Handloom Decorative Wall
Tapestries, Catalog #1
Click on
category below to view designs and pricing
 Floral Designs |
 Ocean & Seacoast |
 Abstract |
 Special Designs |
 Impressionist |
 Nature & Animals |
 Wine Country |
 Western Scenes |
 Scenic Vistas |
 Cottage & Village |
 Garden & Landscape |
"Tapestry"
often evokes an image of traditional European wall hangings
utilizing the artistic designs of the classical age. We have
broken out of this mold by creating a beautiful line of
tapestries adapted primarily from the work of present-day
artists. Our unique line includes Floral and Garden, European
Impressionist, American Scenic, Contemporary Abstract and Nature
designs. Our design team works with established graphic artists
from all over the USA and Europe to translate their best designs
into original hand-woven images. The result is a woven painting
with warmth and texture that easily finds a place in any interior
design scheme.
Mere Cie Tapestries are woven in five standard
sizes, as well as custom sizes, keeping in mind the requirements
of the modern home and office. Our standard sizes and prices are
as follows:
Size C - - - 16" x 24" - - - - - - -$85.00
Size D - - - 24" x 40" - - - - - - -$290.00
Size E - - - 30" x 48" - - - - - - -$530.00
Size F - - - 36" x 60" (3'x5') - - - $742.50
Size G - - - 48"x 72" (4'x6') - - - $1182.50
Mere Cie Tapestries are manufactured in
Pondicherry, India, a city 100 miles south of the major southern
city of Madras on the Bay of Bengal. Unlike machine-made
tapestries, each of our designs is created by hand on a
traditional upright loom using the finest quality carpet wool.
The weaving center was founded in the mid 1970's by members of
The Mother's Service Society, a social science research
organization dedicated to national and international development.
From its early beginnings with a few weavers and simple tapestry
designs, the center has flourished and now employs over 100
weavers from the local community.
Mere Cie Tapestries are wool tapestries woven
on a cotton warp (the threads around which the tapestry is
constructed). The design you see is all wool. We use the finest
grade of carpet wool from the northern province of Punjab in
India. Our color palette includes an extensive range of rich and
subtle colors. Most of our wool is dyed by hand at the weaving
center in Pondicherry using the highest grade commercial dyes to
ensure uniformity, color-fastness and resistance to fading. The
wool is moth-proofed before being spun into yarn for the weaving,
and the finished tapestries are all shipped with moth balls. We
have thus never had problems with moths in the wool.
The weaving is done by young adult women from the local community
who receive special training in European style tapestry weaving.
These are all women who have finished at least their secondary
school education (the equivalent of high school in this country).
We encourage everyone to continue their education into college,
and many do so, while others leave to start families. Thus we are
always training new weavers. Our most intricate designs require a
great deal of skill and dexterity which only the most talented
weavers can acquire. Production time varies according to the
design and the size of each piece. The complex designs may take a
month or more for weaving even in a small size.
The weaver sits on a stool in front of the loom to work on the
tapestry. She works from a drawing called a cartoon, which is a
black and white rendition of the tapestry with numbered areas
corresponding to the various colors of wool to be used. The
weaving technique used is called split-weave, so called because
there are gaps or splits in the tapestry upon completion of the
weaving, generally wherever there are color changes in the
design. This technique allows for the depiction of very fine,
life-like detail in the design. When the weaver is finished, the
tapestry is sent to the finishing room, where the splits in the
design are hand-sewn tightly shut and the edges of the tapestry
are turned and sewn over. A sleeve is also sewn on the back where
a rod can be slipped through for hanging on the wall.
Occasionally there is interest in using these hangings as rugs.
This is fine in an area where there is little foot traffic. The
overall construction of these tapestries is strong and finished
pieces are very durable, but they are still not woven in the same
manner as rugs, which are designed to hold up under a lot of foot traffic.
The following
pages depict the many stock designs we offer. We produce custom tapestries as well, and can weave any custom
design you may be interested in.
Tapestry
Policies:
1. Most designs are stocked in our warehouse in Napa,CA and
can be shipped within ten days from receipt of your order.
2. Custom designs can be woven in any size. If you require custom
work, please send a picture of your design and we will quote you
the price.
3. Custom designs in standard sizes are $70.00 per square foot.
We require a full deposit before we undertake custom work.
4. We are always looking for new art work. If you know an artist
whose work would translate well into tapestry, please ask them to
contact us.
5. Specially designed displays are available to show the
tapestries. Please ask about our promotions for your gallery or
shop.
6. N/A items are available by special order only. Allow 3 to 4
months for delivery.
7. Prices are subject to change without prior notification.
TERMS AND CONDITIONS
1. Payment in
advance by check or money order payable to Mère Cie, Inc., or
C.O.D. shipping. We also accept Credit Cards (Visa, American
Express, MasterCard, Diner's Club, & Discover). You are
welcome to call us at our phone number below, or contact us by fax
or e-mail
(merecie@merecie.com) .
2. Please add the appropriate shipping and handling
charges from the following list:
3. California
Residents please add 8% sales tax.
4. We will ship all orders by UPS, FedEx or the Postal Service.
5. For all orders outside the USA, freight and handling will be
billed on actuals.
6. If you are not completely satisfied with your purchase, you
can return it within 10 days from the date of delivery for a
refund. Return shipping cost is the customer's responsibility.
For additional information please contact:
Go to: [Abstract | Floral Pg. 1 | Floral Pg. 2 | Scenic Pg. 1 | Scenic Pg. 2 | Impressionist | Nature | Cottage & Village| | Ocean & Sea Coast | Garden | Western | Tapestries Start | Home Page ]