In 2003, Dick and Mary bought Wilber's Tree of Life Tapestry ' The Niño Perdido' ( the lost child) and they've proudly displayed it ever since. That was Wilber's first trip to Minnesota, and the first time he wove his compelling life story. Imagine, being able to weave...

Every year when it's close to the end of Wilber Quispe's summer stay, a few special pieces come off the loom about now. We have 4 looms here in Minnesota, three for Wilber and one for me! I don't aim to finish my weaving in a timely manner, I'm more exercising the right side of...

I was very fortunate to go to Italy recently. Amongst the many highlights was a visit to the Antico Setificio Florentino Silk Factory in Florence. I had a photocopied section of the Florence section of the book The Coat Route: Craft, Luxury, & Obsession on the Trail of a $50,000...

The Puno area of Peru is one of the most economically stressed in the country. It's also the knitting capital of South America. I first started working with 'Minka' a co-op of women and the first in Peru to be certified 'Fair Trade' back in 1990. Their work is very unique due...

When Wilber Quispe is here in Minnesota every summer, he get's a certain amount of repair work that is the result of a dog chew. To be able to undo the area around the hole, which means un-weaving enough space in all directions to then reweave the warp or weft back into the piece, takes a...

Wilber Quispe, ArtAndes long time esteemed weaver, has had to make some difficult changes to help assure the continuance of the craft. Back in 2000, Wilber saved his money, after his first 4 years of rug orders with ArtAndes, and built his workshop back in his home area of Ayacucho. This is the...

When Maximo weaves a tapestry, hand plying the yarn for the specific design is a very important step. To achieve the painterly quality of the tapestries, there can be a dozen different colors of alpaca yarn, plied together, taking hours or days, to prepare enough yarn for a tapestry. The...

The next generation of weavers is more scarce than ever experienced. With the allure of a mining or a construction job in the current gold rush, albeit not usually a good job, it draws people away from their cultural art and heritage. We don't see the interest that was once there. We work...

TheTextile Trunk Show Tour Goes WestDriving a cargo van of textiles from MN to California & Arizona, is a great excuse for a scenic road trip. This was my 4th year of promoting Peru textiles & travel. A unique and fun way to market. It's a combination of staging homes...

This is an exciting time of year, when master weaver Maximo Laura comes to town. This visit comes at the end of the year for markets and shows, a year that has generated alot of new interest in Maximo's tapestries. During Maximo's week in the Stillwater/Minneapolis area, we will...