cotton square scarves

Handwoven of cotton on the backstrap loom, this scarf is designed by Mexican artisan Petrona Perez and the Asociación de Artesanas. The scarf features a solid color in mulberry, detailed with patterned stripes. Elaborate fringes line the scarf, and tassels dangle from the corners.

This delightful wrap scarf is designed by Mexican Petrona Perez and Asociación de Artesanas. They hand-weave it of cotton on the backstrap loom, featuring a square shape with colours of sepia and lilac. The bandana-like scarf is completed with fringe work around the edges and tassels at the corners.

Ghana's Gobah Tengey-Seddoh uses 100% cotton yarn to craft this minimalist woven scarf. Small squares of black and white fabric form an intricate checkerboard pattern, which inspired the artisan to name his creation Kpekui, a Ghanaian Ewe word that means "pebbles."

Golden yellow stool thrones alternate with black and white squares and stripes in this bold cotton kente scarf. Ghana's Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family selects the Fiazikpui pattern for a scarf of two fabric strips.

The "Fiazikpui" motif is created primarily on the weft, or horizontal threads of the loom. The design, which means, "Seat of a King," originated in the 14th century to honor one of the head chiefs or kings of what is now Ghana.

Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern.

Working on the backstrap loom, Petrona Perez and members of the Women Artisans Association craft a beautiful scarf. The square features tassels on opposite corners and is meant to be folded diagonally. Combining mulberry and chestnut brown, the weave alternates woven strips with unwoven vertical threads so that the fabric drapes gracefully.