Hello again dear friends of Loom Tree! Greetings from the beautiful and sunny Antigua Guatemala! This month I wanted to speak to you about a very special kind of textile we make here. A textile that despite being completely made from cotton, actually shines like silk! Pictures never do this textile justice, so I've always had a hard time showcasing it, but recently we tried to incorporate this technique with a very strong and vibrant purple, and boy did it shine (literally). The sumptuous purple hue we used is a color we rarely work with, but I had gotten my hands on some beautiful angora wool dyed in this purple, and wanted to make some textiles to match. Luckily the vibrancy is so strong that the shine translates well even in pictures, which now makes it easier for me to introduce it to all of you!
The technique for making this is quite special as well. It involves two different looms and a LOT of skill. In fact, even I don't understand the ins and outs of how my weavers achieve this. I have only a couple who know how, and despite them explaining it to me, there is definitely some secret details that they keep to themselves. A few weeks ago, when we received these fabrics from them, they greeted me with a very satisfied grin. They know very well how much I enjoy this technique, especially when it is successful. Sadly, it is not successful with every color, and we have had some hits and some misses in the past. However, this time it was clear they had achieved something special! And boy did they! Remember: this is not silk, nor does this have any synthetic materials that contribute to the shine; this is 100% the normal matte cotton we usually use. Those highlights you see in the pictures have not been manipulated, nor did we shine a direct light onto it for dramatic purposes. Pay special attention to the difference between the shine of the purple textile in comparison to the black.
Like I said, we have had success with this technique in other colors (note a couple of them above). However, the most success we have had so far has been with this purple. As previously stated, I originally had the purple set made to match some angora wool in that color, so we made a very limited amount (only two full sets of pillows and their adjoining bedspreads), yet within the first couple days of having them on sale they immediately got picked up! But rest assured we will make more! I hope, if anything, this at least shows the true talent and artistry my weavers are in possession of. Truly I cannot say this enough: for a textile designer being in Guatemala is absolutely amazing!
As always, thank you for reading!
Sincerely,
Carmen