Lee’s surrender (the orange piece in the background) is a quintessential American pattern used widely among weavers. I wove it to mark the one year anniversary of my American citizenship.
I could write a full dissertation about what the word mami means to me, from both my Spanish and Dominican heritages. Instead, I will say that words have the power to carry so much emotion. Working on this piece was an exercise on letting go. Accepting that I might never feel American, Spanish, or Dominican enough and that embodying multiple spaces, cultures, and languages is one of the biggest gifts of my life.
Born from love, cotton and linen 23”x26”
La Pequeña was featured on @chronogram this week!! This is a big deal and I’m so happy that my textiles keep resonating with my community in the Hudson Valley. Thank you to Devon for the kind words and thoughtful questions. This has been a whirlwind of a summer but I wanted to stop and celebrate this lil milestone of mine. I’m so excited for where I find myself and what’s to come - most of all, I’m filled with gratitude. Thank you thank you thank you for being here 💕
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I find that oftentimes people shy away from mixing printed and woven textiles together in their schemes. However, it can be incredibly comforting. To me, mixing colors, textures, and materials creates an instantly personal, rich, yet relaxed atmosphere.
A couple tips to get you started: play with mixing scale, pull from similar color palettes or motifs (both motifs on the first picture are botanical and have movement even though they’re different colors and techniques) move things around and have fun! Because most importantly: it’s not that serious.
Beehive. Inspired by the carpenter bees that try to bully me out of the yard every time I step outside. Now listed on the site!
P.S. Kingston folks! I’ve added an option for free local pickup for you 🐝
This small collection was inspired by sobremesa, the Spanish art of lingering at the table long past the meal is over. They’re bright, they’re happy and they’re made to bring us out of the winter blues. I imagined them paired with a colorful vase full of tulips and a spring salad, dreaming of sun filled days and the warmth of the garden. Now listed on the website.
So honored and grateful to have people who trust me to bring new ideas to life. When a customer reached out about making a custom blanket from one of my old towel designs my answer was a resounding YES!
I love the idea of breathing new life into something and honestly, I’m completely smitten. It’s so big and soft and it immediately felt like a true heirloom. It’s always so fun to work on one-offs like these and it is a good reminder of why I love weaving so much.
Perhaps you also have a custom idea you’d like to bring to life? I’m actually dying to make someone some curtains, or maybe a headboard fabric (ask and the universe will provide??)
Happy international women’s month! I wanted to take the joyous opportunity to thank one of the weavers I admire most. Bertha Grey Hayes contributed so much to north american weaving and her work resonates as much with weavers now as it did when she was active many decades ago. She was a devoted, original and creative weaver with an insatiable passion for design. A true artist.
Miss Hayes enjoyed miniature overshot patterns and broke with tradition by using asymmetry as a design tool in many of her patterns. She also used ‘name drafting’ as a start for many of her designs, one of my absolute favorite ways to create patterns because it marries two of my passions - words and design.
I created this small collection using the name drafting technique, with the words “We all have a hunger” (from one of my fave Florence+The Machine songs) to honor Miss Hayes’ ambition, drive, and dedication to weaving. She had an insatiable appetite for innovation and wove before sunrise and well into the night between her day job. Her contributions to weaving still ripple today. It felt especially meaningful to celebrate this part of her personality and this “hunger” that many women, even today, get discouraged from exploring, exercising or celebrating.
Thank you to the hungry and ambitious, the original and the tradition breakers that inspire us all.
Facing the constant hate and fear mongering towards immigrants has been stressful to say the least. At times, the fear threatens to feel all consuming. However, if there is something that being an immigrant teaches you is how to be resilient as hell.
This year will mark the halfway point for me. I will have spent exactly half of my life in this country, including my most formative adult years so far. As I reflect on what this means for me, I keep thinking back to the first time I arrived at 16 years old, full of hope and dreams.
“I arrived full of hope” is my form of protest, a reminder of who we are at our core. This government tries so hard to strip immigrants from their humanity - but is there anything more human that dreaming and hoping of a future that is all yours?
Do you know what is expensive? Gender and fertility care. Like soooo sooooo expensive. And if you’re an artist with a very basic health insurance and limited resources, approaching gender care can be incredibly daunting and isolating. Not all is bleak, the Kingston @lgbtqcenter is a magical place (if you’ve been thinking about reaching out to them, this is your sign. You will not regret it)
I wove these towels inspired by one of my favorite people in the world. Trying to help them fund the critical care they need and deserve. The funds from each towel sold will go directly to them, as they embark on a life journey to become who they are (may we all be inspired by our trans friends). If you feel like spreading the love this V-day, you can find the towels at @sweetmaresas in Kingston or you can pre-order them now on my website until 2/17/26
Market season is back and I can’t wait to see you all in person!
✨11/15 Kingston Farmer’s Market
Kingston, NY, 9am-1pm @kingstonfarmersmarket
✨11/22-11/23 Hullabaloo Holiday Market,
Kingston, NY, 467 Broadway,10am-5pm @hudsonvalleyhullabaloo
✨11/28-11/30 Basilica Farm & Flea,
Hudson, NY, 110 S Front St, 10am-5pm @basilicahudson
✨12/6-12/7 Renegade Craft
Brooklyn, NY, 337-345 Butler St, 11am-5pm @renegadecraft
✨12/14 La Pequeña Open Home Studio
Kingston, NY Address available upon request, 11am-4pm
Nursery rhymes transcribed into cloth. I wove this in honor of my paternal grandmother, and the song we used to sign together when I was a child (she still tries to get me to sign it every time I see her) invoking the sun to come out and warm our bones.
Que Salga el Sol, handwoven in cotton, 30”x66”
