It’s a laid-back world here in Taos, New Mexico. The dress of choice is either blue jeans and a T-shirt or hiking pants with elastic cuffs to keep out the noseeums. I’ve adapted my dress to put a Oaxaca or Chiapas blouse or huipil over pants to be able to wear some of the textile treasures I have brought with me into this new life. I’m trying to balance the vibe between Woo-Woo and Shi-Shi. Santa Fe is a mere 60 miles away, but it’s a different world, where visitors and those with second homes wear layers of Navajo and Kewa jewelry.
Last week, I went to an opening at the Millicent Rogers Museum. Most of the women were casually dressed (more or less), but adorned in magnificent Squash Blossom Necklaces, laden with turquoise and silver. This level of jewelry is not in my wheelhouse. However, I managed to fit in (somewhat) with my hiking pants and boots, topped with a naturally-dyed gauze Oaxaca huipil from Khadi Oaxaca. The task at hand for me now is to continue to downsize and edit my collection. Living in the land of hiking trails has its benefits, but also demonstrates that the social life is pretty low-key.
If you are interested in any pieces, you can either contact me directly to buy from me direct or you can purchase on Etsy. If you contact and buy direct from me, I will offer you a 10% discount. Just describe the piece you want. No discount with direct purchase from Etsy. norma.schafer@icloud.com I will send you an invoice and you can pay with Zelle, Venmo or PayPal. It will include $12 mailing cost. Thanks very much, Norma
SOLD. Vintage 10K gold filigree earrings, lillies, from either Oaxaca or Chiapas
Posted onFriday, September 11, 2020|Comments Off on Shop Open: Las Sanjuaneras Textiles Huipiles, Kaftans, Tunics
Call them huipiles, kaftans, tunics or ponchos. Whatever you call them, call them comfortable, cozy, casual cover-ups. Perfect for lounging or working from home. Perfect for a socially distant safe get-together. Perfect for feeling good in times of Covid-19 and related stress. We are looking for beauty in our lives now especially, and this is one way to attain it.
SOLD. #1. Margarita. 34×43. marigold, iron oxide, indigo. $375.
There are 27 pieces I’m offering in this collection today. Some are gauzy, light as a feather hand weaves. Some are mid-weight. Some can be used as a poncho. Others are long, short, wide, narrow or cropped. Some are size large and extra-large. Others are small and will fit the petite among us. Please scroll through and make your selection carefully. All sales are final because I will have already paid the weavers by the time I mail them.
Las Sanjuaneras weaver. Photo by Ana Paula Fuentes
100% natural dyes on native, hand-spun cotton, woven on the back strap loom, with slubs and imperfect beauty
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
#20. Andrea. Marigold, iron oxide, native cotton. 22-3/4×30. $195.
Note: All measurements are in inches. Width is across the front (one side). Please double for circumference. Length is shoulder to hem. Most necks have a 7-8″ opening from shoulder to V.
First come. First served. First email in gets first choice.
#A. Camerina. Guava, iron oxide, indigo. 34-1/2w x 34L. $285.
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
This is the last sale from Las Sanjuaneras for a while. I’m going on a road trip to the Midwest on Tuesday and won’t return until October.
You may purchase until Monday morning. I will be doing the last mailing on Monday. Please don’t wait to decide! As you know, we sold out FAST on the last two shipments from this cooperative.
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! so I don’t pay commissions. We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
Textile Care: Dry clean or wash by hand. To wash, turn garment inside out. Immerse in cold water using a mild soap such as Fels Naptha or baby shampoo. Don’t use Woolite — it leeches color. Gently massage the cloth. Squeeze and roll in a towel to absorb excess water. Hang to dry. Use medium heat to iron if needed.
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
These are the last four pieces from yesterday’s sale. I’m getting ready to send funds to the weavers in Oaxaca. I’d like to be able to say, We sold out, and send them 100% of the funds. Can you help get us over the top, help the weavers and have something beautiful to wear?
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
SOLD. #1. Soft, finely woven cotton. 29″W x 27″ Long. Was $335. Now $268.#1 Detail
The poncho is 100% cotton woven on the back-strap loom. A perfect weight to transition from to autumn and winter and back again to spring. For comfy wrapping to take the chill off. Pullover. One size fits most.
Poncho inside finish work.#3. Dress. Fine cotton with indigo. 25Wx48L. Was $675. Now $540.
A beautifully woven full-length dress with whimsical designs woven into the fabric (called bordado): fish, sea creatures, deer — reflecting the flora and fauna of the region.
Detail #3SOLD. #4 Black with shades of purple. 25Wx27L. Was $250. Now $200.
All sales are final. I am sorry, we do not accept returns. Funds go directly to the weavers to support their families and life’s work.
It’s hot on the southern coast of Oaxaca on the Pacific Ocean where it meets the state of Chiapas. Hot and humid. Situated on a spit of sand in the Juchitan district sits the fishing village of San Mateo del Mar. The region is home to about 14,000 Huave speakers, a native indigenous language. The community has been in existence for at least 3,000 years.
