Good morning dear friends! While many of you from abroad are welcoming springtime, we here in Antigua prepare for the beginning of our “winter.” That’s right, for us here in Guatemala the rainy season is considered by many as the “winter-time,” and the rainy afternoons prompt one's desires for coziness and quiet contemplation. Nevertheless, here at Loom Tree we press on and continue to come up with new designs and ideas! In the past I have tried to keep this blog focused on the philosophy and ethos of my business, and less on showing off the products. After all, when it comes to the intricate artistry of handmade textiles it is really very important to not only see but also feel and touch the fabric. I find that photographs sometimes just don't do it justice. However, these past few months we have achieved some truly lovely results, and I am very proud to share these with you today!
On my recent voyages to Turkey and Morocco I rediscovered much of the passion and love I have for textiles, and it reminded me of the incredible love I have for the textiles of Guatemala, a love that inspired my trans-Atlantic move all those years ago. After all, the textiles I saw in my trips last year harbor amazing similarities with the traditional textiles of Central America. One thing I loved from the weavers I saw in Morocco especially, was their willingness to play with their traditional motifs, and recently we decided to do the same. Inspired by our weavers of Almolonga, located in the Quetzaltenango Department of Guatemala, we made this bedroom set of pillows and throws that employ a kind of “zig-zag” pattern. Well, this “zig-zag” is actually an enlargement of the Almolonga traditional pattern, and is a technique that our Kʼicheʼ (Quiché) weavers know very well.
Speaking of techniques, I am very proud of these next ones. This selection of pieces done in khaki, bone, and black required the use of five different types of looms to complete! Remember, everything we do is handmade, and we employ a bunch of different kinds of looms, from the iconic backloom to the larger looms you can use to make carpets. This set required each piece to be inserted into a loom, worked on, then taken out of said loom and put into another one, over and over totalling five times. I don’t usually brag but I simply must congratulate my amazing team of weavers for mastering this process! Anyone with experience on a loom will tell you, it is no easy thing to move an unfinished textile around like this. But we are no strangers to these techniques here at Loom Tree. In fact one of our best selling fabrics is the “fluffy” textile which you can see in the little footstools we have been making for some time now. That “fluffy” fabric requires the use of three looms to make.
As usual you can always see more of these new items, as well as our expansive stock of handmade goods, by visiting us in Antigua or via our virtual visits you can book online!
Happy beginning of springtime everyone!
Sincerely,
Carmen