Handwoven Cotton Shawl in Alabaster from Mexico, "Sweet Spring"

"I was born in a small Mexican town in Chiapas. I remember watching my mother and grandmother making beautiful blouses. Just seeing them work made me fall in love with their textile arts. They eventually taught me how to make these traditional shawls and blouses, from cutting out and sewing them to the elaborate hand-embroidered brocade trim.

"The range of colors for every design idea fascinates me. But my favorite part of the work is in the entire process of imagining a design, creating it and finally seeing it finished. At first, I was afraid of making mistakes but, through practice, the skills appeared by themselves.

"When I see how people like our regional crafts, this inspires me. It motivates me in such a way that I want to make this feeling of originality my own.

"For all my designs, I generally use cotton and cotton embroidery threads, as they're cool and comfortable. I always seek out the best quality fabrics.

"And I personally focus on the elaboration of each and every piece, from the design to the embroidery. I love designing. You never know what will pop into your imagination.

"Four of us work together to bring my designs to life. I do the embroidery and my daughter looks after the finishing details.

"Launching this project was an emotional challenge, especially in learning and perfecting my embroidery. Today, our dream is to continue with this mission of preserving our country's cultural wealth.

"We feel proud to share our knowledge with the people around us."