A Noisy Business – Hand-Weaving

How about an aventüra grond, a great adventure? Or would someone prefer to take a seat on a grusaida, an Alpine rose?

A quick look around the Tessanda hand-weaving workshop in Sta. Maria makes one thing clear: Romansh – or rather Jauer, the Val Müstair variety of the Romansh idiom Vallader – is omnipresent here. And what holds true for the language also applies to hand-weaving: traditional techniques such as the Graubünden cross-stitch can be found alongside clever new designs. These include, for example, the travel kit made for great adventures or the rosy seat cushions for the journey.

But what exactly is Tessanda – and what is a hand-weaving workshop in the first place? To begin with: it’s a noisy business. The clatter of the looms has echoed through Sta. Maria for a good 90 years. Up to 20 women currently work behind the threads and natural raw yarns – although, of course, their work involves far more than simply sitting. The work is demanding – and before anything else, the loom must be set up with thousands of threads. Despite – or perhaps because of – these challenges, hand-weaving is still present throughout Graubünden. At least 60 people are currently keeping this tradition alive.