Handwoven Cotton Tote in Azul

Carry your world in a work of art

A handwoven cotton tote made on the telar de cintura, the backstrap loom that has been used in Mexico since before the Spanish arrived. The weaver ties one end of the warp to a post and wraps the other around her own back, so the tension of every thread comes from the way she sits and leans. That is why handwoven cloth has a hand that a machine cannot copy, and why no two bags come out quite the same.

Deep blue with narrow stripes in pink, red, yellow, turquoise, and black, scattered with small raised knots and broken by bands of openwork. Roomy enough for the market, the beach, or a laptop and a notebook, and light enough that you forget you are carrying it until someone stops you to ask where you found it.

Materials and Details

• 100% cotton: breathable, strong, and washable, and it softens with use rather than wearing thin
• Telar de cintura (backstrap loom): a pre-Hispanic technique in which the weaver's own body holds the warp tension, worked thread by thread
• Braided straps: hand braided from the same cotton, long enough to wear over the shoulder or across the body
• Openwork bands: worked into the weave rather than cut into the finished cloth

Why You'll Love It

• Made entirely by hand by artisans in Mexico, from the warp to the braid on the strap
• The raised knots and openwork bands are added during weaving, not sewn on afterward, which takes real skill and time
• Roomy and durable enough to be your everyday bag, not a bag you save for special occasions
• A one-of-a-kind piece in a world of identical bags
• A gift for anyone who would rather own one beautiful thing than five ordinary ones

Perfect For

The farmers market, travel days, the beach, the studio, and anyone who carries too much and refuses to apologize for it.

Care

Spot clean with cool water and a mild soap. If it needs a full wash, hand wash in cold water, press the water out rather than wringing, reshape while damp, and lay flat or hang to dry out of direct sun. Skip bleach and the dryer.

Details

• Material: 100% handwoven cotton
• Technique: telar de cintura
  
• Made in: Teotitlan de Valle, Mexico

Every bag is woven by hand, so pattern, color placement, and size will vary slightly from what is pictured. That variation is the signature of the loom, not a flaw.