Renovation Update...
Colcha, which means bedspread, refers in embroidery to a long stitch anchored by a shorter stitch in the middle. In colonial New Mexico,
the technique was used with handspun, hand-dyed wool to stitch whimsical flower and animal motifs onto a white wool backing (
sabanilla) for bed coverings, wall hangings, and other decorative textiles. Colcha embroidery had nearly died out when Hispanic women in the Espanola Valley
formed a club to revive the painstaking art form in the 1930s.
Borrowing from motifs and patterns used in colcha embroidery, designer Barbara Felix had custom textiles made for La Fonda that interpret the designs onto area rugs, pillows, curtain panels, and lamp shades. Rugs were developed with Santa Fe carpet designer
Robin Gray, while the bed pillows use Kravet fabric from the
Museum of New Mexico collection. The drapery panels have colcha-inspired floral motifs hand-woven into the fabric. Check out the
Museum of Spanish Colonial Art to see traditional examples of colcha embroidery.
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here to learn more about
Barbara Felix Architecture + Design.
La Fonda on the Plaza - Model Guest Room circa 2013.
Photo by Robert Reck
