Culture by the Yard
“In every work of art, the spirit of the place breathes.”
At Village Values, fabric isn’t just material … it’s memory, meaning and story.
Below are just a few of the cultural fabrics we’ve used in our crafting projects to add a mix of beauty and utility to our world.
Saekdong Korean Cultural Fabric
The Saekdong fabric has always been a part of our family’s lives, mainly through Hanboks (traditional Korean clothing), a favorite blanket that was upcycled into heart-shaped heating pads. And now beautiful flowers!
Saekdong means “many colored” and is said to ward off evil spirits and attract prosperity. The stripes vary in color but traditionally are red, blue, yellow, green, white and black.
To learn more about Saekdong, please visit the Korean American Center and Korea.net.
Aboriginal Art Cultural Fabric
“Bambillah” by Nambooka
Who knew larvae and ants could inspire such stunning art? Nambooka’s portrays the spiritual world as seen through the eyes of native Australians, inviting us to see it too.
In addition to Nambooka, some of our favorite Aboriginal artists include Tanya Price Nangala, Audrey Nanagarri, Audrey Martin Napanangka, Janet Long Nakamarra, Cindy Wallace, Jean Nampajinpa Hudson, Colleen Wallace, Marie E. Ellis, Heather Kennedy, Shirleen Campbell, and Jeannie Pitijara. Links to some of their fabrics are included below.
To learn more about Aboriginal Art, please visit ArtArk.
African Cultural Fabric
Inspired by loved ones and our ancestry, we selected African prints from west, central and north Africa for some of our crafts, each carrying centuries and symbolism and history and culture.
To learn more about African patterns and textiles, please visit Nigerian Artistry, The Met Museum: Essential Art of African Textiles, The Evolution of Contemporary African Textile Art (Abdoulaye Konate), Arts & Culture & Evo Sonaike.
Pakistani Truck Art
We learned of “Pakistani truck art” on social media. How glorious!
This one was one of our favorites:
Our Flowers
Flowers often mark a special occasion. When a woman wears a flower, she is the special occasion. Our flower hair pins are big and bold, infusing personal decor with rich cultural and historical significance.
View more flowers on our #WallofPretty.
Our Tissue Box Covers
Here’s Coach TJ showing off her near-fatal sewing wound while debuting our prototype tissue box covers.
Each tissue box cover is part of a set… parent/child, husband/wife, partners or friends. When someone reaches for a tissue when sick or sad, their matching cover serves as a reminder that love is nearby.
Each cover has two pockets. What would you keep in yours?
Old Patterns, New Life
The fabric for this tissue box cover had decades of mileage before it was rescued and given a new life.
When our parents were newly married and just starting out, they had a dish set for two and a tri-fold mattress for a bed. That bed was covered in this green floral fabric and traveled with them through many chapters of their lives.
When they moved years later, the mattress was tossed and our mother mourned the loss. Days later, my “bonus” dad returned to the dump, dug out the mattress, removed the cover, washed it, and delivered it to me.
Now the fabric has a second life by letting an old life live on.
More beautiful fabrics on our radar:
Love a cultural fabric? Please share in our comments.
~ Onjena Yo
#VillageValues #OurWorldOurHeart #TheVillageSisters
Creative Shops We Trust
For over a decade, many of our Australian Aboriginal art fabrics have come from Artistic Artifacts, a small, ethical shop based in Alexandria, VA. They’ve been one of our primary sources for licensed Australian Aboriginal designs and globally rooted textiles.
Supporting thoughtful shops like theirs helps ensure creativity can grow.
