Montauk Tote Bag

Our process:  Our textiles are woven on wooden Foot Looms (also known as Pedal Looms) by women artisans.

These loom designs are centuries old and require no electricity. This multi-step weaving process is time-consuming, complex, and incredibly interesting. Weaving is the process of making cloth/textiles by interlacing threads perpendicular to each other. Our foot looms are made locally in Oaxaca by skilled carpenters recycling wood and bicycle parts.

These looms, while manual, are complicated machines with many moving parts. Foot looms hold the threads a person weaves. They stretch out one set of threads, the “warp,” parallel on the loom. Another thread, the “weft,” goes over and under the warp threads, back and forth, again and again, to create woven fabric. The foot pedals called “treadles” open and close the “sheds” (the temporary separations in the warp) by raising and lowering the harness. 

The wide variety of fabrics, patterns, and designs that Jaline artisans can create are a result of generations of artistry passed on from parent to child. Not only is this a valuable skill, but the process of weaving is a true art form. It is our goal at Jaline to honor and preserve this ancient art and celebrate it for its beauty and heritage.