If you want to read the whole story, from the beginning! Click here.
July 30th, 2014
The four cardinal points
For Mayas, the four cardinal points are sacred! They refer to them, and they bless them in a lot of ceremonies!
To me they represent their love to mother earth and nature.
This week, I changed my direction too, I’m staying on the other side of the mountains and closer to town. at Elvira’s house, the place where we have been dyeing since the beginning.
Elvira’s corn field
Corn field
Last Thursday we started our day by watching the MAIWA Documentary “Blue Alchemy, Stories of Indigo”. It’s a great film, and it shows stories from all different parts of the world.
I made the translation for them, and they were really touched by the part filmed in Mexico, where they could see an indigenous community dying with Indigo. The women of this community in Mexico make a cross before dying with indigo, just like a blessing, over the pot.
They really liked that, because to them the cross represents the four cardinal points. So now each time we start an indigo vat, we make a cross and we bless the cardinal points.
Indigo vat
By watching this movie they could really understand where Indigo comes from and how people from other cultures and other parts of the world dye.
Women reading the books
They are very interested in Natural Dyes, I’ve showed them some books and they really want to learn more about them.
They are even asking for some seeds to plant!
Everyday life
After watching the movie, we started dyieing. And we didn’t stop! Not even on Saturday or Sunday!
We dyed aproximately 70 pounds of yarn!
Dyed yarn
Cochineal, osage orange and madder
Yarn at Elvira’s house
We had some problems…
I decided to grind the dried avocados pits on the coffee machine, but it didn’t work out! And I broke it!
Fortunately, I found out that in the same place they grind corn everyday, they have a coffee grinder. So we went there and they grind it for us! Problema solved!
But we did have to grind the cochineal by hand…
Abelina and Fulgencia grinding the cochineal (red cochineal hands)
It’s really amazing how hard they work and how they do everything with a smile on their mouths! Always laughing and making jokes! That’s really something to learn from them.
They never stop, when they are not dyeing, winding balls or weaving, they are taking care of their animals (cows,ducks,hens,pigs), or working on their fields. Plus the normal housework because they all have kids and they need to take care of them.
Good quality is very important to them! and they pay a lot of attention to that.
They told me the other day: “Quality is very important because we want our clients to be happy with the product. If it’s not good enough, we need to find a solution and get better”
Women packing the kits
Their persistence is incredible!
Coming next…
We’ll keep up winding balls and making packages !
The kits are already out there! And they are selling like crazy!
Example of the towels you can make with this kits
You can find them by clicking here or in this address:
http://www.cottonclouds.com/shopping/kit_info.asp?id=3074&cat=Weaving&panelID=2
Don’t miss my next days here! I will be moving to Gilberta’s and lots of new adventures.
Wilaa wiib’ (good bye in achi)
Rocío
Tintes Naturales de San Rafael, Guatemala 
