Crossroads Trade carries a wide range of textiles for the home. Below you will find rugs from Peru and Romania, and cushion covers from Palestine, Bolivia, and Mexico. Soon we hope to add potholders and hangings to the site.

Peruvian Rugs: Crossroads Trade's Peruvian 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.

Romanian Rugs: New to our website in 2005 are rugs from a women's cooperative in the Oltenia region of Romania. These are flat-weave rugs, made on tapestry looms, in motifs depicting local flora and fauna, and images derived from centuries of Ottoman rule . Both natural and commercial dyes are used. The warp threads are always cotton, and the weft threads are wool. Romanian rugs were used traditionally to decorate walls (to help keep the house warm), beds and benches.

Palestinian Cushions: 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.

Bolivian Cushions: 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. 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. 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.

Mexican Cushions: Crossroads Trade’s Mexican cushion covers are made by a Mayan women’s cooperative in the state of Chiapas. Daily living conditions are very hard. Chiapas has been the locus of concerted efforts by the Mexican government to eradicate traditional Mayan beliefs and practices. Poverty, violence and resistance have been the norm. The cooperative loans money to new members to get started. Cotton and dyes are purchased collectively to save costs. The coop holds design workshops for its members. Whereas Mexican men use floor looms introduced by the Conquitadors, women weave on backstrap looms, developed centuries prior. Using their bodies to create tension in the warp threads, women have traditionally woven clothing. The backstrap loom is extraordinarily versatile. These cushion covers enable women to continue using traditional motifs and methods, while developing products of interest in the dominant culture.