• Our Story

How it all began

One day I found an old quilt in a junk shop in the little town in Ohio where I grew up. It was stitched by hand, faded and frayed from years of use.  I was only 14 years old at the time, but even at that early age I could see that the patterns and colors had been chosen carefully and pieced together into an intricate overall design. I wondered whose hands took the time to make something so beautiful.  I could see the hands making it, feel the love that went into it, and the comfort it brought. Something deep inside me was awakened. This hand made cloth could to speak to me in a powerful way.

Cloth can create a cherished memory…

Who hasn’t had a similar experience at some point in their life, moved by a piece of cloth? Maybe it was by a favorite shirt that was a gift from a cherished friend, or an old embroidered dishtowel that still held the memory of learning the simple stitches for the first time when you were a child.  Perhaps it was by a homely bed throw crocheted from miss matched acrylic yarns made by an aunt as a gift for your wedding.

By speaking a common language

In every era and every culture cloth has its story to tell. It reminds us of who we are.  It clothes us, protects us, reflects the beauty of our culture and gives us a way to say here I am. Our cloth speaks a shared language we all can learn and understand.

Created by artisans across Southeast Asia

Cloth inspired my first trip to Southeast Asia more than 15 years ago and it still takes me back year after year. Each trip I learn more and meet new artisans. I bring cloth back from many lands, made by many skilled hands. Along the way I have developed many friendships and collaborations with artisans across Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Burma, Vietnam, and Japan.

We connect our customers with the artisans that create our products

At The Language of cloth we look for textiles that have a story to tell. Each piece is made by someone who spent years acquiring their skill. Their hand is still in it.  We try to connect our customers with the person who made the cloth, the scarf, the table cover, or the blanket. Knowing something about who made it, where it was made, and what materials were used to make it, is a way to follow the thread of life’s story.

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