Two weeks at the loom in Aït Hadiddou
With Fatima Ait Ali · Aït Hadiddou, Middle Atlas
A working apprenticeship. You will spend two weeks at my loom in the Aït Hadiddou valley. You will learn to warp, to tie knots, to dye with madder and walnut, and to read a pattern without a cartoon. You will not become a weaver in two weeks. You will understand what weaving takes. Most people who come say it changes how they see every piece of cloth they have ever owned.
- Duration
- 14 days
- Location
- Aït Hadiddou village, Middle Atlas, Morocco
- Max students
- 2 per cohort
A small piece of cloth you wove yourself, using pattern, knot, and dye you chose. A complete understanding of why handwoven pieces cost what they cost. A direct relationship with me that may lead to a collaboration.
People who have completed the digital course or who already have some weaving experience. Also suitable for textile designers, museum professionals, and journalists covering craft. Not a tourist experience — you will work.
14 days in detail
Warping the loom from scratch — the first day is entirely this
The Middle Atlas knot — tied correctly and checked before moving on
Reading and following a counted pattern without a written guide
Natural dyeing with madder, walnut, and an introduction to the indigo vat
Washing and finishing a woven piece
One full day with Khadija, my apprentice, to see how the tradition passes between generations
Fatima Ait Ali
Wool weaving — Middle Atlas rugs · Aït Hadiddou, Middle Atlas, Morocco
A cooperative or artisanal ministry has vouched for this artisan. The institution stakes its reputation on the introduction.
I have been weaving since I was twelve. My grandmother taught me, then her sister taught me the patterns my grandmother did not know. I work on a vertical loom in the room behind my house. Most rugs take me between six and ten weeks depending on the size and the knot density. I work in undyed wool from the village and dye the colour myself with madder, indigo, and walnut. I do not weave the same rug twice. If you collaborate with me, you will tell me what room it is for and I will weave you something only you have.
In the archive
Fatima has documented this tradition in detail in the Amussu Archive. It is free to read.