Each month, as part of our on-going entrepreneurship program, Y’abal offers job skills trainings for our group of 35 women weavers in the communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama, in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. The idea is to teach them new skills and give them new ideas for generating income out of small home businesses. The communities… View more
Creating a new product for Y’abal is always an organic and surprising process. It requires flexibility and openness on both ends- from the designer, as well as, from the women’s cooperative. We begin with an idea or a drawing which we take to the women weavers of the communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama, in the rural… View more
In a professional context it often happens that private or corporate clients corder a publication to be made and presented with the actual content still not being ready. Think of a news blog that’s filled with content hourly on the day of going live. However, reviewers tend to be distracted by comprehensible content, say, a… View more
We wanted to share a little more about the talented Y’abal seamstresses responsible for transforming the handwoven cloth from the women weavers into bags, accessories, and… Pillow PETS! Today, we introduce you to Silvia: Born and raised in Quetzaltenango, Silvia was only 10 years old when she started sewing- learning from her father, a tailor… View more
The Zig Zag collection is Y’abal’s newest collection of hand-embroidered totes and purses. The embroidery on the front of the bags is meticulously woven into the cloth by hand, point by point, as the woman artisan weaves the cloth back and forth on the back-strap loom. This indigenous weaving art technique is centuries old!
Each year, for the last 8 years, Y’abal has offered micro-credits to between 15-20 families in the community of Chuicutama- without interest. The majority of the families use this small credit to rent farmland in other communities- with better growing conditions than the soil in Santa Catarina Ixtahuacan. However, some families use the money to… View more
In 2016, Y’abal initiated our newest social program with the communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama- educational scholarships! After countless informal conversations with community members over the importance of education for their children, it was obvious that education is a priority for the majority of the women and families we work with in Pacutama and Chuicutama…. View more
The embroidery designs that are incorporated in Y’abal’s products are traditional symbols from the communities of Pacutama and Chuicutama. Each indigenous community in Guatemala has their own particular style and motif of embroidery designs.Each woman is an artist and takes creative freedom in the expression of her embroidery patterns. One common design in the communities… View more
