Deposit for From Fiber to Fabric, TBD

Update Jan 2024: This trip is officially closed for sign-ups. If you'd like to be on the waitlist, please email mari@kakawdesigns.com.

//This is a non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot for the itinerary in April 2024. If you have any questions, please contact Mari at mari@kakawdesigns.com. Deadline to sign up is January 15th, 2023. Please check our FAQ sheet for more information on our Textile Travels. Wondering how to compare the different itineraries? See our blog post. Not applicable for store discounts (we will correct the discount in your second invoice).//

We are ecstatic to offer this unique content-rich opportunity again in collaboration with our local dyeing and weaving partners. We have had such a great time slowing down and dedicating attention to processes and people, and we're looking forward to another fantastic week!

Learn from beginning to end the traditional handmade processes involved for textile production:

• Growing organic cotton (including heirloom ixcaco)
• Spinning cotton using a "malacate," a traditional drop spindle
• Looking for and harvesting local dye plants
• Dyeing with natural dyes (plants and cochineal)
• Visiting a local cochineal farm
• Designing and making warp ikat patterns by hand
• Setting up a backstrap loom
• Backstrap weaving (plain weave). The finished loom is for you to take home and continue weaving!

This has been a popular itinerary for families and friends to sign up together. If you would like to participate with children, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate your group.

<Read about traveling with kids on our blog>

What's included?

• Five nights at Lake Atitlán at a lake-front lodge that is locally-owned and operated, with plenty of common outdoor space to practice our crafts
• Two nights in Antigua at our favorite hotel that feels like a home away from home
• All meals except for two meals at Lake Atitlán which are "free-time"
• All small group workshops and one-on-one instruction in open-air settings, sometimes overlooking the beautiful lake
• Local tamales-cooking class using familiar ingredients in different ways
• All materials for you to make your own backstrap loom to take home, as well as adding one garment or fiber of your choice to a dye pot
• Beginner cotton spinning kit with a traditional malacate for you to take home
• All in-country transport with a trusted driver. This means also airport transfers between Aurora Airport (Guatemala City) and Antigua.
• A private boat at Lake Atitlán
• A printed-out "Antigua Guide" we have developed with our favorite places around town for participants to explore before and/or after the group trip
• Two bilingual guides for the whole trip, with additional local village facilitators for workshops and activities

Min 6 pax / Max 12 pax

$1950 per person in single-occupancy rooms. Take $150 off per person when signing up together and sharing a room.

Reserve your spot with a $300 deposit. The deposit is per person. So if signing up with a friend, please purchase two deposits (and select "double room").

NOTES:

• COVID-19 vaccination required to participate.
• This itinerary includes home-cooked meals in a rural community. We cannot guarantee changes to the menu to meet dietary restrictions. We will do our best, but those with special dietary needs should be prepared with snacks in case an alternative cannot be provided during home visits.
• The hotels we use for this trip have plenty of steps, and the village visits require some walking. We ask that individuals with mobility challenges seriously consider these factors. When in doubt, please reach out and ask!
• The rest of the payment for this itinerary will be invoiced after the sign-up deadline (January 15th, 2023). Instructions will follow. We are happy to work out a flexible payment schedule.