Che Cu Nha
Che Cu Nha
DETAILS:
The one-of-a-kind Che Cu Nha throw pillow celebrates the delicate and harmonious combination of indigo dyed batik from northern Vietnam, beautiful intricate Indonesian ikat and the traditional backstrap woven jaspe fabric from Guatemala. This decorative pillow will be a welcome addition to any room where it is placed.
20" x 20"
Front cotton
Back - linen, in beige
Zipper closure
Down duck feather insert
Fabric origins: Vietnam, Indonesia, Guatemala
THE STORY:
The unique Che Cu Nha accent pillow is a wonderful example of a delicate and harmonious combination of batik motifs, stripes, and small red and yellow meticulously appliqued dots at the top left corner of the pillow. The indigo dyeing with different levels of light and dark shades on the same drawing is quite unique, and the motifs also have special cultural significance. The Flower Hmong women of Che Cu Nha are a project of Craft Link, a non-profit fair trade organization whose objective is to preserve traditional techniques as well as cultural identity while improving lives through handicraft production. Six times I have visited Vietnam but not once did I have the opportunity to visit any of the Hill Tribes in the northern part of Vietnam, which is unfortunate because the textiles made by the Hill Tribes are notably some of my favorites.
Below the batik is beautiful example of intricate Indonesian ikat, also with a variety of dark and light blue indigo shades. Ikat is the exact art of wrapping warp threads to form a resist before submerging the warp into the dye bath. It requires the re-wrapping of threads if more than one color is used in the fabric. It is a very precise technique to ensure a consistent pattern. I purchased the Indonesian fabric used in this pillow from Pekerti, a fair trade organization I have worked with for many years which is located on the island of Java. My first visit was in 1992 as a consultant of SERRV International and then, years later, as a Buyer for SERRV. The first visit opened my eyes to the beautiful ikat weaving of Indonesia.
Framing the pillow on the right side is a traditional Guatemalan indigo and red cotton jaspe fabric. The simplicity of its stripe formation complements the other two intricate patterns. During the seven years I lived in Guatemala, I developed a great appreciation for jaspe, the traditional technique for creating pattern in Guatemalan fabrics. It is the same dye-resist technique used for the Indonesian ikat. This fabric is from the area of Totonicipan, located in the Highlands of Guatemala. Driving through the Highlands, it was common to see men along the roadside laying out hundreds of yards of warp stretched on poles and binding threads in a resist-dye technique to create a pattern.