Handmade work has always shaped the way we think and act at Clay Imports. We’re drawn to objects that carry memory, skill, and a sense of connection to the people who made them.
Our newest collection of Otomí embroidered placemats was created in partnership with PSYDEH, a nonprofit organization working alongside Indigenous women-led cooperatives in Hidalgo, Mexico. Together, the collection reflects generations of textile knowledge, collective work, and storytelling traditions that continue to evolve within Otomí communities today.
Each placemat is embroidered by hand, carrying the movement, rhythm, and individuality that only handmade work can hold.
- Embroidery Rooted in Community
- Handmade Details Worth Gathering Around
- In Partnership with PSYDEH
- Designed for Everyday Spaces
- Bringing Craft Into Daily Life
Embroidery Rooted in Community
Otomí embroidery, often referred to as Tenango embroidery, originates in the Sierra Otomí-Tepehua-Nahua region of Hidalgo, Mexico, where textile traditions remain deeply connected to community life, identity, and intergenerational knowledge.
The embroidered imagery is instantly recognizable: birds, animals, flowers, and symbolic patterns stitched in vibrant color across natural fabric. These motifs are inspired by the surrounding landscape and everyday experiences within the region.
No two pieces are exactly alike. Each placemat reflects the hand of its maker rather than a standardized pattern or factory process.
The work continues through cooperatives, family networks, and women-led initiatives that sustain both cultural knowledge and local economies.
Handmade Details Worth Gathering Around
The beauty of these placemats lies in the details: layered stitching, hand-drawn figures, shifting textures, and color combinations that feel lively and deeply personal.
They’re designed for real gatherings. Morning coffee, shared dinners, celebrations, slow weekends, and everyday meals.
Because every placemat is embroidered by hand, subtle variations are part of the piece itself. Those differences aren’t imperfections; they’re evidence of the human hands behind the work.
In Partnership with PSYDEH
This collection was developed in collaboration with PSYDEH, an organization that has worked alongside Indigenous and rural women in Hidalgo for nearly two decades through cooperative development, education, leadership programs, and long-term community partnerships.
PSYDEH’s approach centers on reciprocity, community-led collaboration, and the recognition of Indigenous women as active knowledge holders and leaders within their communities. Their cooperative network supports economic opportunity while helping preserve traditional practices, language, and collective cultural memory.
For us, this partnership is about more than introducing handmade textiles into the home. It’s about participating thoughtfully in systems that value people, cultural continuity, and slower forms of production.
Designed for Everyday Spaces
While rooted in longstanding embroidery traditions, these placemats feel remarkably at home in contemporary interiors.
Pair them with handmade ceramics, washed linens, terracotta tones, natural woods, or layered table settings for a space that feels collected over time. Whether your style leans toward Mexico Modern, rustic, eclectic, or minimal, the embroidered textures add warmth without feeling overly formal.
Bringing Craft Into Daily Life
The table is where so much of life unfolds. We gather, share stories, celebrate milestones, and move through everyday routines together.
These Otomí embroidered placemats bring that sense of care and connection into daily life, and are reminders that handmade objects can carry history, collaboration, and living cultural traditions with them.
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