In all my years of living in Oaxaca, I’ve not come across these many pieces woven by the master Francisca, who Remigio Mestas selected as the most outstanding weaver in San Mateo del Mar.
SOLD. #15. Collector’s Piece. Silk, Egyptian cotton, indigo, cochineal gauze blusa, 29″W x 33″L, $995#15. detail, woven by Jazmin Azucena with her initials JAPP
As you can imagine, there is a need there for flowing, lightweight textiles, and the women are talented back-strap loom weavers who can produce extraordinary, fine, lightweight and gauzy fabrics that are replete with images of birds, fishing scenes, palm trees, sea creatures. The figures are woven into the cloth and are NOT embroidered — a remarkable talent.
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
#1. Cotton. 29″W x 27″ Long. $$335#1 detail
Notably, the finest weaver of the village is Francisca Palafox Heran. Her daughter Jazmin Azucena is following in her footsteps. Their textiles and those of the family are featured today.
SOLD. #2 Natural dyed mahogany cotton with indigo, 24″x39″, $455
A few of these pieces are for collectors. Most are perfect for summer into fall and back to spring daily wearing. You can layer them over a silk T-shirt for colder climates.
SOLD. #3 Signed JAPP, indigo, cochineal, wild marigold, cotton/silk, 28×28, $695#3 Detail with weaver Jazmin Azucena’s initialsSOLD. #4 Indigo, mahogany dyes by Francisca Palafox. 23×28. $525#4 Detail. Palm trees, turtles, crabs, by Francisca Palafox. Find FPH initials.
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
SOLD. #5. Red/black cotton blusa. 25×28. $335#5 detail, mid-weight cottonSOLD. #6 Signed FPH Francisca Palafox Heran, cotton/silk, 38×32, $395#6 Detail with signature — white threads are silk#7, cotton w/indigo, 25×48, $675#7 Detail, reindeer, crab, fish, lightening motifs
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
SOLD. #8 by FPH Francisca Palafox Heran, 30×28, $395#6 Detail, FPH initials#8 inside out! Threads woven back into the fabric!#9, mid-weight cotton, black contrasted with purple, 25×27, $265SOLD. #10, airy-weave cotton, 27×27, $335SOLD. #11 FPH by Francisca Palafox Heran, mahogany + indigo, 27×31, $425#11 detail. Can you find FPH initials near the boats?
These three ponchos below are a heavy weight cotton, all made on the back-strap loom by Jazmin Azucena Pinzon Palafox. They are perfect for transitioning from summer to autumn, from winter to spring. An easy-to-wear cover-up — for style and comfort, almost like wearing your own cozy blanket! One size fits most. A pullover with open sides.
SOLD. #13 Poncho, 37×31, $450Inside poncho detail — amazing back-strap loom finish workSOLD. #14, Poncho, cotton, 37×31, $450#12, Poncho, 37×31, cotton, $450SOLD. #16 Traditional machine embroidered Juchitan huipil, $85 — sew the sides to fit you!
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends! We also accept Venmo and I can send you a Square invoice (+3% fee) if you don’t use PayPal.
Textile Care: Dry clean or wash by hand. To wash, turn garment inside out. Immerse in cold water using a mild soap such as Fels Naptha or baby shampoo. Don’t use Woolite — it leeches color. Gently massage the cloth. Squeeze and roll in a towel to absorb excess water. Hang to dry. Use medium heat to iron if needed.
Return Policy: We support artisans and funds get transferred immediately. There are no returns or refunds. This is a final sale.
Thank you everyone who supported Francisca. I’m putting in another order soon. We have ONE blouse left — this one:
Last One: Size XS/S — 10″ across bodice, 22″ armpit to armpit, 18″ sleeves. $120
Here is a selection of 8 beautiful hand-embroidered blouses from Aguacatenango, Chiapas. The village is about an hour-and-a-half from San Cristobal de Las Casas. It is situated in a fertile valley where farmers grow corn and women embroider. All the women embroider! The climate is hotter and more humid than in the highlands, so the clothing is lighter weight.
SOLD. #7 Red, Size M, A-12″ B-26″ C-28″ — $120How to Measure for Fit — measurements in inches#8 and #9 (TWO for sale), Size XS/S, A-10″ B-21″ C-24″ Sleeve 18″ — $120
There are no sewing machines there. The hand-sewing on these particular today garments is impeccable with finely finished seams. For me, it is important to look at workmanship from the inside out! That means examining the seams for the finish work to make certain there are no rough edges that will unravel after a few washings!
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends!
Our featured artisan today is Francisca. I met her some years ago when I brought our Chiapas textile tour to the village. Our group exited the van and gathered at the big tree in the church courtyard. Within minutes we were surrounded by twenty women offering us embroidered blouses for sale. Francisca’s were far and away the best!
SOLD. #1, Black, Size M, A-12″ B-26″ C-27.5″ — $95 (slight discoloration at bodice tucks from washing)
To Buy: Please email me normahawthorne@mac.com with your name, mailing address and item number. I will mark it SOLD, send you a PayPal link to purchase and add $12 for cost of mailing. Please be sure to select Send Money to Family and Friends!
