Next to a primary school near the Blue Mountain Inn, you can see the painstaking tapestry-making process at Setsoto Design. The project employs more than 60 local women who spin, dye and weave a beautiful selection of tapestries (M250 to M6500) and other crafts. You can even submit your own design to be turned into a tapestry. Credit cards accepted.
Teyateyaneng, touted as the crafts capital of Lesotho, boasts several weaving galleries in the area. Weavers create beautiful mohair tapestries and rugs depicting African scenes and local traditions. One of the galleries I visited during a three-day trip to Lesotho was Setsoto Designs and Gallery. Setsoto Designs was conveniently just around the corner from the Blue Mountain Inn, where I was staying, so I walked over. After figuring out how to open the fence gate (signage stated the gate was shut to keep out the rabbits!), I entered the property tentatively. I was greeted by a woman who introduced herself as the supervisor. She gave me a quick tour of the production area, and introduced me to some of the women who were working on their tapestries. I can see the pride in their eyes as they showed off their work and I was excited about supporting the cooperative by purchasing some of the tapestries. The gallery that showcased not only the tapestries and rugs but other souvenirs is located in the same building. Although I had maloti on hand, I was delighted to see that they accepted Visa and MC as forms of payment. There were so many beautiful tapestries, rugs, handbags, and other handmade crafts there and now that I am back home, I wish I had bought more. I didn’t have a camera with me when I visited, but here are a couple of photos of the wall hangings I bought. If you are ever in the Teyateyaneng area, don’t skip visiting Setsoto Designs and Gallery.
