Embroidery and Traditional Tehuana Dress

,I have been an embroiderer my entire adult life, and for most of my childhood as well.  My mother did a counted cross-stitch and a few tea towels early on in her time as a wife and a mother, but it was not a craft that she really loved.  Her mother--my grandmother, was another story altogether.  She embroidered.

Pillow cases, dresser linens, handkerchiefs--she really filled her house with the labor of her love (at least it was filled by the time I came along).  It was from her that I gained my love of the craft. 

When I was in Oaxaca recently I had the opportunity to see a culture of embroiderers.  It is true that all folk arts are alive in this region of Mexico, but perhaps the most showy and austentatious of all these crafts is the embroidery.  These native costumes have 100's of hours of embroidery in each and every garment, and the flashiness is shown off to excellent results.  I saw a number of demonstrations of women and men in the costumes of their culture dancing at weddings and other celebrations--even the staff at our bed and breakfast dressed up for our farewell party.  These are not folded at the bottom of people's cedar chests--they are out and worn and part of the culture of today.  So magnificent!
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