Colcha embroidery unique to Southwest

In English, the Spanish word colcha means coverlet or blanket. But in New Mexico the word is used to refer to both an embroidery stitch and the finished piece of work created by using the colcha stitch.

Colcha expert Teresa Archuleta-Sagel of New Mexico writes in an online article published by The Spanish Colonial Arts Society that the wool-on-wool embroidery technique may have developed in New Mexico during the Spanish colonial period, 1598-1821. The stitch may have evolved, she writes, when colonists saw the Asian version of the couching stitch on embroidered East Indian silk shawls that were imported to the New Mexico region in the late 17th century. But no one really knows for sure.

The colcha stitch is similar to the Asian basma stitch and the Romanian couching stitch, which are used to fill large design areas. The needleworker makes a long stitch, brings the needle up through the fabric to the side of the long stitch and takes short diagonal or horizontal stitches across the long stitch to tie it down. Then another long stitch is laid and couched, until the design area is filled. Colcha embroidery consists entirely of this technique, giving finished pieces a painterly look with a folk art flavor.

Early colcha designs were often religious in nature and the work may have been used for church altar vestments. Pieces by contemporary artists also use religious themes.

Names of colcha artists in New Mexico can be found at www.spanishcolonial.org.

Books about colcha include “Stitching Rites: Colcha Embroidery Along the Rio Grande” by Suzanne P. McCauley, “Spanish Riddles and Colcha Designs” by Reynalda Ortiz y Pino de Dinkel, and “Colcha” by Aaron A. Abeyta. These books may no longer be in print, so check with local libraries or bookstores for the titles, or check Web sites that sell used books, such as ABE Books, or Amazon.

If you want to try the colcha technique, first make a simple drawing on a piece of light-colored wool or linen. Using crewel yarn, fill in the drawing with Romanian couching stitches to see what happens.

Embroidery stitch dictionaries published by Coats and Clark, available at craft and department stores for a small cost, usually include instructions for the Romanian couching stitch, which is similar to the stitch used in colcha embroidery. Or visit www.embroidersguild.com to learn more about the Romanian couching stitch and how to do it.

Images of colcha embroidery are available at home.earthlink.net/~flerner/santonino.htm.

Snippets

. Arts and Crafts magazine offered a challenge in one of its previous issues and the results are in, published in the current issue. Designers were asked to start with ordinary things around the house – such as mat board, copper piping, dominoes and pillar candles – and to make something artistic and beautiful with those items. I was intrigued with the blank book challenge. A designer jazzed up the cover with collage and beads.

Visit www.artsandcraftsmag.com to learn more about the publication.

. Wanna play with paint? Simply Spray, a soft fabric paint, is sponsoring a contest using the product. There are two categories – clothing and home decor. The product is billed as nontoxic and safe for children. It stays soft after it dries and can be laundered. Visit www.simplyspray.com and click on What’s New to obtain contest rules and to download an entry form.

Ardeana Hamlin welcomes suggestions. Call 990-8153, or e-mail ahamlin@bangordailynews.net.