The Rosso Corsa pillow was made from beautiful handwoven fabric from a vintage “huipil”, the traditional garment worn by Indigenous women in Guatemala. Incorporated in the weave are colorful flower motifs and inlaid zigzag patterns which complement red and burgundy ikat fabric from Indonesia. This one-of-a-kind pillow will add a bright spot of color into any room setting.

DETAILS:

• 22” x 22” (55.8 cm x 55.8 cm)

• Front - cotton

• ·Back – linen, in turquoise

• Zipper closure

• Polyester  pillow insert

THE STORY:

This over large pillow is made from a vintage huipil worn by indigenous women in Solala, Guatemala.

It is from my collection of huipils and other handwoven textiles collected during the seven years I lived in Guatemala.  I love the bright red fabric with the thin black stripes which are the traditional style of huipils in this area of Guatemala.  The fabric is woven on a backstrap loom and decorated with multi-colored images of flowers made using the supplemental weft technique.  There are two colorful inlaid zigzag patterns, one a horizontal solid brocade and the other a pointed vertical design which adds another beautiful element to this piece of fabric.

To compliment the Guatemalan fabric, I chose a red, burgundy and gray ikat fabric from Java, Indonesia. The quiet simplistic design of this ikat pairs well with the lively Guatemalan fabric.  

The ikat technique involves wrapping warp threads to create a resist before placing the warp in a dye bath.  Each color in the fabric requires re-wrapping to protect the previously dyed threads.  This fabric comes from Pekerti, a fair trade producer I have visited many times while working for Serrv International.  I have embellished the pillow front by adding yellow glass beads in a zigzag pattern.