Toadlena Trading Post

A must-have for every weaving library is Saddle Up! by Mark Winter. This new and exciting publication features Navajo Fancy and Sunday saddle blankets from the 1860’s to 2011, representing six to eight generations of weaving creativity. Included are over 100 color plates and insightful text. Accompanying the book is Saddle Up! Side Kick, a flipbook of the color plates included in the main book. The pair sells for $48 plus shipping.
Most of the saddle blankets in the book are on display at the Toadlena Trading Post Weaving Museum. Come see the exhibition after enjoying the Saddle Up! catalog.

The Master Weavers details many of the best textiles, their weavers and families of the Toadlena/Two Grey Hills region since its beginnings in the early 20th century. It is 608 pages, contains 250 color plates, over 450 historic and contemporary photographs and 23 extensive genealogies of 87 Master Weavers including 2 Legendary Master Weavers, Daisy Taugelchee and Bessie Manygoats.

Published in 2011, The Master Weavers is now a standard for excellence in research of Navajo weavings and culture.

This rug measures 23" x 45" by Master Weaver Marie Lapahie. She frequently weaves more expensive tapestries so the piece offers a good opportunity to acquire one of Marie's fine weavings a price lower than that of a tapestry.

This rug measures 36" x 57", excellent condition, by Master Weaver Evelyn George.

This rug displays the simple elegance that it Evelyn at her best. It was woven 6 years ago and came back around to us. We are thrilled to see it again!

SOLD
This piece measures 25" x 45" with 9 colors by Master Weaver Salina Dale.

Salina brought this piece in the weekend of "Eye on the Storm." It is always a thrill to a new piece!

Salina Dale is the best colorist we have seen. This piece features her distinctive blue/grey and gold yarn. The border has looping, inter-locking claws. She orchestrates her lighter and darker colors to accent various elements of the double diamond layout.

A new piece by any of the Maser Weavers is a treat!

This piece measures 26" x 30", hand-spun yarn, 6 colors, natural white and brown, all other colors are hand-dyed aniline, c. 1980's, excellent condition.

Master Weaver Ruby Manuelito was the daughter of Master Weaver Frances Manuelito and the granddaughter of Master Weaver Blind Man's Wife. Blind Man's Wife was a true pioneer in the evolving designs of early, regional Navajo rugs. Thus, were Ruby's feet placed on her own artistic journey by these earliest influences. Ruby married Ira Manuelito and became the daughter-in-law of Gladys Manuelito, "Mrs. Sam", the niece of Hastiin Klah. Klah was the first Navajo Medicine Man to render a Sandpainting image in a permanent form, woven wool. She learned the Sandpainting images forms from Gladys as Gladys learned them from Klah, putting her very near the epicenter of Sandpainting weaving.

This piece bears images of the Navajo Holy People from the same Nightway Chant image woven by Ruby that appears on p. 228, Plate 71 of "The Master Weavers" by Mark Winter. It has 68-74 wefts per inch and 14 warps per inch.

Ruby's finely woven sandpainting are difficult to find and highly prized. We hope you enjoy this treasured piece of Navajo mythology as much as we do!

This rug measures 32" x 46". It was woven by Master Weaver Emily Watchman. Emily is a member of 3 generations of Master Weavers who include her Mother, Evelyn George, her sister, Dorothy Lowe and her daughter, Stacy Watchman.

This rug displays her Mother's gold and gray wool and bears similarities to her Mother's style. It is a real joy to see new work from The Master Weavers!

SOLD
This tapestry measures 35" x 56", handspun yarn, overdyed black, all other colors are natural, c. 1980's, excellent condition.

Master Weaver Julia Jumbo wove this 120 weft per inch masterpiece. It is the largest tapestry we have seen that Julia wove. The uncluttered simplicity gives the piece artistic strength and the fineness of 120 WPI on this scale create a gravitas when seen in person. The hand-carded colors are quite luscious! Her weaving heyday was the same time that the finest Navajo weavings began to jump off of the floor and on to the wall.

Julia was one of the Grandma's we had the honor and pleasure of spending many years with.

A photo of the tapestry is shown horizontally because the long single-diamond lends itself to that orientation.

Arizona Highways, July 1974 states: "Daisy Taugelchee is the 'Grand Dame' of two Grey hills weavers. As pacesetter of the tapestry medium Daisy's looms have produced more top award winners than any other weaver. The attrition of age and cataracts may cause an involuntary abdication of the Two Grey Hills longest lived queen. The area is especially noted for the number of superior weavers, with Julia Jumbo currently the setting the pace."

Woven by Lovita Etcitty, Tachini i clan of Sanostee, who is the oldest daughter of Master Weaver Esther Etcitty, the long-time weaver of rugs containing images of Anasazi and Navajo rock art. Lovita was slow to adopt her mother’s style but managed to do a small number of handspun masterpieces, such as this one, before she was killed by a hit and run driver in a crosswalk in downtown Farmington, NM.

SOLD
This rug measures 56” x 87”, woven from natural handspun yarn, c. 1940’s, it appears in “The Master Weavers” on p. 338, Figure 378, excellent condition.

It was woven by Master Weaver Marie Police Klah of the Bear Clan. Marie was one of the handful of weavers who advanced artistic achievement in the early Regional rug period by creating variations on the J. B. Moore templates.

Her family boasted many Master Weavers: her mother, Mrs. Policeboy, her sisters, Mary Yanabah Curly and Policegirl. The following generation of her children and nieces also produced 8 Master Weavers.

This rug contains design elements distinctive to her family including the figural quality of the pairs of triangles, top and bottom. The tridents and water bugs are derivative of J.B. Moore's catalogs. The elongated single-diamond was later used by Legendary Master Weaver Daisy Taugelchee to great effect. Daisy was also raised and learned to weave in the Bear Clan household.

Woven by Master Weaver Nora Manygoats, Hooghan lani clan of Little Water, who is the niece of legendary Master Weaver Bessie Manygoats. It is a good-sized masterpiece textile with nine shades of handspun wool yarn from her fine flock of sheep, done in the light tones typical of the families work.

Several years ago the Post began encouraging the weavers to weave "runners" to supply an under attended demand. It took them a while to accommodate the new configuration. This piece by Daisy Shorty is one of the finest we have seen.

Daisy, her Clan and this specific piece appear in Chapter 5:19, p. 478. This runner is on p. 493, Plate 218.