Bellsmom:You might want to post this on the home decorating forum; there are a couple of regulars from New Mexico who might be able to help.

Have you tried Etsy?

If someone isn't already making them you might find someone who makes something similar and ask them to make what you want.

My daughter has asked that several times with creative people on Etsy and been very pleased with what she got.

You might try calling some museum shops in New Mexico. Also see if you can find the numbers for tourist tchotchke shops. Maybe the museums will know. I think there's a fabric store in the town of Mimbres. If so, it seems to me that they'd carry the fabric if anyone does. :)

If you can't source them, you can make them fairly easily. You can even buy ready to print sheets of cotton, treated and backed, which you can just put through your printer. There are numerous other ways to get images onto fabric and I know most of them (e-mail me if you want to discuss other options). The felt they use for felt mattress pads or table pads makes good potholder liner.

Great ideas.
Lizbeth, I will cross post on the decorating forum. I do not often go there and am really not familiar with it.
Momj47, I have checked Etsy, but not recently. I did find something I would have bought, but it was sold. I'll try again.

Pillog, Thanks for the tips. I had considered needlepointing some, but they would not be very washable! Do you happen to know how washable computer printed fabrics are? I doubt that they are as durable as I would want.

I also considered making my own screen prints, but that is a lot of time for only a couple prints per screen.

Islay, the link you gave me is really intriguing. A machine embroidered design could be pretty darn durable. I like the sample one. Thank you for the idea.

Here's a blog page with results from testing one of the fabrics, and links to testing of others. A lot of it depends on how often you want to wash them. Unfortunately, I seem to be out of date, and a lot of my knowledge is for methods that no longer exist. :(

plllog
I don't really wash them often. If I did, they wouldn't have lasted 15 or so years!
I may email you about info regarding painting or using permanent markers on fabric. I draw fairly well, and I paint with both pastels and oils. I just have never played with putting pigments on fabric I knew I must wash!

RE: knowledge that is out of date: I am also a whiz on the mimeograph!

Illhhi on the kitchens forum gave me the link to this fabric. The motifs are only 2" or so, but I may be able to use them. I ordered some of the fabric. Be sure to zoom in to see them close up.

Thought some of you might like to see some of the images. I really do love them.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mimbres motif fabric.

You might see if Spoonflower could help you. They will print designs on fabric as long as the designs aren't copyrighted.

Here is a link that might be useful: Spoonflower

There are several for sale on this website: http://www.cafepress.com/+mimbres+kitchen-accessories?cat=203861

I have never ordered from them but have seen the website before. HTH!

Here is a link that might be useful: Mimbres Kitchen Accessories

Heather480
Thank you so much for the link.
Someone else gave me that link, which was new to me. I have ordered the bat one, which will make me smile. Bats in our culture have so many negative connotations and the Mimbres just see their beauty. I remember vividly holding a cinnamon colored bat I plucked off a branch on a cool day in my Indiana garden. Beautiful, delicate creature, dazed by cold and daylight.
The potholder of the fish would have pleased me because it shows the "spirit hole", but the designers cut off the fish's head. No thank you.
The others don't have the simplicity of design that I want. But I do really appreciate your input.
It is so much fun to have minor accessories like potholders in the kitchen, with its almost industrial design, that evoke memories and dreams.

Bellsmom, you are very welcome! The bat was my favorite, so I'm glad you got that one. I ran across those because I was looking for petroglyphs, after a recent road trip through Utah and New Mexico. I so agree with you about enjoying accessories that evoke memories and dreams.

bbstx
Sorry I missed your post before. Just checked Spoonflower. This sounds really interesting. I think I will contact them. It is so easy to find and print non copyrighted mimbres images.
Really good lead.

I'm not a regular poster on this forum (I'm a regular over on the Decorating forum), but my friend who does hang out here told me about your quest, Bellsmom, and asked me if I could perhaps suggest a place. I've lived in New Mexico for many years now and your potholders look familiar. I can't recall seeing them in any specific place, but then again, I haven't been shopping for potholders in a long while. My first suggestion would be to check the above mentioned Café Press. They're well thought of here in NM. I've ordered tee shirts from them in the past for my college-aged son and daughter and have been very happy with the service and quality. If you were visiting our area, I could give you a number of shops to try, but most don't have websites that you can order from. Another suggestion would be Etsy. I'm not an artist but I did hand paint a number of Mimbres animal figures on the kiva fireplace in my family room. They're actually quite easy to copy if you take your time and have the design enlarged on a piece of paper next to you as you draw it. Perhaps someone on Etsy can transfer that design to fabric and make your potholders for you. I'ill keep a lookout for those specific potholders on my shopping excursions and look for you back here if I find them. Best wishes!
Lynn

LynnNM
I would love to see your kiva fireplace! Can you post a pic?

