Aso Handwoven Throw

Introducing you to the SANTIAGO collection in collaboration with ANTHILL, this collection showcases hand-weavers from Vigan, Ilocos Sur. This city is in the Philippines, on the west coast of Luzon island. It’s known for its well-preserved Spanish colonial and Asian architecture thus you will see the Spanish influence through the Santiago weave.

This camel colored cotton throw was made by Naty, the owner of a women weaving co-operative in Vigan. The design was inspired by asos (dogs) but contains the traditional Santiago weaving characteristics. This large throw can fit a queen-size bed or act as a throw for your sofa. There are 2” tassels along the top and bottom of the blanket and takes up to a week to weave one blanket.

Dimensions: 64" W x 86" L | Tassels: 2" L
Material: 100% Cotton
Color: Camel with Arctic White Detail
Handmade In: Vigan, Ilocos Sur, Philippines
Care Instructions: Hand-Wash or Machine Wash Friendly

Naty Quiday started her co-op several years ago when she saw that more and more women were leaving their homes to find jobs elsewhere. The women were no longer able to care for their children and spent months and sometimes even years without seeing their families. She started this co-op to provide opportunities to women locally and with a flexible schedule. We had the opportunity to spend some time with Naty and her team of artisans and we are so inspired to see the impact she’s created within her community.

Naty sources scrap cotton and polyester threads from markets in the Luzon region to produce yarns for the weaving process. Once the yarns have been created, she prepares the warps and provides them to weavers at their home or at the weaving center. Each artisan is paid by the amount of fabric they weave. It’s flexible to their schedule and celebratory events. On average, each artisan is able to weave 240 yards per month and is paid 25% more than the average worker in town. The difference is that they are able to work from home and care for their families at the same time. 

At the co-operative, Naty’s mission is also to sustain the craft of weaving. She explains to us that there has been a gap of women who don’t know how to weave and her mission is to teach young women in their community this craft. Incentives are given to experienced weavers to mentor young weavers from their community.