She invited us to her home, a one-room, concrete block cabin outfitted with table, chairs, two beds, and bags of dried corn in storage. We regrouped on the patio where she gave us an embroidery demonstration and showed us her beautiful blouses. We were blown away by the French knots!
How to Measure for Fit — measurements in inches
A few weeks ago, I contacted Francisca and asked if she could make and send some blouses. This is a custom order, so I specified that I wanted solid-color bodices, all French Knots on 100% cotton cloth we call manta. So many in Mexico are struggling now, and I knew she and her family were no exception. I wanted to give her meaningful, rewarding work.
All hand finished — without a sewing machine
Care Instructions: To wash, turn inside out. Wash by hand or in machine using a delicate setting, in cold water with a mild soap like Fels Naptha. Do not use Woolite. Hang to dry. Press with a steam iron on medium heat.
What is a Study Tour: Our programs are designed as learning experiences, and as such we talk with weavers about how and why they create, what is meaningful to them in their designs, the ancient history of patterning and design, use of color, tradition and innovation, values and cultural continuity, and the social context within which they work. First and foremost, we are educators. Norma worked in top US universities for over 35 years and Eric founded the education department at Oaxaca’s textile museum. Our interest is in creating connection and artisan economic development.
Why We Left, Expat Anthology: Norma’s Personal Essay
Norma contributes personal essay, How Oaxaca Became Home
Norma Contributes Two Chapters!
Click image to order yours!
Norma Schafer and Oaxaca Cultural Navigator LLC has offered programs in Mexico since 2006. We have over 30 years of university program development experience. See my resume.
Study Toursd are personally curated and introduce you to Mexico's greatest artisans. They are off-the-beaten path, internationally recognized. We give you access to where people live and work. Yes, it is safe and secure to travel. Groups are limited in size for the most personal experience.
Programs can be scheduled to meet your travel plans. Send us your available dates.
Designers, retailers, wholesalers, universities and other organizations come to us to develop weaving relationships, customized itineraries, study abroad programs, meetings and conferences. It's our pleasure to make arrangements.
Select Clients
*Selvedge Magazine-London, UK
*Esprit Travel and Tours
*Penland School of Crafts
*North Carolina State University
*WARP Weave a Real Peace
*Methodist University
*MINNA-Goods
*Smockingbird Kids
We offer textile experiences in our studio where we weave and work only in natural dyes.You can see the process during our textile tours, dye workshops or customized weaving experiences. Ask us for more information about these experiences, customized scheduling, and prices.
One-Day Custom Tours: Tell Us When You Want to Go!
Oaxaca has the largest and most diverse textile culture in Mexico! Learn about it.
When you visit Oaxaca immerse yourself in our textile culture: How is indigenous clothing made, what is the best value, most economical, finest available. Suitable for adults only. Set your own dates.
1-Day OaxacaCity Collectors Textile Tour.Exclusive Access! We take you into the homes and workshops of Oaxaca State's prize-winning weavers. They come from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, the Mixteca, Mixe, Amuzgos and Triqui areas and represent their weaving families and cooperatives here. For collectors, retailers, buyers, wholesalers, fashionistas.
February 21-March 1, 2023: Chiapas Textile Study Tour--Deep Into the Maya World Based in San Cristobal de las Casas, we travel to distant pueblos to meet extraordinary back strap loom weavers --Best of the Best! SOLD OUT
October 27, 2023: Day of the Dead Ocotlan Highway Tour. It’s Market Day! The biggest of the year. See special altar food and decor, visit artisans, explore culture, eat at a traditional open air cocina de humo (grill kitchen).
October 29, 2023: Teotitlan del Valle Altars and Studio Visits to natural dye and weaving artisans who invite you to their altar rooms to share family traditions. Meet a traditional beeswax candlemaker. Eat mole and mezcal in a local family comedor.
Go on all 3 Day of the Dead Tours -- Get a 10% Discount
2024 Tours Go Deep, Not Wide
January 13-21, 2024: Oaxaca Coast Textile Study Tour. Very popular! Get your deposit in to reserve. For intrepid travelers. Visit 7 back-strap loom weavers. Explore the culture of cloth and community. SIX SPACES OPEN!
Stay Healthy. Stay Safe. In Oaxaca, wear your mask. Questions? Want TO REGISTER or more info? Send an email to Norma Schafer.
Maps: Teotitlan + Tlacolula Market
We require 48-hour advance notice for map orders to be processed. We send a printable map via email PDF after your order is received. Please be sure to send your email address. Where to see natural dyed rugs in Teotitlan del Valle and layout of the Sunday Tlacolula Market, with favorite eating, shopping, ATMs. Click Here to Buy Map After you click, be sure to check PayPal to ensure your email address isn't hidden from us. We fulfill each map order personally. It is not automatic.
Dye Master Dolores Santiago Arrellanas with son Omar Chavez Santiago, weaver and dyer, Fey y Lola Rugs, Teotitlan del Valle
