We were thrilled to visit Ranchos de las Golondrinas the day before yesterday. I visited there as a school trip years ago (how many—I’m not telling, ha ha) and they now have a tie in with the American Girl doll Josephina, so my daughter (who is reading the books) was interested to see it.
They were very sweet and we arranged a tour when the museum would normally be closed (us and four other families)—and they had a staff, for the gift shop, guide, and help with the movie! It was great (but this is all for another post).
What I discovered there was that they have revived Colcha embroidery! It’s lovely—done with wool (like crewel) and really gorgeous! They use as much of the thread on the front as possible and just take little bites out of the back (to conserve on materials. Often, they completely covered the front of a piece.
I found this article about it online, with great instructions.
And I also purchased a book, New Mexico Cocha Club, Spanish Colonial Embroidery & the Women Who Saved It, so far a really great book with some yummy pictures!
With my interest in crewel, I’m definitely going to try this out and see how it looks! There are no rules—and you know how I love that! Grin!
Originally published on Frequently Wrong But Never In Doubt
