Free Guide: How to Weave with Natural Fibers

Learn step-by-step methods to weave jewelry and clothing out of natural fibers or synthetic raffia

Drawing inspiration from the shapes, textures, and colors of nature, Mercedes Salazar (@mercedessalazar) designs jewelry and accessories using natural fibers. The designer uses ancestral techniques to explore the creative opportunities presented by various materials, and transform them into unique accessories.

In this exclusive step-by-step guide, Mercedes shares her method for creating three simple and traditional Colombian weaves using natural fibers or synthetic raffia. Discover techniques for braiding as well as weaving parallel and intersecting lines, and connect with ancestral methods to create modern styles when designing your own creations.

Types of jewelry

Mercedes Salazar explains that contemporary jewelry is divided into two categories: traditional and modern.

- Traditional jewelry is handmade using precious metals.
- Modern jewelry follows contemporary design trends and uses an infinite range of materials, such as resin, plastics, rubbers, recyclable materials, and paper, to name but a few—really, you can use anything to create modern jewelry.

The charm of traditional techniques

Mercedes sees jewelry as an artform that answers our human need for creativity and imagination. For her, using ancestral techniques and exploring Colombia’s cultural heritage in her designs is an important way of sharing this philosophy with an important new generation of textile jewelry designers, who also champion the beauty of traditional knowledge.

By traditional techniques, Mercedes means the crafts made mostly by women in various Latin American communities. These processes, passed down from generation to generation, take time and involve meditative states in which people often share stories through oral culture. “It’s my responsibility as an artist to protect these traditions,” she explains.

What’s in the guide?

The eleven-page PDF features photos and explanations that teach you how to create three types of weaving using easy step-by-step methods: interlacing, line weaving, and spider web style. Mercedes’ easy-to-follow instructions make it easy to understand how to make these styles, even when you have no previous experience.

After clicking on the button below, you'll find a .zip file in the Downloads folder on your computer containing the file, Free Guide: How to Weave with Natural Fibers by Mercedes Salazar. You'll need to use a free program, such as WinZip, to decompress the file.

If you want to learn more, sign up for her course, Woven Jewelry with Natural Fibers. You'll learn traditional Colombian weaving techniques for making a jewelry collection with natural fibers or synthetic raffia.

About the author

Mercedes Salazar was born in Bogotá and studied jewelry design at the National Institute of Fine Arts in México. Driven by her fascination for human beings' ability to bring their ideas to life using the materials around them, she founded her own jewelry and accessories brand 20 years ago.

Since then, her business has grown to a 50-person team that collaborates with more than 200 artisans across Colombia. Her work can be found on her brand's website and in international stores. She has also put her jewelry on display in cities around the world including Mexico City and Paris.

Like Mercedes’ course: the guide is designed for anyone interested in designing and hand-making a jewelry collection using natural materials.

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