patchwork

This beautiful cushion cover is handwoven of cotton by the Hammock Artisans of Paraiba. It features a striped body in alabaster and taupe, complete with striped patchwork around the edges. A zipper closure at the back opens for the insertion of a cushion.

Meticulously hand-woven from cotton, this splendid tote bag harmoniously blends style with eco-consciousness as it features patchwork accents created from upcycled fabrics that were salvaged from previous productions rather than discarded. With ample space, this delightful fully-lined bag by Guatemala's Luisa Villavicencio proves to be an ideal companion for both shopping excursions and travels.

These impressive cotton cushion covers are handwoven of cotton by the Hammock Artisans of Paraiba. Each cover features a striped body in alabaster and taupe, complete with striped patchwork around the edges. A zipper closure at the back opens for the insertion of a cushion.

Ganpat Mehta's artisan team gives traditional Indian textiles a second chance to craft this lavish ottoman footstool. Cotton and polyester pieces create a sublime patchwork in a palette of bright and dapper hues, completed by acacia wood legs that can be removed for practical storage.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente cloth is woven in strips, which is how it came by its name (kente means "basket" in the Ashanti dialect). Ghana's Rachel Armah creates this colorful cotton blend scarf in vibrant shades of cerise and ivory.

In kente cloth, each color has a symbolic meaning: black symbolizes maturation and intensified spiritual energy; blue signifies peacefulness, harmony and love; green symbolizes vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, and spiritual renewal; gold represents royalty, wealth, high status, glory, and spiritual purity; grey is for healing and cleansing rituals; maroon signifies the color of mother earth, associated with healing; pink and purple are associated with the female essence and female aspects of life; red symbolizes political and spiritual moods, bloodshed, sacrificial rites and death; silver is associated with the moon and represents serenity, purity, and joy; white is for purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions; and yellow represents preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, and beauty.