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News from The Folk Tree
217 South Fair Oaks Avenue Pasadena, CA 91105
(626) 795-8733
HOURS: M-W, 11-6; Th-Sat, 10-6; Sun, 12-5
    
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NEW GUATEMALAN FABRIC
These cotton fabrics were handwoven on a treadle loom, introduced by the Spanish to Mayan weavers shortly after the conquest in the 1500s. Initially only men used these more expensive and cumbersome looms. The backstrap loom, used exclusively by women, was around long before the arrival of the Spanish. Unlike the treadle loom, the backstrap loom allows the weaver to brocade intricate designs into the fabric as it is woven. Both forms of weaving are still used in Guatemala today.
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