I had hoped that someone would say "Oh, sure. This place has a bunch of these. Here's the website."

That hasn't happened. t am somewhat skilled in drawing/painting, but I know nothing about printmaking, and especially nothing about printing or painting on fabric. And even more especially about making the result durable under repeated laundering.
Mimbres designs lend themselves to so many uses. I have ordered some fabric, and I am going to talk to a friend who is a graphic artist. Don't know where this will lead.
Still hoping for that website with an array of Mimbres potholders!!! The designs, intended usually for bowls, are so utterly perfect for the circular shape of potholders! And I think the potters from more than a thousand years ago would be pleased to see us today using their designs in our kitchens.

Here is a link to a fabric illhhi posted for me in the kitchens forum. I just thought you might enjoy, as I do, the idea of using these beautiful bowl designs from a thousand or so years ago in my kitchen today. This fabric shows several of the circular motifs. Unfortunately, the prints are only 2" or so in diameter. The originals were more like 7" to 12"
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This post was edited by Bellsmom on Thu, Jan 22, 15 at 18:43

Sigh. My potholders only remind me of Bloomingdale's (they were on sale).

Given laundering the normal amount for potholders, which is usually once or twice a year, plus once or twice more for when they get actually dirty, I really do think the printer fabric would work. You could also do block or screen prints (alas, Print Gocco, you are but a memory). You can easily carve a styro block, like computer packing, and prime it with gesso or acrylic medium, since you're only printing a few. Since you're good with mimeo, does that mean you're good with screen printing stencils? That would be so easy if you have the set up! For just a few prints, you can tape the stencil to a blank screen (true for hand cut too) rather than having to create a whole new screen for each.

Anyway, laundry wouldn't be my first concern (you can always make a few extra prints, and have a lifetime supply). The problem with painting is knowing which medium is going to like touching a 450ð oven rack. Without looking things up, I'm guessing inks or dyes would be better than paints, but you can brush those on too, with the right medium. Or you could just cut paper stencils, adhere them well, and adhere to a stiff backing, and spray with car engine paint. Since you have some art/drawing/painting experience, I think doing it by hand would be the best, easiest way, if you can't do direct printing. I know a bunch of different ways to get an image onto cloth, but sometimes doing it by hand is just a lot easier, especially since you're not trying to get photographic detail. :)

Actually, if you can't get the images you want made for you, I'm thinking that the engine paint might be the easiest and most durable. :)

Plllog
OMGosh, so many options! Thank you. I have the fabric coming. I'll see what I can do with that. Promise to post pics. But it would be SO much fun to make some stencils!

Wish you lived next door!!!

Bellsmom, do you know someone who does machine embroidery? I found some designs online and someone with a machine could probably stitch them for you. The site linked below has them in larger sizes (many I found were about he same size as your fabric print). Perhaps she would even stitch a few for you if you don't have someone local who can do it for you. You could then have that embroidered fabric backed and bound for the potholders. They could be fabulous.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mimbres embroidery designs

Lascatx has a great idea. IC mentioned embroidery before but it didn't spark the thought: You don't need an embroidery machine to do machine embroidery, just to do the kind that's like printing on your printer. The problem with designs for home machine embroidery is that they're meant for small production clothing, and are pretty small. But you could easily transfer a potholder sized image to your fabric, sew it with some stabilizer behind to a piece of your filling (another plug for heavy felt here), and free embroider it. Theoretically, you could do it full body sized, but piece of paper sized is ideal for free embroidery. If your felt is stiff you don't even have to hoop it. I'd use a poly cotton thread, which will be less likely to tear if it gets abraded during use.

We definitely could do some damage if you lived next door! ;)

Good luck with the yardage. You may find that it's all you need when it's combined with your old ones. A couple of new ones to use more, and old ones to treasure and lift the spirit.

If you do want to make stencils, old file folders work better, IMHO, than cereal boxes, and old x-rays are really fab, if there even is such a thing anymore given digital. Fabric spray adhesive (temporary) is your friend.

Look at Windham Whistler Studio.com. Search for Southwest fabrics. Good Luck.

Man, these things must be as rare as hen's teeth because I've been trying to search and not coming up with much of anything at all!

If you could somehow remember the museum that you visited, maybe you could call them and order from them?

Another crafting option I thought of was to purchase very plain potholders and then use the proper medium to paint them. The designs are simple. That's about all I can think of.

I live in NM, so give me a couple of weeks and I will look around to try and find some. I live in a small town - no shopping, but will be going to the city in a couple of weeks.
Donna