WOMEN'S STORIES

I'm a woman who loves reading women's stories - throughout time and across cultures, contemplating what unites us and what separates us. One common thread is apparel: our relationship with our clothes. Many metaphors and sayings we use relate to sewing and weaving of our clothing, which in many cultures would be traditionally women's work. We spin yarns, we compliment a friend's outfit with "hey, nice threads!", we weave magic, and even the words text and textile have the same Latin root: "textere" to weave. It's thought that textiles were a language even before writing, and it's no surprise that some of us are in love with both the written word and the stitched word.



Often, the huipils I create are inspired by my own words, and often, by words, legends or stories of another. Since the early 1990s I've been enchanted by vintage huipils because they tell of a time when secrets and wisdom were woven into a garment for passing on to future generations. These are popular among textile collectors who love them not just for their colors and patterns, but also perhaps because we recognize the value of something richer and deeper than what we find in commercial cloth. They offer us a story of individuality within the context of community, and when we wear them, we might feel a part of "herstory" on a cellular or psychic level. As women, we've all learned that there are certain things not to be talked about, things we keep contained, and the huipil served as that kind of container for Mesoamerican weavers who were charged with keeping the wisdom alive.  

To an outsider, they may seem very much alike, but each huipil is as unique as the woman who weaves it. Each village has its own designs, colors and shapes, but each woman can weave her particular stories, hopes and dreams into her clothing. There are no two exactly alike.The color and pattern variations are reminiscent of nature itself - the feathers of a bird, the rows in a corn field, petals on a flower, the flow of a river. In this, we recognize that we are in nature and nature is in us. Like the "whole cloth" of the human race, what we have in common is so much more than what our differences might be. 

To celebrate my 'quinciñera', i.e.,15 years of creating alternative huipils, I've spent 2019 working on a book. Full color and bilingual, it's titled "Whispers in the Thread / Susurros en el Hilo." Those of you who have followed my blog all this time will recognize many of the works I've created throughout those years. It also features poems, stories, legends and a few selected works by contributing writers. Here's a sneak preview of the cover designed by Mary Meade. Printing is being done in Mexico City at Grupo Fogra, proof should be on the way this week. Color me excited!