Elaine Duncan

Located at Contreras Medellin #288 in Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico,  the Taller Mexicano de Gobelinos is hidden behind the door on the right.  There is no signage on the outside of the building other than the number.  The window on the far right is open and we peered into the room and discovered a tapestry weaver working on an upright loom.  He kindly left his loom and opened the locked door so we could visit.

 

Pedro weaving at his loom

 

Pedro offered to show us the other looms that were in the workshop.  These are traditional Gobelin style looms, each one was a different size.  The weavers had cartoons attached so they could follow the outlines as well as smaller drawings hanging from their looms.  They also used felt pens to mark the warps as well.  The bobbins were traditional pointed wooden bobbins and they used heavy metal hand beaters.  The warps were cotton seine twine sett at 6 or 8 epi and the wefts were singles wool yarns quadrupled.  The seine twine was very close to a #18 in size.  The wool yarns for the weft were from the state of Guerrero in Mexico.  All of the tapestries that I saw here were commissioned and designed by an artist.

 

Two young men weaving at a large loom

 

This man was weaving the heading in preparation for weaving

This was one of the completed tapestries waiting for slits to be sewn and finished.

Two tapestries still attached to each other waiting for finishing.

 

The tapestry weavers here at this workshop wove from the front of the tapestry and were very fast in their motions.  They hitched on and off.  We were very grateful to Pedro and his fellow weavers for taking the time to show us around and tell us about their work.  Muchas Gracias Pedro!