Within the mix of textiles I think about as being part of the Southwest frontier include the brightly embroidered shawls, blouses and quilts that originated from Mexico and its Spanish origins. In doing a little research, the majority of what I think of as Spanish or Mexican embroidery is the "Colcha" embroidery. [1] Colcha embroidery was originally used to mend holes in bed spreads called Colchas and the Colcha stitch was a method that preserved yarn at a time when textiles were the result of a long process of collecting wool from sheep and turning it into yarn. [2]
The wool on wool Colcha embroidery is one of the few textiles developed and made in New Mexico during the Spanish Colonial period. [3] Wool used for Colcha embroidery was dyed using indigenous plants and the designs reflected the animals and plants that women saw in their daily lives. [4] While commercial yardage and yarns did eventually become available and started to influence styles and compositions of embroidery, the remoteness of the regions in New Mexico where Colcha was practiced meant that women had to be resourceful and the Colcha tradition was further defined by the use of recycled textiles. [5]
One of the best resources I found on Colcha Embroidery is the book "New Mexico Colcha Club" which covers the history of Colcha embroidery as well as efforts by a group of women in New Mexico to preserve the technique and share its history. [6] The book explains that the Colcha style uses just one stitch - the "Colcha" stitch - rather than a combination of stitches. [7]
(Photo from the book "New Mexico Colcha Club")
The author of "New Mexico Colcha Club" believes that the Colcha stitch provided an easy and extremely flexible stitch that could be used to cover a large quilt faster than any other stitch. [8]
(Photo from the book "New Mexico Colcha Club")
The availability of factory made cotton fabric and finer plied yarns mentioned above did result in a new branch of Colcha embroidery with a change in design. [9]. Designs of freestanding motifs were used more than a covering of the entire ground with a continuum of stitches as with the wool on wool style. The Colcha stitch was still the fundamental, dominant stitch in the wool on cotton branch of Colcha embroidery but additional types of stitches - chain, stem, satin and split stitches - were also used. [10]
(Photo from the book "New Mexico Colcha Club")
Colcha embroidery died off at the turn of the century as the textiles used in the Southwest became more of the purchased, factory made variety and less of the wool that was locally woven and decorated. I've read a few different accounts of women who made a concerted effort to preserve and teach Colcha embroidery. "New Mexico Colcha Club" covers the efforts of Maria Adela Teofila Ortiz Lujan to establish a social club that met monthly to share patterns, work on Colcha projects and enjoy each other's company. [11] The history of Colcha embroidery was also preserved through the Spanish Colonial Arts Society in New Mexico which acquired and displayed historic Colcha embroideries. [12] The tradition of Colcha embroidery continues to be carried out by women in New Mexico, including Esther Vigil the daughter of Teofila Lujan. Ms. Vigil displays her Colcha artwork and has taught classes on the history and technique of Colcha. [13]
(Photo from the book "New Mexico Colcha Club")
I think a lot about what attracts me to quilting, embroidery and other textile art forms. I get glimpses of it when I read about preservation efforts of traditional techniques or stories of women who enjoyed the same textile hobbies hundreds of years ago that I enjoy now. These fiber art forms provided women over the centuries with a creative outlet and an opportunity to bond and socialize. It's an art form that's more likely to be taught from mother to daughter, or between friends than taught in a formal setting but it should be preserved and celebrated in the same way that painting or sculpture is preserved. I so admire the effort it takes to maintain historic techniques when the world wants things quicker and easier each decade. Reading about historic textile art forms and the women who defined them is always inspirational for me and I hope you all were inspired as well!
References:
[1] Deborah Busmeyer, A Stitch Out of Time (July, 2016) https://www.newmexico.org/nmmagazine/articles/post/art-nm-97074/
[2] Busemeyer
[3] Lynne Robinson, Colcha: Stitches and Stories (June, 2019)
[4] Robinson
[5] Robinson
[6] Nancy C. Benson, New Mexico Colcha Club, Spanish Colonial Embroidery & The Women Who Save It, (Museum of New Mexica Press, 2008)
[7] Benson, 48
[8] Benson, 59
[9] Benson, 70
[10] Benson, 71
[11] Benson, 103
[12] Benson, 109
[13] Benson, 155