Is the fabric in this vintage handmade dress Guatemalan?

I'm puzzled about the country/region of origin of the fabrics in this dress (I bought it at a thrift store in rural Wisconsin). Maybe random pieces of material were sewn together by some creative person from the hippie-era (the seams are machine sewn). The style of needlework on the front inset piece looks familiar, but I've looked online and can't find anything exactly like it (I'm only guessing that it might be Guatemalan). The blue pinstripe material is kind of thick and possibly hand loomed (the vertical seam allowances show that it had a woven border design that was cut off). The material in the last photo looks like an ikat design. Any opinions and comments about the origin of the materials are appreciated.

 

Almost random Ikat, yes...Nice, though...Thanks!

 

Thank you.

 

Certainly might be Guatemalan. Seeing shape and length would help determining age.

Debora

 

Thank you, Debora. The shape was perfectly straight all the way to the bottom with 12" side slits at the hem. The overall length was 54.5", but the bottom was damaged, so I've ripped out the waist seam and cut off the damaged section and will re-attach it. I can make it as long as 48", but I think that length might look kind of odd, so may make it into a mini dress, which will be less expensive to ship and maybe more appealing to likely buyers, but I'm open to suggestions on the length. EDIT: I should have mentioned there was zig-zag stitching on the seam allowances around the waist, so I'm thinking it was home-sewn in the U.S.

 

Will you offer it on eBay?

Just a thought...as all the textiles are unique but overall the garment, with effort, is salvageable; why not list it just as-is, with the description you've shared with us? Others with your skills may find it appealing as a project.

 

I think that's an excellent idea.

Debora

 

Thank you for those suggestions, but I'm close to having the remake finished. I get much more satisfaction out of doing my own restoration/remakes and then showing them off to my 450 eBay followers, although I don't always sell things for as much as I'd like to.

 

Great! So, Joan...eBay, or ?

I wanna watch...and perhaps bid!

I'll need a username, if you'll allow...

 

"...I don't always sell things for as much as I'd like to."

You ain't alone in that, Sister!

 

Oh gosh, now I'm kicking myself for mentioning that I'll be selling it on eBay...I purposely don't show my eBay username on this forum and don't give it out to friends and relatives because I feel uncomfortable having people I know watching my auctions....I know that probably sounds ridiculous.

 

Not. Perfectly understood, and accepted! Good Fortune!

 

Thank you, I appreciate your understanding.

 

Thought I should update this thread since I have new information after doing more research on vintage textiles. I googled Guatemalan indigo textiles and found identical examples of the blue pinstripe fabric.

I learned the material was traditionally made on a treadle loom (usually by men) to be worn as a tube skirt called a "morga" by Mayan women. Morga cloth for skirts has a special embroidery technique called a "randa" that holds two panels of the skirt together. When more than two panels are joined the randa forms a cross design.

Some Mayan villages preferred a heavy or moderately heavy morga material, often with village-specific white or light blue stripes. Natural indigo dye was used in the past, but now a synthetic dye is used.

I also found examples of Guatemalan embroidery similar to the top front of my dress, which is more like needlepoint than typical embroidery.

Yesterday I saw a few "vintage Guatemalan dresses" made from indigo Mayan morga textiles, but none with sleeves or embroidery quite like mine (the examples looked more recent). Some dresses had ties in the back, so even though I had already finished the restoration of my dress, and since I had two narrow strips of the indigo material left from the damaged part I cut off, I decided to make ties and sew them to each side of the dress.

I'm thinking since the embroidered part of my dress has surface wear and looks older than the dresses I saw online, I'm estimating it's ca. 1960s-70s. Here’s the finished product.

 

Bravo! Looks like 4 figures to me...Beautiful work, Joan. Thanks for the full-length follow up.

 

What a pleasure to see your finished work. Dress looks fabulous. There's someone out there who will be delighted to have it.

Debora

 

Thank you wlwhittier and Debora.