Learn · Glossary
Loom term
Telar de pedal
Telar de pedal is Spanish for a foot-pedal loom. A rebozo woven on one comes off as a finished rectangle — the length you buy — with fringe that belongs to the cloth. Lola’s are cotton, about $32–$77 across four lengths. Not cut from a bolt. Not acrylic. I will not invent weaver names or towns here.
What is a telar de pedal?
It is a foot-pedal loom, also called a treadle loom. The weaver opens the shed with the feet, which leaves the hands free to pass the weft. Mexico’s Secretaría de Cultura calls it the colonial loom, telar colonial o de pedales: it arrived with the Spanish, while the backstrap loom, telar de cintura, is the prehispanic one. Both are still used for rebozos.
English buyers say pedal-loom rebozo. Spanish names the machine: telar de pedal. Same authenticity test either way; the shop’s page on rebozo meaning gives the short definition. The warp is finished by hand into rapacejo. That is how a working cotton rebozo starts — as a garment, not yardage with tassels glued on. A pattern dyed into the threads before weaving is called jaspe (ikat) dyeing.
| Term | Means | Buy signal |
|---|---|---|
| Telar de pedal | Foot-pedal loom (Spanish). | Woven to length. Fringe belongs to the cloth. |
| Pedal-loom rebozo | English label for cloth from that loom. | Same test: finished rectangle, cotton for what Lola ships. |
| Cut-from-bolt | Yardage hemmed later. | A scarf pretending to be this garment. |
| Acrylic “doula shawl” | Machine synthetic in a long shape. | Wrong fiber. See cotton vs acrylic. |
In the buying order
- Read the fiber — ours is cotton.
- Confirm woven to length on a telar de pedal, not cut from a bolt.
- Look at the fringe (rapacejo).
- Pick the length on how to choose. Doulas: 98 inches.
This glossary is not a product page. About-prices, not a stock list. Pedal loom is what the shop says — I will not say backstrap here.
Sources
- How a treadle loom works (feet open the shed, hands pass the weft): Wikipedia, “Loom” (Treadle loom section)
- Backstrap loom (telar de cintura) as prehispanic and the colonial pedal loom (telar colonial o de pedales) arriving with the Spanish: “Tejido del rebozo en telar de pedal y bordado con hilo de artisela”, Inventario del patrimonio cultural inmaterial, Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico)
- “Rebozos de algodón teñido tejidos en telar de pedal con rapacejo anudado” as a registered artisan technique: artisan entry MX-SC-OR-16-0191, Original directory, Secretaría de Cultura (Mexico)
- Warp cut to the length of the finished piece, both backstrap and European-style looms, finger-woven end rows: Wikipedia, “Rebozo” (Production section)
- Spanish meanings: Real Academia Española, “telar” and “pedal”
- Lengths, prices and make: cotton rebozo collection on lolamylove.com, checked October 22, 2026: 78″ $31.99–$37.99, 98″ $46.99, 118″ $52.99, 196″ $76.99, all about 60 cm (23″) wide; listings give the fiber as cotton and the technique as foot-pedal loom, handwoven in Mexico by local artisans
Questions
Is every pedal loom a telar de pedal?
In Spanish, yes — that is the name. Other loom families exist (including backstrap traditions). Lola ships foot-pedal cotton. Match the shop language.
Why does the loom matter if the fiber is cotton?
Because woven-to-length fringe and a finished rectangle are how this garment is made. Cut cotton yardage with glued tassels is still not a rebozo. Full buying test: how to choose.
Also: pedal-loom rebozo · cotton rebozo · cotton vs acrylic · shop