Crossroads Trade
carries a wide range of textiles for the home. On the following
pages, you will see rugs from Peru and cushion covers from
Palestine and Bolivia. Soon we will add potholders and hangings
to the site.
Crossroads Trade's rugs are the result of
door-to-door scouting in a Peruvian
rug-weaving village. Most of the work you see here is by one
weaver. Rugweaver Hernan's work is distinguished by the fineness
of the thread. The high thread-count per inch is sturdier,
and allows for greater detail and more subtle shading than
is usually seen.
The thread is handspun utilizing a
drop spindle. Dyes are natural, including eucalyptus leaves,
beans and cochinilla, a spider living on cactus.
Embroidery is a rich tradition among Palestinian
women. The designs, such as cypress or palm trees, corn ears
or stars, are based on motifs brought by each woman from her
region or village. These motifs have been adapted for contemporary
uses. For example, you'll find designs from a bride's handkerchief
or chest panel from a traditional dress on cushion covers,
table runners and purses.
Crossroads Trade's Palestinian embroidery
is bought directly from a women's employment project in several
refugee camps. Your purchase helps impoverished women support
their families and practice their traditional arts amidst
cultural disruption.
The bayeta de la tierra fabric used in these Bolivian cushion
covers is made of handspun sheep's wool, woven on what is called a
'Spanish loom'. (We would call it a floor loom.) This kind of loom is
usually used by men in Bolivia. The women weave on the traditional
Aymara looms which are made up of a series of sticks, stakes in the
ground and the yarns. The man's loom requires sitting on a bench
whereas the women's loom is used sitting on the ground. In daily life
and community meetings this is also the seating that is most confortable
for the men and women.
The dyes are natural. Many of the earth tones are derived from walnut
leaves. These need no mordant to fix the dye, because the walnut leaves
contain tanic acid. The tones vary, depending on the type of pot used
to boil the leaves. Cooking the leaves in a small oil drum, for
example, produces the olive tones.
Cochinilla, or cochineal is a dye derived from a spider that
lives on cactus. All of the reds, burgundies, purples and orange are
from cochinilla. Mordants include lemons and iron. Using an aluminum
pot brightens these tones. Other dyes include carrot tops, thola
(a small bush that grows on the altiplano), tara-tara (a seed pod),
as well as eucalyptus leaves and scotch broom.
