Hello again dear friends of Loom Tree! Warm greetings from rainy Antigua Guatemala! Finally the rainy reason has brought us some much needed cooler weather, and I can bear to sit down and write something without melting in my seat. For a long time I have wanted to say something about a favorite yet still quite underrated element of our production: the tassels. If you know our work well you will surely have seen them lining our bedspreads, on the ends of our tiebacks for curtains, or sometimes even on our napkin rings. Its so easy to overlook these elements, yet there is quite a bit of artistry that goes into them, and lets be honest, who doesn't love playing with a nice tassel? Some people think they are a bit too "old-fashioned" (they were used almost everywhere in textiles of the Victorian era), and with today's fascination with minimalism it's easy to dismiss the tassel. Yet despite all that there is rarely a visitor in our shop that doesn't play with them at some point during their visit.
In traditional Guatemalan weaving tassels are commonly used, but usually they are small and result from the need to tie the loose threads on the edge of fabrics when they come off the looms. Larger more elaborate tassels in Guatemala are usually seen in the textiles used in churches. Over the years it has become very popular in Antigua to use tassels throughout the textiles of your home. In my opinion they can add a lot of elegance with a degree of playfulness. Here in Loom Tree we carry quite a variety, from small to large, fluffy to smooth, elaborate to simple, you name it. One of our most popular options we have jokingly called "uvas" or "grapes" due to the balls of varying sizes that descend from a rope. When I say that people enjoy playing with tassels in our shop, these are the tassels that get played with the most!
So, dear friends, when you visit us next time don't be afraid to enjoy the playfulness of a nice tassel!
Sincerely,
Carmen