A Day to Wear Green Wherever you go Whatever you do May the luck of the Irish Be with you Today is St Patrick’s Day and since my grandmother was Irish, as a child, I always considered this a very special day. I loved all the stories of the “wee people” and I was sure…

C is for Candlewicking    This is the third blog in my series of alphabetical themed textile topics ( A is for Amalac, B is for Burlap) If you are not familiar with this needlework technique, it is understandable  as this type of embroidery is not common today.  The history of candlewicking goes back to…

The Amano Museum of Pre-Columbian Textiles         Calle Retiro 160          Miraflores, Lima, Peru As you may have gathered from reading my blogs on textile history, I have not restricted my studies to any particular area , but have researched textiles from prehistoric to contemporary.  The information on recent…

Again, I have been reading Fashion Victims.  This time it was the chapter entitled “Entangled and Strangled: Caught in the Machine.  One of the reasons I return to this  reference  is that each chapter has many, many examples of the perils of fashion.                        …

Vicuna Just after the holidays we took a quick trip to South America, visiting Peru and Argentina. The fibers of  Peru include llama, alpaca and vicuna.  I discussed alpaca fiber  (1/7/17 Alpaca Christmas Gift) so today we will visit the vicuna, probably less known. Llams, alpacas and vicunas are members of the family of camelids. …

Alpaca Scarf As a Christmas gift my husband gave me a beautiful alpaca scarf woven in Bolivia.  According to the hang tag. Bolivia Fair Trade “ brings hand made products to the North American consumer market from artisan groups, cooperatives and small businesses in Bolivia.  We promote Fair Trade with our purchasing practices, and we…