This is a special in-person two-hour embroidery class taught by our friend and master embroiderer Claribel. She has vast experience teaching different embroidery techniques in Guatemala, both to local communities and international visitors. We usually spend some time with her during our Textile Travels, too -- it's great fun to combine embroidery with her delicious cooking at her house.
"Randa" refers to a special embroidery technique that joins panels of handwoven textiles together decoratively. Handwoven Maya textiles are usually used to their fullest extent, meaning that weavings are not cut and are rather kept in the original woven panel shapes. Because backstrap weaving can only be as wide as the hips and physical strength allow, several panels must be combined to make one larger textile. This is when randa embroidery is used - for huipiles, cortes, tzutes, and other traditional textiles that require a larger piece of textile.
The class will be held on Friday, February 7th, from 10am - 12noon at our central Antigua studio located at 1a Avenida Sur #4B.
This session includes:
- Instruction by master embroideress Doña Claribel, with potential for Anita to help as assistant depending on class size.
- Translation by Kakaw staff
- Our Randa Guide in PDF form with pre-recorded videos prepared together with Claribel. This is an excellent resource for reviewing the steps! Download access will be sent automatically via email when you sign up for the class.
- All materials to practice the randa stitch, including fabric and naturally-dyed cotton threads.
- A light snack
Maximum 6 participants.
