Rug and Textile Appreciation Morning: Ikat Traditions: The Mexican Jaspe Rebozo  

The rebozo, a traditional Mexican women’s shawl, has great cultural and historical significance, appearing in literature, music, poetry and visual art. Most famous are those made with the “jaspe” (ikat) resist-dye technique, where threads are bound and dyed before the cloth is woven. This complex process takes dedication and skill.

The rapid disappearance of rebozo production centers in the past century has left this beautiful garment — and knowledge of its construction — endangered. For over a decade, Hillary Steel has studied and practiced the laborious process of preparing warps, setting up the loom and weaving under the watchful eye of master weaver Evaristo Borboa Casas and other artisans in the city of Tenancingo de Degollado, a historic center of rebozo-making in Mexico.

In her book, Ikat Traditions: The Mexican Jaspe Rebozo, developed with the late Virgina Davis, Steel shares the steps of creating a traditional resist-dyed rebozo on a backstrap loom through text, photographs and illustrations, aiming to preserve and pass on knowledge of this traditional and intricate craft.  

About Hillary Steel

An artist and teacher who specializes in weaving and resist-dyeing, Hillary Steel incorporates ikat and “shibori” techniques into her handwoven wall pieces, which are influenced by traditional textiles from around the world. She has exhibited widely, and her work is held in private and public collections, including the D.C. Art Bank, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Renwick Gallery and several American embassies. Steel received a master’s in teaching from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a B.A. from the State University of New York. She studied textiles at Buffalo State College and studio art and art history at the University of Pittsburgh.

How to Participate

This program will take place on Zoom. To participate, please register online, and we will email you a link and instructions for joining. Simply follow that link at the time the event starts (11 a.m. EDT / 8 a.m. PDT). When you register, you can also request to receive a reminder email one day before the program with the link included.

About Rug and Textile Appreciation Mornings

Collectors and experts discuss textile topics and display examples from their personal holdings. This series is named in honor of late Textile Museum trustee emeritus, Harold M. Keshishian. Browse upcoming programs