I was distraught to see the
cover of the latest
Wisteria catalogue.
cover of the latest
Wisteria catalogue.
On the sofa was a collection of pillows
of Otomi design.
of Otomi design.
I noticed that they were being
done by machine using a crewel pattern.
The first thing that I noticed was that,
of course, the pattern on the pillows was exactly
the same on each one.
of course, the pattern on the pillows was exactly
the same on each one.
Definitely machine made, probably
in China or India.
One of the attractions of this ancient art
to me was that the
to me was that the
Otomi women embroidered them
free hand so that each was different.
Of the hundreds I have
sold, they were all one of a kind.
free hand so that each was different.
Of the hundreds I have
sold, they were all one of a kind.
Insects, fauna, animals, flowers.
You always noticed something different as you
lived with them.
A decade ago I went to the
Enart trade show in
Tlaquepaque, Mexico.
I am always looking for new textiles and
I found this family who had lived
for generations in the
Sierra Madre Mountains and hand
embroidered fabric.
I placed an order and requested
that they all the pieces
be done in one sold color.
And in thread colors that they
normally didn't use.
I immediately started a great
relationship with these artists.
They were so kind and caring and just
needed any outlet to support
their families.
My disappointment was that this would
greatly cut into how many
I sold, and then ordered from Mexico.
The Wisteria pillows are
listed for $69 each.
So this is an example of
how doing trade with China has
a global effect.
Kind of sad.
