Above the Fray: Traditional Hill Tribe Art

12/18/2025

A silk weaver in Xam Tai, Laos models a Phaa sabai, or healing cloth, woven of village-raised, hand-reeled, and naturally dyed silk; a cotton weaver and indigo-dyer holds up the ikat-style skirt she recently dyed and wove.

And there's Maren at our current pop-up shop in Eugene. Visit "Fine Silks and Tribal Arts" at 1801 Willamette St. in the Meridian Bldg. We're open 11-5 through Sunday, December 21 only!

Visit us also at www.hilltribeart.com

12/10/2025

A artist-weaver in Houaphon Province in NE Laos displays her recent creation. The shawl is a "phaa phi mon", a traditional healing shawl, woven entirely of village-raised, hand-reeled, naturally-dyed silk. The cloth has "hidden" in its design several motifs of the Tai Daeng people. The primary motif is the "naga", or river-serpent, a symbol associated with the health of a village and female energy and power. Come and see it at our show!

"Fine Silks and Tribal Art", Above the Fray's 19th annual pop-up shop, is now open in Eugene:

Location: 1801 Willamette St., in the Meridian Bldg.
Hours: 11 AM - 5 PM thru Dec 21 only (closed Mon/Tue)
541-686-4285

www.hilltribeart.com

12/06/2025

Maren shares time with two Red Dzao women in Lao Cai Province in northern Vietnam. Check out the women's hand-crafted silk-embroidered indigo-dyed h**p pants!

"Fine Silks and Tribal Art", Above the Fray's 19th annual pop-up shop, is now open in Eugene:

Location: 1801 Willamette St., in the Meridian Bldg.
Hours: 11 AM - 5 PM thru Dec 21 only (closed Mon/Tue)

www.hilltribeart.com

12/05/2025

We open in an hour!

Come and visit us at 1801 Willamette Street in Eugene. We're open 11 AM - 5 PM through December 21 only (closed Mon/Tue).

The photo is of a Katu weaver in Laos working on her backstop loom, and holding one of her creations. The decorative white beads on the scarf are actually woven onto the weft threads as the textile is woven.

12/05/2025

We spent the day prepping our shop, and are as ready as we can be to open in the morning at 1801 Willamette St. What an amazing array of handwoven textiles!

We open tomorrow morning at 11 AM, and will be open through Sunday, December 21st, here in Eugene. Come on by and say hello!

11/28/2025

Above the Fray Update / "Fine Silk and Tribal Art" Pop-Up Event in Eugene -

12/11/2024

https://mailchi.mp/36454cb97f9e/open-our-fine-silks-tribal-art-pop-up-shop

11/29/2024

Holiday "Pop-Up" Shop and 2024 Catch-Up! -

10/31/2024

Uzbekistan warp ikat is similar to ikat the world over, but with 350 meter warps, the process requires some different steps and equipment. Below are photos of some of the process steps after raising the silkworms, and reeling and degumming the skeins.

10/17/2024

I'm on a fabulous textile tour of Uzbekistan with Marilyn Romatka and 14 other participants. I saw one of the strangest processes of silk that I never knew about. The cocoons are boiled to eliminate the seracin with larvae inside - as a large bunch - and not reeled. When the pile of tangled cocoons are pulled out and dried, the larvae are picked out, the silk is stretched into long, thick, slightly clumpy strands, those strands are rubbed into a thick yarn, and those yarns are used to weave thick scarves. Such a different process from what I know from Laos! Fascinating.

06/29/2024