tour is filling up. We are a small group, limited to 10 people, and there are 4 spaces remaining! If you are thinking about coming with us to Japan, please don’t wait much longer. I have confirmed plans to visit a noted Japanese national treasure, a textile artist who works in […]
Japan Textile Study Tour: November 2020
Japan Textile Study Tour, November 6 – 19, 2020, 12 nights, 13 days, start in Kyoto and end in Tokyo — SOLD OUT. Get on the waiting list. We take you on a textile adventure of a lifetime to the land of the Rising Sun. Japanese style elevates textiles to a fine art form. We […]
In Japan, Searching for Blue Indigo (Ai-zome)
My quest for Japanese indigo fabrics and clothing took us to remote villages and high-end designer boutiques. I searched old kimono stacked in department store corners and flea market stalls. In the old Geisha district of Gion, two vintage textile shops offer 100+ year-old pieces in varying condition. I traveled from Tokyo to Kyoto to […]
Four Words and Boro, Japanese Indigo Patchwork
Writing from Kyoto, March 25, 2019. It’s been four days since I landed in Tokyo and I’ve managed to learn four words: konnichiwa (hello), sayonara (goodbye), arigato gozai mas (thank you very much), and oishi (delicious). I knew ai (indigo) before I arrived. Mexico and Japan share a common language through indigo. Everything here is […]
North Carolina Interlude: Between Oaxaca and Japan
In just a few short days, on Wednesday, March 20, with a fast turnaround, I leave NC for Tokyo, where I will meet my sister and we will travel together for almost three weeks. I’m taking time-out. This is Forewarning: I will be on vacation during this time and may or may not post regularly […]
Blue Hands Special — Oaxaca Day of the Dead 2-Day Natural Dye Workshop
So, you are coming to Oaxaca for Day of the Dead! Here is a chance to get beyond the sugar skulls and cemeteries, the masks and parades, and go deeper into the natural dye traditions of our wonderful region without leaving the city of Oaxaca. Put your hands into the indigo dye bath. Watch them […]
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 […]
India Journal: Tribal Textiles in Bhuj, Gujarat
Finally, I have landed in Bhuj, Gujarat, after hectic days in Ahmedabad followed by three nights at a secluded safari camp, Rann Riders, in the wilds of the Little Rann. This borders the town of Dasada where marsh and salt desert are home to rare wild ass and migratory birds. Internet connection impossible. I have […]
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 […]
Searching for Indigo in India: Countdown to Travel
It’s a 24-hour flight from California to New Delhi, not including the layover in Tokyo. I’m getting ready for a month of travel, focused mostly on the India State of Gujarat, with my Canadian friend Fay Sims, leaving San Jose on November 15. My motivation to go to India is multi-fold: to experience first-hand indigo […]
Textile Fiestas of Mexico guide book by Sheri Brautigam, with a little help from Norma Schafer
It was early 2016 and I’d just returned from taking a group of textile travelers to Tenancingo de Degollado, Estado de Mexico, to study the ikat rebozos of the region. Textile maven and friend Sheri Brautigam was in Oaxaca putting the final content and photos together for her upcoming book, Textile Fiestas of Mexico. http://thrumsbooks.com/little-help-friends-mexico/ […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop Day 3: Rainbows and Overdyes
The third and last day of the three-day Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop brings together all the preparation of the first two days in a culminating extravaganza of rich, deep color. Natural Dye Workshop Day One Natural Dye Workshop Day Two The movement toward using natural dyes is taking hold around the world. It is an environmentally […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshop, Day One: Prep to Make 32 Colors
For three days I am immersed in natural dyes with Elsa Sanchez Diaz who teaches our Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops through Oaxaca Cultural Navigator. We make 32 different colors starting with a base of gray and white natural wool. The natural plant and vegetable materials we dye with include palo de brazil (Brazilwood), nogal (walnut), cochineal (the […]
Natural Dyes and Indigo Blue Easter Eggs
I’ve never seen dyed Easter eggs here in Oaxaca, but perhaps someone could correct me if I just haven’t noticed them. Yet, here we are in the world of natural dyes. My personal favorite is indigo blue. So, when this post from Improvised Life came to my inbox this morning, I felt compelled to share […]
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 […]
Travel Oaxaca’s Natural Dye Textiles + Weaving Trail: One-Day Study Tour
We introduce you to weavers of wool, cotton and silk who work with organic natural dyes. This one-day educational study tour gives you in-depth knowledge about the artisanal process for making hand-woven cloth using sustainable technologies. We visit home studios and workshops to meet some of Oaxaca’s outstanding weavers in this curated day trip. See […]
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops
Oaxaca Natural Dye Workshops can be scheduled at your convenience whenever you plan to visit Oaxaca. Of course, this depends on instructor availability, too. Ideally, we would like at least two or more weeks advance notice to schedule a workshop on the dates you prefer. The one, two or three-day workshops, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. […]
Teotitlan del Valle Weaver Recognized by Smithsonian Institution National Museum of the American Indian
Norma’s Note: Weaver Porfirio Gutierrez called to tell me about his recognition from the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. He asked if I would share the news. Congratulations to Porfirio and to all the outstanding weavers of Teotitlan del Valle, Oaxaca, Mexico — many of whom deserve recognition and are unsung cultural heroes. I’m happy to […]