Textile Making In Colonial America

Native Americans had the earliest experiences with textile-making in North America. Dating back to the 1600's, they showed the English settlers how to make fishing nets using a process of cord wrapping. Over time, the Native Americans grew to depend on European trade materials or imports. By 1640, the production of handmade textiles, such as woven, knitted, and embroidered material began. In these early American times, Colonial textiles made an appearance as well. Colonial Americans traditionally practiced weaving and one interesting fact to note is that one in every three families owned at least one spinning wheel. These early American textiles were called homespuns. Cotton, linen, and wool were the most popular clothing materials in the colonies.
These examples include the following: Temoaya tapetes, Zarapes del saltillo, Tapetes de oaxaca, Alpaca tapetes, textiles of Peru, Guatemala tapete and Tapetes de flores. Starting off with Temoaya tapetes, which are rugs that are traditionally passed down through generations. These rugs are used for daily purposes, but the older they are, the less they are used. Zarapes del saltillo are located in Coahuila, which is North of Mexico. They were originally used for protection and warmth in the dessert. Today, they are used as blankets, bedspreads, table runners and more. They are also known as a highly symbolic garment. Tapetes de oaxaca are located in Oaxaca, Mexico. The specific patterns and colors used depend on the region and tribe. Most of the rugs and blankets are hung up on the wall, in order to preserve the life-long tradition and not ruin the textiles. Next, Alpaca tapetes are located in Peru. There are many tribes that live high up in the mountains and due to the climate being so frigid, alpaca fur is the best way to keep warm. The tribes use alpaca fur to make sweaters, rugs, slippers, socks and much more. The second to last example are Guatemala tapetes, which are located in Guatemala. The tradition behind these rugs originated from the Mayans. The rich colors used are for religious purposes, such as honorings the Gods. The tradition of decorating streets with sawdust carpets began in Europe and was brought to the Americas by the Spanish. These carpets include flowers and flower petals, pine needles, rice, fruit, colored earth, ashes and other usually organic materials. The sawdust is cleaned, soaked in water with dye then set out to dry. Lastly, tapetes de flores are very similar to Guatemala tapetes. These are located in Mexico and are used mostly for decoration. These sawdust carpets tend to fade quickly and are used mainly for aesthetic over practicality.