Colcha embroidery

During the Spanish Colonial period, the word colcha referred to a densely embroidered wool coverlet.

It covers a large area of the base cloth quickly, and it saves yarn, with little waste on the back of the fabric.

[4]: 153–154 An early record of colcha embroidery appears in a list of furnishings of Spanish chapels, churches, and Indian missions in New Mexico.

The cotton fabric used, as well as plied wool yarns, were commercially produced, and arrived from the east via the Santa Fe Trail.

These encouraged embroiderers to use a wider range of stitches, and also led to less engagement with traditional colcha.

It has been found on 18th century quilts, as well as wall hangings and altar cloths in a region encompassing northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.

[2]: 113  After the Spanish colonial period, the designs changed, with vines, buffalo, birds and deer becoming more frequent.