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Making Arpilleras takes skill, attention to detail, patience, lots of imagination and dedication to recycling. The needle artists, mostly women, transform left-over scraps from the garment industry into vibrant 3D landscapes bursting with life! To create each unique art quilt, the artist begins from scratch by designing and stitching its unique landscape. Then she cuts colorful scraps of fabrics into animals, trees, flowers, houses, birds, little people and any other imaginable thing needed. Positioning, hand stitching onto the background and filling comes next. Finally, embroidering adds the finishing touch to each one-of-a-kind 3D textile artwork.
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| The Peruvian Arpillera Folk Art tradition began in the 1970’s, when social upheaval forced entire Andean communities to migrate to the outskirts of Lima, the capital, looking for safety and a better life. After leaving behind lands, homes, crops, and animals behind, families were forced to start from scratch. |
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| Fortunately, with a strong sense of tradition, creativity and skillful hands, women from these displaced communities learned a new skill from missionaries, and so the Peruvian arpilleras were born. This new art form allowed them to work from home while tending for their families. At the same time it gave them an outlet for self-expression that kept them connected to their past. Traditional arpilleras still depict Andean scenes, celebrations, folklore or religious themes. |
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| Today, the second-generation of arpillera artists is going strong. Lucuma Designs and designer Alessandra Bravo have been nurturing a select group of artists since 1998 by providing new ideas for an ever demanding world market while focusing on the needs of the makers. This has allowed these talented artists to keep elevating the quality of this art form to new levels for the enjoyment of a growing number of international collectors. |
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