weavingwomensanjuan.org - Process/Proceso


	Process/Proceso The following steps are taken in order to prepare and weave our final products.


1. Cotton used is grown in-house. A cotton tree grows on-site at the Cooperativa!	2. Once the cotton is ready it will be picked. We house three different natural colors of cotton plants: Khaki, Brown and White.	3. The cotton is gathered and seeds and miscellaneous leaves are picked out.


4. Seeds are separated from usable cotton.	5. After cotton is separated, it is pulled apart slightly to make a thin web.	6. Cotton is beaten in order to produce a softer and smoother texture. This prepares the cotton to be spun.


7. The cotton is then folded into a tunnel shape and a part is pulled from the center and connected to the spindle. The spindle draws a stream of cotton producing a string. (This is different from yarn, in that yarn is multiple strings wound about eachother.)	8. The yarn is taken from the spindle and spun onto a careta which further draws the string to prepare it to be wound. In this stage of preparation, the string will be wound into yarn, twisting two strands together to strenghten the yarn and prepare for weaving.	9. The yarn is spun into a ball. This photo shows the three natural colors of cotton, coco, khaki and white.


	THE DYING PROCESS (comes before the weaving)


10. Berries, incects and plants are collected for dying.	11. All material is crushed in order for the color to be extracted.	12. Dyes are prepared by being mixed with liquid from the root of a banana tree in order that the dye stays permanant.


13. Spun yarn is dipped in heated dye for twenty minutes.	14. After removal, dyed yarn is laid out to dry.


	THE WEAVING STAGE


15. Depending on what the final product will be, a pattern is wound around pegs on a peg table. This process determines the style and pattern of the final product.	11. Next the yarns are taken from the peg table, in their assigned pattern and prepared for backstrap weaving.

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