DETAILS:

The San Xa Ho lumbar pillow is contemporary in design and features with two exquisitely hand-embroidered appliques from Vietnam in the center. The gray and black handwoven fabric is from Guatemala and has subtle jaspe designs. To compliment the colors of the embroideries, I selected Indonesian fabric which includes the ikat technique as well as an overshot surface technique. This one-of-a-kind accent pillow will be a beautiful addition to any room.

• 16 x 24”

• Front – cotton

• Back – linen, in black

• Zipper closure

• Polyester insert

• Fabric origins: Guatemala. Vietnam

THE STORY:

The San Xa Ho lumbar pillow is contemporary in design and features with two exquisitely hand embroidered appliques from Vietnam in the center. In 2001, UNESCO and Craft Link, a non-profit fair trade organization in Hanoi, initiated a handcraft project for Hmong women in Y Linh Ho, one of the three villages of San Xo Ho commune. To this day, the project continues and the women are reviving the traditional skills of embroidery and batik in order to make handcrafted products for income. This is one of many projects for Craft Link. During the six visits I have made to Vietnam, not once did I have the opportunity to visit the Hill Tribes in the northern part of Vietnam, but I must admit that the textiles produced by the Hill Tribes are notably some of my favorites.

Also incorporated in this pillow are beautiful examples of ikat fabrics from Guatemala and Indonesia. The Guatemalan ikat fabric, known as “jaspe” in Spanish, is very subtle in this pillow and the Indonesian ikat more colorful and traditional in design. The fabric also includes a woven overshot surface technique. 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 was first introduced to ikat on a trip to Indonesia in 1992. I continue to be amazed by beautiful and complex patterns the weavers can achieve with this technique of wrapping warp threads before the dyeing process. And then during the seven years I lived in Guatemala, I developed an even greater appreciation for “jaspe”, the Spanish word for ikat. This traditional technique is used for creating pattern in many Guatemalan fabrics. Driving through the Guatemalan 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.