Hiiii! I’m so excited you’re here! Come with me as we tour all the Peruvian textiles I’ve purchased for sewing projects. We’ll explore the telas (fabrics), ribbons, and yarns.
Perú has so many wonderful colors woven into the culture. You can see many of these fabrics used at restaurants on tables, or similar designs painted on buildings. In Perú, many moms often carry their babies on their backs, wrapped in these colorful colors as well.
Fun fact: The way a baby is carried on ones back in Perú is called a manta (meaning blanket) carry and is done using a traditional Andean blanket.
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Fabric Shopping In Perú
I’ve shown you Gamarra and all the pretty fabrics and ribbons Lima has to offer, but I’ve yet to deep dive on Peruvian-specific materials. Gamarra has everything, but a lot of it is the same as you might find at JoAnns or Michaels. They’ve got your tulles, cottons, jerseys, and everything in between. The major difference is the environment you’re shopping in, and your fabric doesn’t come on a bolt with information about the material you’re purchasing.
I’ve also shown you fabric shopping at a flea market where I picked up a few bedsheets. To see what I made with the bedsheets, check out this post to see the Farm Rio-inspired two-piece set I made for my sister. Or check out this video where I made a Camilla and Marc-inspired dress.
Next, I showed you Cusco and Centro Textil Qhawarina where you can go on a tour to learn the art of making traditional Peruvian textiles. Check out that post here if you’re interested. (P.S. It’s super cool!!)
As you can see, there are many places you can shop for textiles in Perú. There are so many stunning fabrics and rainbow ribbons that often lead me to make some impulse purchases. Unfortunately for me, I have yet to use most of these fabrics because they’re precious, but also thicker materials that aren’t good for most projects I make.
So let’s go on a little tour of all my Peruvian textiles! My hope is that by sharing this with you, maybe we can chat in the comments and talk about some potential projects. Let me know if anything stands out to you! I would love to hear your thoughts!
Fabric/Tela
The Peruvian textiles above are very thick materials, typically used to carry one’s baby on their back or to line a table. On more than one occasion, I’ve walked into a restaurant and seen these same fabrics lining a table. I find the materials to be stunning. I love all the colors! But I’ve had a very difficult time sewing with them as they’re not the right type of material for a blouse or dress.
- The one on the left is the thickest – and it frays like crazy! I attempted to turn it into a dress at one point, but later abandoned the project. I’m still looking for something else to make out of it.
- Maybe I’ll just make a tote bag…
- I’ve always considered making a blazer out of the one in the middle. If I line it, I’m sure I’ll have no issues with it being a little scratchy. But I haven’t made it yet because I’m not sure I’d really wear it. I’m hesitant to put so much effort into a project I’m not convinced I’d wear; it seems like an unwise way to spend my time.
- But what do you think? Should I make a brown striped blazer out of it? If yes – how should I style outfits with it? I’m not sure what would go well with a pottery and llama decorated blazer.
- The fabric on the right is one of my favorites. It’s so bright and colorful! It’s also equally as thick as the brown-striped one in the middle. Because it’s so full of color and is quite thick, I’m not really sure what project to make out of it. I feel like whatever I make with it will need a solid, neutral color to go with it to calm its vibrance down a little.
- I’m thinking maybe a Free People-inspired blanket jacket with bias-bound patch pockets.
These are my jungle fabrics!
These Peruvian textiles offer more crafting opportunities. Though because I only have a little bit of these unique pieces, I have been hesitant to make anything out of them until I’m absolutely sure what I want to make. I’m stuck in the analysis paralysis stage of the project. Which is dumb, because honestly, 90% of these are pretty easy to go buy again if I just go back to Gamarra.
What do you think I should make out of these fabrics?
- The fabric on the left is the scratchiest of these three. Out of all of the fabrics I’ve shown you today, it’s probably my least favorite. It has the weight of maybe a lightweight denim and a lot of fun jungle designs. But after finding the one in the middle, this one just isn’t quite as pretty to me anymore.
- The center one is one of my favorites. Its only real downside is it’s thin and a little see-through. I have used it to make a few projects, such as two corset belts, some pet bandanas, and even a blouse for my sister. You can see all three of the pieces in this video.
- The fabric on the far right is a cottony T-shirt-type material that I bought while we were in the jungle in Perú. I haven’t made anything from it yet because I can’t decide what T-shirt design to make. It really shouldn’t be as hard as I’m making it.
Ribbons/Cinta
I have purchased lots of pretty, colorful Peruvian ribbons – and I have sewn with approximately two of them…maybe two and a half? I feel so guilty about this! I’m hoarding pretty ribbons and not using them. But I don’t know what to make with them. I am planning to turn a few of them into a scrap fabric jacket of sorts, but I’m still searching for ideas for the rest of the ribbons.
Do you sew with ribbons very often? If you do, please give me ideas in the comments! I’m finding a lot of inspo for lace pieces, but what I have is obviously not giving the same vibe. Any and all inspo is welcome! I’d love to start making some cool pieces out of these.
Yarn/Hilo
I’m just going to be super upfront about this and say, I don’t knit or crochet. But I do have an amazing friend who does, so I’ve bought her some Peruvian yarn for her stash on a few occasions.
The ones on the left we purchased at the Indian Market. You can find all kinds of colors and even build your own packet. We’ve noticed that they always say “100% Alpaca” on the packaging, but be warned that they aren’t always actually 100% through and through. You can purchase/build your own packet of 10 for about S/60 (about $15.80). Below is a photo from the Indian Market of the packets you can get.
The ones on the right we purchased in Cusco after our tour of Peruvian textiles where we learned how they crafted these rich colors and wove and dyed the yarn. They did not have a lot of yarn to choose from and to be quite honest, these were rather expensive. The big one on the left is made from cotton, if I’m remembering correctly, and I believe the one on the right was made entirely from Alpaca.
Notice the difference in textures between the left photo and the right photo. While maybe I’m not remembering exactly what materials each item is, all I can say is…one of these things is not like the other.
So – what do you think about these Peruvian textiles? Tell me alllll your thoughts!
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