Guatemalan Huipils | Handmade wearable art | clothing
Guatemalan Woman creating a warp from thread on a yarn winder.
Guatemalan women have been weaving on backstrap looms for centuries. They first start with raw cotton that they clean, dye, and spin. The dry thread is wound around a yarn winder to keep it from tangling while they weave it in and out of the pegs on a warping board. This warp will be set on the bars of the backstrap loom, and then they can begin the process of weaving Huipils and other beautiful textiles.
Guatemalan women wind yarn around the pegs of a warping board to create the warp when weaving textiles on a backstrap loom.
For many generations the women of Guatemala have woven beautiful Huipils and other textiles on backstrap looms. They start with raw cotton to make the yarn. After the weaver has prepared the yarn the next step is to wind it around pegs on a warping board. The different colored strings are crossed at some points to separate the colors and create a striped pattern. This is called a ‘warp’ and it is attached to bars of the backstrap loom when it is finished. The length of the warp determines how long the textile will be.
Candis Krummel’s Weaving Center and Museum is a must-see if you are visiting Santiago Atitlan.
