Handspun Bed Throw with Traditional Brocade 4

//This is a One-of-a-Kind artwork listed on our Artisan Direct section, brought to you straight from the weavers.//

Made with locally-grown organic heirloom ixcaco <ish-kako> cotton handspun and then handwoven by Doña Marta and her family at San Juan la Laguna. The gorgeous brown cotton fibers can only be handspun by master spinners, as the fibers are shorter than those of the more common white cotton. But the brown hue is from the natural cotton fibers themselves - this color is not from a dye, and this means the color will not fade. It also reduces water use (dyeing requires water for the dye vats and washing).

Doña Marta shared with us that she learned how to weave these brocade figures when she was a young girl. These are traditional figures that used to be more commonly woven in her hometown, a practice that has somehow been left behind in recent decades. She shared with us how her hands still remember what to do on the loom -- the figures started to "weave themselves."

We love this connection with tradition, history, handmade practices... and this extra large blanket is as cozy as can be. Three backstrap-woven panels were joined with gentle hand-embroidery to make this piece.

Material: Local organic ixcaco handspun cotton for both warp and weft. Supplementary weft threads for brocade are rayon blend. 

Care: Wash with gentle detergent by hand and line dry. The fibers were starched for weaving, this may still be felt through the blanket has already been washed post-weaving. It will get softer and softer with use and wash.

Measurements: 

Width: 47 inches

Length: 80 inches plus 3 inches of twisted fringes on both ends