If food is the best window into another culture, I’d maintain that the arts are the second best. Many of my most valuable travel experiences have come from engaging with local art, and I’m not talking about your average museum. I’ve learned how to paint mountains in the Blue Ridge, formed calligraphy characters in Japan, and, the most out of my comfort zone, spent a day weaving in Laos.
I don’t often rely on guidebooks when I travel, but early in my RTW planning phases, I devoured the “On a Shoestring” series from Lonely Planet. The Southeast Asia volume named an organization called Ock Pop Tock a worthwhile splurge for its day-long silk dying and weaving workshops. Suddenly, I had more of a reason to go to Laos than the simple issue of “it’s there.” Weaving in Laos seemed the perfect way to see an unfamiliar place through a unique lens.
To save money, I booked half-day weaving class instead of the full day workshop, which also would have included a silk dying lesson. (Another pro to this choice: the dyed silk would have been harder for me to keep untangled in my bag through six more months of travel.) On arrival, I and each of my fellow classmates – about four of us in total – were paired one-on-one with a master weaver. We chose two colors of silk to weave into one of two traditional Lao patterns, learned how to spin the silk onto spools, and set to work at the looms with our spools of thread held in a canoe-shaped shuttle. We spent the next few hours passing the shuttle back and forth through the warp threads already in place, pressing one bamboo foot pedal or another to separate the warp and create room for the shuttle to move through. After mastering one technique, our instructors would teach us some new aspect of working on the loom. Some instructors spoke English, while others knew only a little, but art is a phenomenal connector, a bridge between cultures.
Click through the photos below to see more of my day weaving in Laos.
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- Spinning is step one. Instructors demonstrated before we took the wheel ourselves.
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- They also demonstrated the basics of weaving before passing over the shuttle.
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- Looms take two weeks to set up, but the patterns can be used several times over.
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- A wooden board helps separate warp threads to help form the pattern.
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- Other students chose to take a silk dying class instead of weaving.
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- All the dyes are natural, coming from plants like turmeric and lemongrass.
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- The classroom is set in a lush tropical garden with views over the Mekong.
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- We had help with the more complex parts of the loom until we were comfortable with the shuttle.
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- Rolling the fringe is the final step to finishing a silk placemat.
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- The Living Craft Center is also a workspace for local women who make items for a boutique in town.
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- There is constant activity both here and in smaller villages throughout Laos.
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- Afternoon workshops end just before sunset and a cafe onsite serves snacks, beer, and tea.
What else is there to do in Laos? See my full guide to life as a creative professional in Luang Prabang.
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Looks like you really had a good time. Nothing like getting an authentic experience in a new place. Maybe you can bring those skills home and open up a shop lol
Ha! I don’t even want to think about how much a giant floor loom like that costs.