THE REBOZO – Mexican’s most important wardrobe piece

My last inspiring journey earlier this year brought me to fantastic Mexico (see previous posts), where I came across the country’s most important piece in every woman’s wardrobe and an unique and essential piece for their look: THE REBOZO. It is an attractive, various and elegant cloth and can be carried to protect oneself from the sun, the cold, for mourning and carrying goods and even childern.

As this beautiful piece of history and indigenous roots stands for high quality Mexican handcrafting and ancient waving techniques www.silviagattin.com decided it to be the next focus of her new collection, the REBOZO BAGS.

See here the age-old traditional process of making a rebozo:

STEP 1: Devanando el Hílo – the thread is placed on a reel in order to start the threading process

STEP 2: Urdido de Tela: This step defines the length and width of the fabric

STEP 3: El pepenado: The threads are sorted out to make strings

STEP 4: Boleado: The strings are then soaked with “atole water” – a Mexican recipe made out of corn which facilitates the drawing

STEP 5: Dibujado del rebozo: Once the strings are properly divided patterns are drawn on them

STEP 6: Amarrado del Rebozo: small pieces of white thread are used to cover any spaces between the threads and to keep them together

STEP 7: Tenido de Tela: during this process the thread is given color using natural pigments. Every color used gives the final fabric

STEP 8: Enrollado del Veteado: the colorful threads are rolled up as shown below

STEP 9: Urdido de Veteado: this process redefines the size of the final fabric

STEP 10: Desatado de la Tela: the white pieces of thread placed to keep the string together are carefully cut away leaving different patterns on the thread

STEP 11: Tejido del Rebozo

STEP 12: The next step would be to dye the end of the Rebozo called “Rapacejo”, but in the case of the Rebozo bags the pattern and design continues to the last piece of thread making our products original and different

STEP 13: Empuntado del Rebozo: this step is completely handmade and one of the most important as it gives the final fabric its unique design

STEP 14: Planchado del Rebozo: this is the last step in making a rebozo and it consists of ironing the thread giving it the final texture

THE REBOZO BAGS WILL BE ONLINE AND FOR SALE FROM 16/05/2012 ON WWW.SILVIAGATTIN.COM