Tag Archives: shop

Shop Mexico: Week 2 — Alebrijes + Animales

We are offering a weekly listing of handmade textiles, alebrijes, clothing, jewelry and other Mexican collectibles from Shop Mexico: The Artisan Sisters.

This week we feature hand-carved copal wood alebrijes, whimsical Oaxaca figures that are painstakingly hand-painted, plus a sweet Chiapas alligator made of hand-felted and embroidered wool.

Strike Up the Band.  3-figures, each approx, 6″ high x 2-1/4″ wide. $115. Signed by San Martin Tilcajete artist Pablo Vasquez Matias. Item #5212012.1 These whimsical animal musicians are playing cymbals, drums and saxophone.  Music is an essential part of Oaxaca village life, present at every festive occasion.  Toombalah. Toot.

   

El Nahual.  SOLD.  Approx. 5-3/4″ high x 5″ wide. $35. Item #5212012.2.  Signed by San Martin Tilcajete artist Inocencio Vasquez. The Nahual is an important part of Mesoamerican folk religion, a human with magical powers who can turn him/herself into an animal. This yellow nahual has horsehair whiskers and tail, with a sweet uplifted human face.  The three small brown spots are copal sap, which in no way detracts.  Copal sap is used for ritual incense in Oaxaca.  Price plus shipping and handling depending upon your location.

  

Alligator.  SOLD.  This wool felted character comes from Chiapas, Mexico, where alligators and crocodiles swim in wide, muddy rivers.  The felt is handmade from locally sheared wool and stuffed, then sewn and embellished by hand.  Approx. 14″ long x 5″ wide. $24. Item #5212012.3.

Shipping and handling for our items is additional.  Please send us your ZIP code and we will send you the cost to ship. Please contact me before sending your PayPal payment to be sure the item you want is available!

The Artisan Sisters are Norma Hawthorne and Barbara Beerstein.  Sisters in real life, we love Mexico, love to travel together, and shop to support artists and artisans.  We usually come home with much more than what we need.

That is to your advantage!  Our prices our reasonable.  We ship fast.  We have already made the purchase, paying the artist what they have asked for without bargaining.  We believe in compensating people fairly for the beauty they create.

Week 1: Shop Mexico: The Artisan Sisters, May 14, 2012

Shop Mexico: The Artisan Sisters

Welcome to our new online store — Shop Mexico: The Artisan Sisters. We are sisters in real life, Norma Hawthorne and Barbara Beerstein.  We are passionate collectors and supporters of artists and artisans who express the creativity and vitality of Oaxaca and Mexico.  Textiles and folk art are our passion.  Because of this, we fall in love with people and what they create along our journey.  For us, it is as much about the people we connect with than what we are buying. Invariably, we usually come home with much more than what we need.

Today we feature huipils + blusas from Oaxaca, Chiapas and Puebla!

This is to your advantage!  Our prices our reasonable.  We ship fast.  We have already made the purchase and paid the artist. We believe in compensating people fairly and immediately for the beauty they create.  We offer the best quality because that is what we expect for ourselves.

Each week, starting today, we will list a few select pieces for sale on this blog!  Look for the Artisan Sisters in your inbox.  

Week 1 — Shop Mexico: The Artisan Sisters.

#1_51412, Collector Quality Huipil, Las Margaritas, Chiapas, handwoven, $195

Detail, Las Margaritas textile

#1_51412:  This extraordinarily detailed huipil from the Mayan indigenous village of Las Margaritas, in the Los Altos (highlands) of Chiapas, is a finely woven piece of highest quality cotton cloth created on the backstrap loom.  The design is integrated and woven into weft of the cloth; it is not embroidered.  Size is ample and would fit U.S. size 14-18 comfortably.  It has three webs across the front and three webs across the back, each securely hand-embroidered together.  The huipil is 29″ wide across the front armpit to armpit and 30″ long from the shoulder seam.

Contact us first to make sure the item you want is still available.  We accept PayPal and will send you an invoice after we calculate packing and shipping costs.

#2_51412: Blusa, Cuetzalan, Puebla, hand-embroidered bodice, $175


Detail of Cuetzalan blusa, #2_51412

#2_51412: Cuetzalan is in the Sierra Norte of the State of Puebla, four hours from the city of Puebla high in the mountains. The Artisan Sisters traveled there by public long-distance bus.  The women there embroider intricate patterns of wildlife and flowers onto panels of cotton which become part of washable cotton blouses that are gently gathered across the chest.  This blusa is a stunning, intricate design, with finely finished inside seams.  The bodice stitches are really tiny.  Every inch of the bodice and sleeve fabric is covered in handwork.  Neckline and sleeves have lovely crocheted trim. Width armpit to armpit across the front is 25″.  Length from shoulder seam to hem is 30.”  Neckline opening is 13″ wide.

#3_51412: Blusa, San Vicente Coatlan, $85

 

 

Detail, blusa, San Vicente Coatlan

#3_51412:  This Blusa (blouse) from San Vicente Coatlan, is one of the most beautiful I have seen in Oaxaca.  It has lots of punto de cruz cross stitch patterning in multi-colors covering the entire bodice, extending out the shoulders, and trimming the sleeve edge.  The back collar is also embellished with fine detail. I don’t know how they do it.  The gathers are all done by hand, too.  This is a KNOCK-OUT.  Width from armpit to armpit across the front is 27″ wide.  Length from shoulder seam to hem is 34″ long.  Sleeves are 20″ long from the shoulder seam.  Embroidered panels sewn onto manta cotton (washable).