Aside from its inviting tourist spots and sumptuous dishes, Cordillera or specifically Baguio City is also a haven for arts and crafts materials that are just prominent whenever you see them. From the small trinkets to carved woods and hand-woven fabrics, Baguio City shares that most overwhelming talent of the people from the mountain.
And as I pay a visit to this lovely city again, I finally had a chance to see up-close the magic behind the wonderful fabrics of Cordillera through the centenarian store called Easter Weaving Room.
Easter Weaving Room is located on the Easter Road Guisad and is currently owned and managed by Philippine Episcopal Church, who has a great financial contribution to the work of Easter School and its church.
On our visit here, we were overwhelmed by how huge – and I mean HUGE – their store is. With basically all of the stuff that we see in Baguio City, Easter Weaving Room creates and sells beautifully made bags, wallets, purses, tablemates, wall hangings, bed linens, clothing, ethnic and ikat textiles, religious garments, footwear, area rugs and even Christmas accessories and decors.
For a person like me who loves native products, it was actually love at first sight. The first floor of Easter Weaving Room is covered by the finished products, where in you can shop til you drop! Prices are relatively okay too, so if you want some quality Baguio souvenirs to take home as "pasalubong," this is the place to be.
But if you think the magic ends there; wait til you see the second floor. It was like a Santa Claus Factory, but with these fairies weaving these colorful and neatly looking fabrics that shares the stories of the Cordillera Region. There were about ten of these spinning wheels that time and as you may notice, they don’t look young too. It was so amazing to see the threading part, like every line combines and gives life to the webbed strands of thread.
I got a chance to interview one of the artists while busy doing her work, and luckily they were kind enough to share some stories about the place, their work and the artistry.
According her, the place was more of a small home before, until the management decided to expand it due to the demands on their products. The selection of products grew too and adding up to their annual task is the creation of University of the Philippines’ “Sablay.”
She said that these “Sablays” are some of the most delicate pieces in the whole of Eater Weaving Room because of the design that they carry. And since I’m no U.P. graduate, it was my first time to see “Sablay” that close and find the intricate detail woven on to it.
One should be really proud having it for it doesn't only signifies the triumph of the bearer but also of the maker behind its beauty.
I got a lot of stories from the artists during my chitchat with her, but I guess it would be better if you’ll hear them for yourself for you to know the place by heart and to know some interesting pieces that could make your stay here memorable.
Thank you, Easter Weaving Room! The love and affection that your artists give to each piece that they create is indeed remarkable, marking them with the right reason to take home and share with our families.
Happy Rammmpa!
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