Utility Cloth

Servilletta

Two pieces sewn lengthwise. 5 bands of narrow, multicolored stripes "Muy Felizel Annonueva" woven in white on blue background. Widthwise, 9 brocaded bands each with central row of figures and a top and bottom border. Next to last band on either end have "MIRALES FLORES" brocaded in white.

Rep-concealed weft (?), cotton. Warp consists of a 6.5 cm border of narrow stripes in deep navy, blue, lavendar, red and blue, green, yellow, blue, lavendar, red, white. Next strip of warp is a deep navy which is so dark that it may be black. It is 13.7 cm wide. A small stripe follows which consists in the above mentioned border stripe colors, blue and white excluded. It measures 2.7 cm. Lastly, before the border strips a navy stripe of 1.9 cm follows; then the inner border stripe; 6.5 cm. A second and identical (except embroidery) piece is sewn on forming a seam down the center of the piece. This second or lefthand piece is about 2.5 cm larger with the following differences in measurement (same pattern from outside border to inner one).

Outside border: 7.5 cm; navy strip; 14.7 cm; small multicolor strip: 3.3 cm; small nacy strip 1.9 cm; inner border; 6.7 cm. The left side measures 34.1 cm. Right side: 31.3. Embroidery; only the navy strips have been embroidered with cotton and silk yarn.

The design consists in: figure eights, flowers, deer, rabbits, abstract designs, geometric designs, leaves, diamonds and crosses in rows approximately 5 cm apart. On both the left and right pieces, above and below the flower rows are embroidered in white the words "mira las flores" (4 inscriptions). The small navy strip also has a continuation of the row of design. On the left-hand piece, on the small navy strip, replacying the central 5 design rows are the words "Muy Feliz El Ano Neuve A Senores" (my interpretation of the proper breaks in the Spanish may be incorrect). This is in white lettering.

Color of the silk yarn: magenta, aqua, orange, yellow, blue. Cotton yarn: white, lavendar, red.

Near top of piece there is a definite slack in warp. Possibly broken weft.

As per Sigrid Meier, "Warp stripe: 72 epi, single and two ply, multicolored stripes. Warp navy: 64 epi, two singles, Z twist, indigo cotton. Weft: 26 ppi, two singles, Z twist, indigo. Warp faced plain weave. Supplementary weft is double faced. Two panels, four selvedges each. Woven on a backstrap loom."