Threads of Peru Blog

In our last post about the Threads of Peru chat week on ChatBasket.com, we gave you the 411 on this new and exciting sales opportunity. But just in case you’re in need of a refresher, let’s quickly run down the who, what, where, when and why!

We have been invited by ChatBasket.com to be part of their new online shopping site - where customers can chat with the producer of the product on sale. That means that for the first time, we are able to directly connect the weavers of Rumira Sandormayo and Chaullaqocha with their supporters and customers abroad. Throughout the week, we will be online and in the company of women from both communities to receive your questions and translate their answers about anything from their daily life in the Sacred Valley to the ancient iconography woven into each textile!   

Juana Quispe Machaca carries her young daughter in a traditional manta.

 It’s no easy feat to coordinate having the weavers available online - let alone the translation from Quechua to Spanish to English - which makes this week particularly special for us and for all our Threads of Peru followers and friends. Two of the weavers from Rumira Sandormayo who will be available during our chat on Wednesday, Juana Quispe Machaca and Fani Quispe Cjuro, as well as ourselves are looking forward to connecting with you on ChatBasket!   

 Fani Quispe Cjuro makes a skein of yarn to dye during our workshop last June.

  For more information on ChatBasket.com and visit our online profile. You may also register to be notified via email when we are online and chatting by clicking on the blue "Tell me when Threads-of-Peru is chatting!" box at the top right corner of our page.

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Continuing in our series of posts introducing you to Threads of Peru’s new Master Weaver Collection, this week we are featuring the work of Andrés Sallo, a Master Weaver based in the heart of the Sacred Valley.

ANDRES SALLO

Originally from the highland community of Concani, Andrés' mother began teaching him to weave at the age of 12. Initially, the family wove simply for their own personal use. But at the age of 18, and after winning a weaving and spinning contest, Andrés began weaving for sale. 

Master Weaver, Andres Sallo

He is now 47 years old, with four daughters, all of whom he is teaching to weave. He and his sister both participate in the weaving association in his adopted community of Huaran. There in the heart of the Sacred Valley he leads and guides the rest of the group, passing on his skills and knowledge to still more weavers.

Andrés is an innovator, continuously honing his craft, developing new product ideas and new colour and design combinations. He is committed to the exclusive use of natural materials, including natural dyes. 

Andres treats us to an explanation of his exquisitely woven pieces in our exclusive Master Weaver collection.

Andrés has provided Threads of Peru with two traditional pieces: an expertly-crafted chuspa or coca leaf bag, and a manta. Called lliqlla in Quechua, a manta is a traditional carrying cloth, used to carry a variety of items – from potatoes to firewood, plants harvested for dyeing, and even babies! The greatest heights of artistic expression and technical accomplishment are showcased when weaving mantas, as this is the last stage of a weaver’s education. Both items feature intricate designs and natural dyes typical of the region where he lives. 

A detail of the intricate designs and vibrant colors on Andres’ traditional poncho.

We are also featuring a stunning cushion cover made by Andrés. Shop his products here.

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On behalf of all of us at Threads of Peru, we would like to extend an invitation to you - our friends and supporters - to take part in our featured sales week on ChatBasket.com! From Sunday, April 28^th to Saturday, May 4^th, our team - scattered throughout Peru, Canada and Australia - will be online to chat one-on-one with you about everything from our products to our goals for the future. And there is more! We have coordinated with weavers from both of our communities, Rumira Sandormayo and Chaullaqocha, to meet with us in nearby Ollantaytambo to take part in all the chatting fun. With the help of one of our guides from Apus Peru, we will translate all of your questions from English to Spanish to Quechua and back again, giving you a unique opportunity to connect with the TOP weavers from the comfort of your own home.

But perhaps you are asking, “What exactly is ChatBasket.com?” Kicked off just this year by an experienced team of entrepreneurs in San Francisco, California, “ChatBasket.com is an e-commerce site that allows customers to chat live with the artisans who made the products for sale.” Their vision is based on the idea of bringing personal interaction to online shopping - to connect you directly with the artisan whose product you are buying. All of the products featured on ChatBasket are hand-made and sustainably produced, truly one-of-a-kind treasures from around the world. By facilitating the personal connection between producer and buyer, this innovative approach to online shopping sets traditional artisans in developing countries apart from the middle-men and mass production of retail sales. To learn more about ChatBasket, chatting online during our sales week and why this is an opportunity you definitely should not miss, check out the short video below or visit ChatBasket.com to see what’s already happening online!

ChatBasket Launch Video

We will be periodically posting reminders on our blog and Facebook page over the next few weeks to keep you in the loop! We also hope that you will check out  the TOP profile on ChatBasket.com and sign up to be notified when we are available online to chat during our sales week - just follow this link!

Threads of Peru ChatBasket Profile

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