Meet our Artisans:

WEAVERS_Diamante Collection

A family and group of master weavers in Guatemala City make the most difficult weave in the collection, the brocaded “Diamante”. This group is from the area of San Marcos but have resided in the capital city for many years to service the wider market for sophisticated upholstery and home décor textile products. They are known in Guatemala as the most accomplished foot loom weavers, and have pioneered many types of brocade weaving that previously were only able to be made on backstrap looms.

 

WEAVERS_Raya Collection

The second group of weavers, makers of “Raya”, are Cakchiquel-speaking Mayans who live in San Antonio Palopó overlooking Lake Atitlán. Both men and women weave in this village of adobe houses built against the slope of the beautiful volcanic lake. Women weave belts, hair bands, and friendship bracelets on very narrow looms called "telar de palitos," and continue to weave their huipiles (blouses) on backstrap looms just as their ancestors have for more than a thousand years. Men weave on standard-sized foot looms. They make scarves and table runners and placemats of very tightly-woven cottons in a wide variety of stripes.

 

WEAVERS_El Sol Collection

The ikat fabric “Sol” is made by a master weaver from Totonicapan, the center of Guatemalan ikat weaving. The ikat process involves tie-dyeing long bunches of thread in predetermined intervals. After the dye has set the thread knots are cut, producing undyed sections. The thread is then meticulously set up in the warp of a loom producing unique patterns and images.

Meet our Artisans:

SEWING GROUPS

Most of our sewn products are made by a weaver's cooperative in Solola. This cooperative was started in 1983 with the goal of producing income for a group of Mayan widows whose husbands were killed during the conflict between a right-wing led Guatemalan Army and Marxist guerrillas. The cooperative at present has 180 members that produce lovely backstrap-loom cotton textiles and stunning rayon chenilles. The majority of the women in the cooperative work from home so that they can also look after their children.

Nest is a nonprofit organization dedicated to changing the lives of women in developing countries. The mission of Nest is to support women artists and artisans in the developing world by helping them create sustainable entrepreneurial businesses. To do this, Nest provides micro-credit loans to be used for the purchase of the supplies and materials necessary to begin and/or maintain art and craft-based businesses. To learn more about Nest please visit their website www.buildanest.com