Inspired by Michoacán textiles
In your premier Mocel shipment, enveloping the sleek Mexican-made ceramic bottle of world class mezcal (not to toot our own horn, but it's good stuff), is another remarkable piece of Mexican culture: a handmade cotton loom deshilado cloth. Deshilado, pronounced “des-hee-LAH-doh,” is an artisanal technique for transforming lengths of cotton cloth into elegant, lacy designs by hand.
Making Deshilado
The creation of a single Michoacán deshilado cloth begins with cotton woven in sheets with a loom and rolled onto large bolts for distribution to regional artisanal cooperatives (co-ops). Co-ops buy a bolt of the woven fabric, or lengths of cloth, cut the cloth into smaller pieces, and distribute these individual pieces to their community as “piece-work.”
Upon receiving blank pieces of cloth, each artisan carefully unravels parts of the weaving by hand, to leave only certain threads of the cloth. The remaining threads, in turn, are grouped by needle and thread to create a variety of delicate patterns. Each cloth bears the hand of a different artisan working her interpretation of the design using her multi-generational knowledge of technique and fiber. The result: a cloth that is elegant in palette, with eye-catching lace and sculptural fringe.
How to Use
Sure, you can leave your Mocel bundled in the deshilado cloth, but we thought we would suggest a few ways you can use the cloth to enhance your Mocel experience and bring Michoacán to your home. A few ways to use the cloth:
Wrap warmed tortillas in a bowl
Wrap bread in a basket
Feature on your table as a table-runner