The textile artisan

Threads, colours and patterns

In Ripa, there are women who truly know their textile crafts. With practised hands, they spin wool and flax into long, fine threads, dye yarn using plants, and weave cloth and bands in beautiful, intricate patterns. They sew and embroider, practise nalbinding and felting.

Their colours come from nature. Leaves, roots and other parts of plants can produce an impressive palette of yellows, greens, reds and blues. And every now and then, foreign merchants bring something very special to Ripa: precious silks from faraway lands.

In the weaving workshop stands the large warp-weighted loom, its threads held taut by heavy loom weights. You may also come across one of the skilled women working with weaving tablets in her hands. Using tablet weaving, she can create the most beautiful patterned bands, a craft that takes dexterity, patience and complete control of even the finest threads.