Marrakesh Express
Women Weavers OnLine
Ben Smim
This is Itto Oumoush, who wove the two rugs and several pillows below. She has three children, two boys who are in school and a daughter of one and a half. The oldest son is 12 and lives with his aunt and goes to boarding school in a nearby town, since Ben Smim only has a primary school. Itto's husband works at the post office and also does some farming. When she sells a piece she uses the money to buy materials to start another - a common pattern. She might also use her earnings for household expenses, or to buy something for the children. Last time we visited her we suggested she make some smaller rugs, about 3 x 5 feet, since they fit many spaces so might sell more easily. Stay tuned to see if she does.
Piece 2.12289 is shown here in detail, which you can click to see even better. Click here to see the full rug, which didn't show up well in a small format. It's a flatweave in shades of maroon with accents in green and other colors, plus sequins. You can see here the abrash or color variation that is one sign of a handmade rug. The size is 4'9" x 10'2" and the price is $300.
Piece 3.13073 is a large flatweave piece that Itto or her mother probably made for her marriage. It has an overall design in black and white, with accents in red brown yarn and sequins. You can see the colors better by clicking on the photo, and the overall design of the piece by clicking here. There are no plain stripes - the whole surface is covered with this fine design. This kind of weaving takes a long time to do, and that is reflected in the price. It measures about 5'6" x 12'2" and costs $660.
Pillow 3.13047 has an overall design in black and white, very common in this area, with bright red-orange accents and sequins used to outline the design of two overlapping diamonds. You can see the entire pillow by clicking here. The back is a plain dark red. The size is about 17" x 23 1/2" and the price is $58.
Pillow 3.13050 has an overall zig-zag design in black and white, with the bands outlined in red-orange and sequins. It is quite similar to the pillow below, but not exactly. You can see the full pillow face here; the back is true red with a design stripe at one end. It measures about 18" x 22" and costs $58.
Pillow 3.13053 is very similar to the pillow above, but not identical. The overall design is in black and white zig-zags, outlined in red-orange and sequins. Click here to see the overall design, and here to see the back which has a bit of a design band and two colors of plain red. It is about 18" x 22.5" and costs $58.
