A Little Bit About Us:

Tijonic (tee-hawn-ick) is a social enterprise founded with the mission to vitalize economic growth in underdeveloped communities by helping artisans preserve their traditions and offer their handmade crafts to the global market. We are dedicated to promoting art, preserving tradition, empowering women, and strengthening underdeveloped communities to achieve economic growth. Our core values are sustainability, fair trade, ethical fashion, empowerment, and local economic development. We strive to create opportunities for steady income and believe that in order for traditional handmade crafts to be appreciated in today's mass-consumer world, artisans must be paid a fair wage and valued for their artisanry.

We follow an ethical trade model. Our artisans, who work from their own homes, determine the prices of their crafts. We have carefully selected talented artisan groups whose products represent well our mission, vision, and core values. Our current collection includes handmade beaded jewelry, handmade earrings crafted with jade mined in Guatemala, as well as home decor items, women's bags, and scarves, all woven on the back-strap loom and dyed with natural colors extracted from plants.

Natural Dyes:

Weaving and natural dyeing are traditions that have existed for thousands of years. The process of weaving in Guatemala has been passed down by the Mayans from generation to generation. There are two traditional methods of weaving: the foot loom and the backstrap loom. The foot loom is a large wooden loom that is mechanized by a series of foot pedals. The backstrap loom is made with five sticks; one end of it is tied to something heavy and stable (such as a tree) and the other end is wrapped around the waist to create tension. Our artisans use the traditional backstrap loom to produce beautiful intricate textiles. All our textiles, which include bags, scarves, table runners, etc., are woven with Guatemalan cotton that is dyed with natural colors, a tradition that has been preserved for centuries and is still widely used by indigenous communities all over Guatemala. The following process is used to create natural dyes:
1) Cotton is hand spun into thread.
2) Thread is washed with plenty of water. Excess water is pressed out.
3) Plants used to dye the thread are washed and left to dry for 2-4 days.
4) Banana tree stems are cut into small piece and boiled -- these serve to set the color.
5) Dried plants and banana stems are boiled in two separate large pots for 20 minutes.
6) Both pots are strained. Water is returned to pot and heated to a constant 80 deg.
7) Making sure the water is not boiling, thread is soaked for 20 min.
8) Newly dyed thread is washed and soaked in banana stem water for 20 min.
9) Thread is washed again - Process is repeated until desired color is achieved.
10) Thread is hung to dry; when ready it is mounted on backstrap loom to be woven.

Beads:

Unlike weaving and natural dyes, beadwork is a relatively new artisanal craft in Guatemala. However, in recent decades, it has become one of the most common professions among indigenous women in the Lake Atitlan region. Using traditional Mayan weaving patterns for inspiration, many artisans hand bead beautiful necklaces, bracelets, earrings, hair accessories, and even small purses.

Jade