Peruvian Arpillera Art

Arpilleras are intricately detailed hand sewn textile pictures. Each piece illustrates some aspect of daily life for the women of the Andes. The arpillera, in an array of colors, tells the story of the country markets where locals come to buy vegetables, clothing and wool for weaving.

After watching a PowerPoint presentation showing pictures of the arpillera, we used construction paper to imitate the textile pictures. We talked about how important it is to cut and paste the pieces that are the furthest away first and then work our way forward. Also, to keep the picture in perspective, that we make a note of how much space the different objects take on the picture. For instance, the mountains are “how close to the top of the picture” and “extend “how far down on the picture.” Notice that the closer the objects are on the picture, the larger they appear. Make sure you have enough space for the closer objects.

To do this project, each student was given a copy of an arpillera textile picture to use as a guide. This project takes two class periods to complete.

Supplies:

• Peruvian Arpilleras (PowerPoint)
• Arpillera textile art (Pictures)
• Colored construction paper for background
• Colored scrap pieces
• Scissors
• Glue stick

Directions:

1. View the Arpillera PowerPoint presentation.
2. Each student is given a copy of an arpillera textile picture.
3. Choose a background according to the color in the picture.
4. Working from the objects furthest from away, cut and paste the pieces on the background.

4th Grade Projects Gallery: