Life continues its fast pace, and I haven’t posted or written much in the past months because so much has been in motion – including me!
May and June found me zig-zagging across Sardinia. I posted a few tidbits about my adventures while on the road, yet I prefer to stay present with the people, places, and experience in front of me, sharing photos and stories later. Over time, you’ll see these trickle out on social media, here on the blog, and in presentations.
July and the first part of August (the months tourists traditionally vacation in Sardinia!) found me heads-down at the computer planning new adventures — including the tours of Sardinia that so many of you have requested!
I just released details and registration for two 2026 tours. Both include visits to handweavers featured on this website, plus much more. Check them out:
In May, we’ll spend more time with handweavers, in textile-related museums, and on textile-related adventures. We’ll also visit natural, historic, and sacred spaces of the island.
In October, we’ll visit the handweavers, yet spend less time on textile-related adventures and more time exploring other arts and cultural, historic, sacred, and natural areas. Weather permitting, the October tour may include a short boat excursion and a guided tour of breathtaking natural caverns.
If you’re a traveler — weaver or not — who wants to experience Sardinia and the island’s beauty, arts, culture, history, nature and textiles, come join me on a tour!
In this episode, Kelly Manjula Koza talks about founding Sardinian Arts, outlines key events from the first years, and hints at what’s to come.
Transcript
After that first trip to Sardinia in September of 2013, I returned to the States and started Sardinian Arts. It was a calling of the heart. My intent with Sardinian Arts has always been to work with and support the handweaving artists and promote their art. The handweavers and their textiles are dear to me, as have become Sardinia, her people, and her culture. My adventures and the story of Sardinian Arts have mea ndered and evolved over the years — and will continue to do so.
In this episode, I’ll give you a brief history of how some key moments with Sardinian Arts have unfolded, where things are going. This is not intended as a history lesson, but an overview so that you have a tiny hint of some of what I’ll discuss in more detail in upcoming episodes. Sardinia always brings interesting stories, amazing adventures, and much learning about myself as well as the island, her people, her ways, and, of course, her textiles.
Back to that autumn and early winter of 2013: I did some research online about Sardinian handwoven textiles, but you couldn’t find much, and what I did find were websites of a factory and a power loom shop that displayed photos of a hand loom on their home pages. I emailed a few addresses I found online, yet received no reply from my enquiries about visiting. Despite this, I was determined to find and meet the handweavers I knew had to still work on the island. So, I returned to Sardinia in January of 2014, three months after my first trip. As you may, know January is not the tourist season in Sardinia, and many places are closed, so the timing of the trip itself made for many interesting adventures.
The most significant adventure from that trip is that I met the Frongias, the weavers featured in the film I Want to Weave the Weft of Time. Like most — if not all — of my adventures in Sardinia, meeting them seems to have been synchronistically arranged. The Frongias have become family, and I have many stories to tell of my time with them, ranging from how I met them, to how the film was made, to what I’ve learned about Sardinian handweaving and Sardinia from them and others.
That January, I also visited factories and power loom shops, and had my introduction to what call the three classes of Sardinian textiles, which is an important theme in my work. My intent was and always has been to work with the women who weave and work by hand. However, as I hinted earlier, finding handweavers who work professionally is not always easy. Even in Sardinia, there are textile factories, or mills, that use large-scale automated looms to produce mass quantities of rugs, bedspreads, and other items for tourists and daily use. There are power loom shops where electric hydraulic looms run by themselves, yet can be stopped so the loom operator can insert a row or few of decoration by hand before pressing the button to resume the loom’s automated motion. I call these textiles produced on powerlooms “hand-decorated”, for they can be made in a fraction of the time it takes a handweaver to make a handwoven textile. Mill-made and hand-decorated textiles have their place and their market, yet they are too often sold as “handmade”, which creates problems I’ll outline in later episodes. This, by the way, is not a problem unique to Sardinia.
Back to that January trip when I met the Frongias. That’s also when I began filming I Want to Weave the Weft of Time, even though I had not envisioned making a film, hadn’t brought my video camera, and at first thought the video might be a short five or ten minute piece. Stories!
I came back from the trip full of ideas and questions. After I gave my first presentation to a group in California, I realized even more deeply the importance of educating people. My vision expanded from merely having trunk shows. I wanted to make a beautiful film that would touch hearts and open minds to Sardinia and Sardinian handwoven textiles. I also wanted to produce and curate an exhibit to introduce these textiles and weavers to the United States.
The vision continued to grow and to take form. Even though I was working full time in the corporate world, I put together the Sardinian Arts website, started looking into launching an exhibit, investigating everything from venues to customs regulations and historic Sardinian textiles. I hired an assistant to handle social media, market research, and administriva. My Italian tutor Gabri helped me with my Italian language skills and coached me on how to work with Italian officials and politicians, handle communication nuances, and so much more. His help was key in drafting the English and Italian proposal and Memorandum of Understanding for the exhibit and related events that I presented to the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco and eventual partners in Sardinia.
From 2014 through 2017, I made many trips to Sardinia, met many handweavers, power loom shop owners, factory owners, and officials. Of course I learned much — and also had a good bit of fun, as well as stress. The film was finished in late 2016, and was made golden by an amazing musical score by Ruth Mendelson. Parts of that score are in featured the podcast’s intro and outgo.
The film was shown independently and as part of the Exhibit of Sardinian Handwoven Textiles, which was held at the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco during January and February of 2017. A number of related events accompanied the show. The success of these put Sardinian Handwoven Textiles on the map. I smile because despite their success, the exhibit and related events were, at the end, toned down from what had been planned due to a series of unfortunate events. Some of the unforeseen events were rather tragic, such as an illness in the family that prevented the Frongias from traveling to San Francisco for the exhibit and workshops. Some mishaps were almost comic, such as the landslide that washed away the custom loom I had had commissioned to be built for the international interactive weaving project that accompanied the show. Stories for another episode!
One of the interesting learning adventures that came from organizing and curating this first exhibit of Handwoven textiles is that the commercial textile shops in Sardinia petitioned me to introduce their machine-made textiles to the States. Even though my heart is with the handwoven, and I knew the difficulties of importing commercial textiles, I did research further, and presented to the mill owners and power loom shop owners the extensive challenges, hidden-to-them costs, and specific terms under which I would consider starting a second endeavor for their commercial textiles. I was firm that textiles be labeled as hand-woven, hand-decorated, or factory-made, both in Sardinia — which is not currently required — as well as for export. We never came to an agreement — which thankfully left me free to pursue Sardinian Arts and my love of handwoven textiles — and I know the work I do ultimately benefits all those associated with textiles in Sardinia, including the power loom shops and the mills.
On a related note, I’ve had a handful of very large international businesses ask me if I would help them procure Sardinian handwoven textiles — or even traditional designs — that those large businesses could copy cheaply in their factories in other countries. Absolutely not! There’s no way would I sell out those dear to me, especially when I work to promote and protect them. So many adventures I didn’t expect!
In 2018 -2019, I continued my trips to Sardinia, building my collection of textiles, increasing my knowledge and connections, and, of course, my appreciation and love of the island and her people. I gave presentations to handweaving guilds and other groups in the US, and took steps to further my vision. To prepare for those next steps, I unincorporated Sardinian Arts to lower administrative costs, and streamlined tasks so that I could handle them myself. In August 2019, I left my corporate job to focus on Sardinian Arts. I wanted to produce and curate additional exhibits, and finally get to setting up trunk shows and sales. I knew I was taking a risk, yet I planned to supplement and support the initial jump by part-time consulting gigs with a few small businesses in California and Milano.
As 2019 wound down, it became clear that little was going to unfold as expected. I was still in Milano when we began to hear about the pandemic erupting in China. I left Italy days before the pandemic reached Milano, returning to the Bay Area to more intently focus on work with my beloved textiles. Then, the pandemic hit the US. Lockdown was obviously not the time for exhibitions and trunk shows. As so many of us did during the pandemic, I turned to Zoom and expanded my online community and presentations. I went from presenting Sardinian textiles to discussing more about Sardinia, her history, other arts, culture, traveling on the island, and much that required me to research and expand my own knowledge.
For many of us, the shifting of plans the pandemic initiated extended beyond the end of lockdown. In 2022, I decided to step back into the corporate world for a bit to boost my finances. I resumed my visits to Sardinia, continued behind-the-scenes activities with Sardinian Arts, and expanded my collection and connections, yet pulled back a bit on outreach during this phase. It surprised me that this phase lasted longer than I had planned. It was early 2025 when I once again returned to focus on Sardinian Arts.
As we all know, 2025 has been another interesting year, and it’s taken me some time to regain momentum with Sardinian Arts. In addition to the global events that affect all of us, I had to take care of some personal matters and clear my head from the rather unique world of Silicon Valley high-tech in which I had been working. I then spent a few months in Sardinia, which was somewhat relaxing, but also busy and intense. As always, I was keen to further expand my knowledge and connections on the island, as I’ve been revamping the path forward for Sardinian Arts with a much-expanded vision. For instance, I’ve formalized some of what I’ve been doing casually for years, such as helping people learn about traveling to or moving to Sardinia. I’ve organized tours of the island, primarily for handweavers and textile enthusiasts, but also for anyone else interested in the beauty and culture of Sardina. Other initiatives are on the drawing board.
As you can tell, there’s so much to talk about, and I’ve only hinted at a few of the topics we’ll be discussing in future episodes: Handwoven textiles, handweavers, heritage designs, dyes, the wool issue and other challenges weavers face; and special places, people, and traveling in Sardinia; the culture, arts, and history of the island — there’s so much! I look forward to more — and I hope you do as well.
In this episode, Kelly Manjula Koza answers the question she’s often asked: “How it is that you came to know about Sardinia and her weavers?”
Transcript
People often ask how it is that I came to know about Sardinia, the weavers, and to work with them.
It’s rather complex and amazing story full of synchronicity, and it reaches back to my childhood. I like to tell the story using textile terms of warp (the foundational threads of a textile) and weft (the threads that are later interwoven into the warp). I think it’s easier to understand this way!
The first warp thread is that I had the good fortune to grow up with a mother, Carole, who was an amazing designer and maker who could figure out anything and make anything. She was especially adept with textiles. An incredible seamstress, she made most of her own clothes, and many of mine when I was young. She could design, make, repair, upholster, or improve anything. She also crocheted, embroidered, and did a bit of weaving. I watched her and listened to her explain her techniques, learned how things were constructed, and came to appreciate what it took to make something by hand — particularly clothes and textiles. While I didn’t want be behind the sewing machine doing this myself — I wanted to be outside playing sports, or off in a corner reading a book — I always loved watching her work, and loved going to the fabric store with her because I loved the sight, feel, and beauty of the cloth. I learned much from my mom, and gained a great appreciation of the fiber arts, fabric, and what it took to make textiles. I also gained a great appreciation of the handmade, and the women (it’s usually women!) who make textiles and textile-based items by hand. I could also, from what my mom taught me, identify by both physical characteristics and sense, when something was handmade.
When I went to university, this appreciation grew even further. I majored in Design, and at the University of Arizona, my favorite courses were the Fiber Arts courses taught by Gayle Wimmer. Gayle was an internationally renowned fiber artist who had worked in six or eight different countries before and during her time running the Fiber Arts Department at the UofA. Gayle was a huge influence, expanding my knowledge and appreciation of the fiber arts, of international artists, and even of languages (which I always loved — and she was fluent in six!). However, while Gayle deepened my love and appreciation of textiles, I knew becoming a weaver was not my path — if anything, I sensed that one day I might collect textiles, out of my love for them and to support the women artists who make them.
This love of textiles from an early age is obviously a key warp thread, foundational in this story of what led me to Sardinia and the weavers. Another such thread also comes from my childhood: The tactile memory of a certain bedspread we had when I was an infant. The memory is of a bedspread filled with bumps of fabric, in a pattern I used to run my hand over and over. While the bedspread disappeared when I was a young child, the memory persisted. In the early 2000’s, I tried to find a similar bedspread. Since my mom had passed a few years prior, I could not ask her for any helpful information. I searched and searched, but could find nothing. I had no idea what the bedspread type was called, or even where to look beyond the stores and internet. I gave up, yet the memory of that bedspread persisted.
The final thread of the warp laying the foundation of this story is another childhood memory. When I was young, and even into my 20’s, I had a recurring dream of an absolutely stunning and unique beach: The water was a clear yet deep blue, absolutely beautiful. The sky was a different hue of blue, yet equally, amazingly blue. In the foreground was a beach of fantastically-shaped giant rocks. In the distance, I saw the silhouette of another island rising out of the water. I somehow knew this was an island, but I never knew where it was. Sometimes I thought it was might be along California’s Pacific Coast. Other times, I thought perhaps it was Wales, or Greece, or — no, none of those were quite right. Mediterranean — perhaps “Italy but not Italy”. That felt right. But I wasn’t even certain if this was a real island, or just an island of my dreams!
So these are foundational warp threads of the story: A love and appreciation of textiles and their makers; a bumpy bedspread, and a magical mysterious island of my dreams.
The weft threads that fill in and complete the story began in about 2012. That’s when I began to study Italian (which is another story in itself). In early 2013 I read my first book in Italian. It was a biography, and Sardinia was a key location mentioned. I knew where Sardinia was, but I didn’t know where Gallura was on the island. Like any of us do when we’re studying a new language or a new topic and we want to learn something, I went online to search. I entered “Gallura Sardinia” — and what popped up on the screen sent shivers down my spine.
I was looking at photos of the exact same coastline that I had seen so often in my dreams.
I still get shivers thinking about that moment. And – of course I had to go to this coastline, this island of my dreams.
In September 2013, I made my first trip to Sardinia. A friend came with me, and of course we visited the beaches in Gallura, and more. I would have been content to stay at the beach the entire short trip, yet my friend wanted to visit some of the little towns on the northeast tip of Sardinia, one in particular, so we did. The town was once a fishing village, and over time had come to cater more to tourists. As we walked around the old downtown area, which was full of small shops, we came across a shop with a sign indicating they sold textiles. Of course I wanted to check it out. As we approached, I saw that the shop window was full of rugs, cushions, and bedspreads — all with the little fabric bumps I remembered from that long-ago bedspread from when I was an infant!
We went in — of course! — and bought a few items. The woman in the shop told me that the items were handmade, and yet while they were nicely made, I knew that what I had bought was not handmade. There are always beautiful little details of workmanship that give away the handmade, and more than that, there’s a feeling, an essence, an anima or spirit of the maker in textiles that are handmade. I knew the textiles I had bought were nicely made — and I knew they were not handmade. More than that, I also knew that there had to be women who were still weaving by hand in Sardinia. Perhaps they were older, perhaps they were in the center of the island (where I already knew traditions lasted longer), perhaps there were not many — but I knew there had to be women still weaving by hand in Sardinia.
I also knew — then and there — that I wanted to come back and find those women and their textiles. So I did.
(An earlier blog post containing a slightly different telling of this story is here.)
The “wool issue” is common to Sardinia, the US, India, and many places across the world. The dearth of mills and skilled people to clean and process wool (or cotton) has hindered availablity of wool for weavers and other artists, and hurt those who raise sheep and goats for their wool.
Grassroots efforts to address this are grow across the globe, and international organizations such as Fibershed.org help connect efforts. The World Hope Forum is also now addressing this issue, led by WHF founder Li Edelkoort (Founder of NY Textile Month and other initiatives) and actress Isabella Rossalini (who raises sheep for wool in New York State with her daughter).
WHF held several days of wool-related conferences in Rome in early October, and now offers a free one-day online conference on October 19. Yes, it’s early for those on the US West Coast, yet WHF forums are in my experience great, and worth the early coffee!
Last night I was talking with a number of local handweavers (and spinners, dyers, and fiber artists in general) and yet again the subject came up about how people who have never woven, spun, dyed, crocheted, etc. generally 1/ vastly underestimate the complexity of these arts, and the science, math, engineering, and overall STEM skills required, and 2/ don’t understand the foundational role textiles have played in everything from writing to commerce, industry, chemistry, engineering, physics, and so much of our modern world.
In last night’s discussion, several of us agreed these two books (among many) are great starting points to understand this complex and under-told history:
The Fabric of Civilization, by Virginia Postrel
Women’s Work – The first 20,000 Years, by Elizabeth Wayland Barber
Historically, flights to Sardinia depart only from a limited number of European hubs during tourist season. During the off season, flights are even more limited and generally depart from Milano and Roma, although a few flights do depart from some other Italian cities on highly limited schedules, especially for holidays.
While the Spring 2026 Sardinian Arts Tour begins May 10th, before the first direct flight, you’ll be able to fly back to the US directly after the tour if you choose. The Fall 2026 Tour may fall within the Delta flights window — provider dates in October are often a bit flexible and tied to how the season starts and weather. See the Tours page for more info.
And no, I’m not being compensated for mentioning Delta — I just know this will be a welcome relief for many US travelers headed to Sardinia. This past year especially I (and others) have noted more US tourists on the island than previous years.
Personally, I will likely still travel through Milano-Linate, as I love Milano and always like to spend time there.
No matter how you get to Sardinia, I hope to see you on this magnificent island — perhaps on a tour!
US citizens traveling to the European Union/Schengen Area need to know these important changes to travel registration and authorization requirements.
Starting October 12, 2025, the EU is phasing in an electronic entry and exit system (EES). This means that non-EU citizens entering the Schengen Area will have their photos and biometric data recorded when entering the Area.
Starting in the fourth quarter (Q4) of 2026, non-EU citizens will be required before their trip to register online with the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).
EES and ETIAS are similar to entry and security systems the USA, UK, and Australia have had in place for some time. The systems are designed to modernize travel and make border crossings simpler, safer, and faster. The EU has been planning implementation for several years.
What to Know and Do
2025 October 12 – Exit/Entry System (EES) Starts
On this date, non-EU nationals (including US citizens) traveling to the Schengen Area for short stays will start having their pictures and fingerprints taken at the Area’s external borders. While not all entry ports will have this operational on October 12, the system will be fully operational by April 10, 2026. Border entry queues may be slower at times due to collecting this information from non-EU citizens entering for the first time under these requirements.
Learn more on the official EU website: https://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/united-states-america/travelling-europe-etias_en
2026 Q4 – European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) Starts
The exact date ETIAS will start will be announced at least six months before the system is operational. The date is somewhat dependent upon the rollout of EES.
ETIAS is an entry requirement for non-EU citizens visiting the EU for short-term stays (up to 90 days in any 180 days) in 30 Schengen countries. It’s valid for multiple entries over three years or until your passport expires, which ever comes first. ETIAS is not a visa.
Applying for ETIAS
(WHEN ETIAS BECOMES ACTIVE) At least three days before your planned trip, apply for ETIAS via the official website or app (see below) and pay a €20 fee (about $23-$25). Authorization is sent to you via email or the official app.
Completing the ETIAS application takes about 20 minutes. You must provide your name, contact information, education, profession, passport/residence permit info, when you’ll make your first entry into the Schengen Area, and other details pertaining to entry eligibility. Processing and authorization generally take 24 hours, although in some cases it may take longer, and you may be asked to provide documentation beyond what’s generally required.
Official Sites and Application
WHEN ETIAS BECOMES ACTIVE – Apply using the official ETIAS website or the official ETIAS mobile app.
I’ll update this page and post photos of the app as the site and app go live. ~ KMK
Official ETIAS app – To be released in App stores. Not yet released as of 2025-08-30
Beware: There are many unofficial websites and apps that offer information about ETIAS (and EES), and many non-official sites and apps that offer systems (or will when the system is live) to complete the ETIAS. To avoid potential scams and/or unnecessary fees, use only the official EU Government website or official app when you apply.
An important reminder for everyone, including those interested in Sardinia and Sardinian handwoven textiles: Don’t believe everything you see online.
Today on social media I saw yet more AI-generated content with incorrect, misleading information about Sardinia and supposed (not actual) women handweaving artists. I’ll try to not rant too much, and just implore: Don’t believe everything you see online.
Know and trust your online sources. Ensure they’re real. Ensure your sources have the knowledge and experience they say they do. Ensure their content is valid, truthful, and not scraped from others. If you’re interested in handwoven textiles, make certain you and the seller/maker share the same definition of “handwoven”.
I see an increasing number of sites and social profiles that use gen AI to fabricate content about Sardinia. Their text and photos are too often inaccurate and misleading. In addition, AI-generated content about Sardinian textiles often scrapes from carefully-curated sites built by artists and their supporters without concern for artists, their work, or their rights.* Online reviews and images of Sardinian places and properties can be falsified easily — and too often are. Sadly, I’ve had to console and gently re-educate a number of folks who have made reservations or purchases in Sardinia based on misinformation they found online and didn’t verify.
Brief examples: • You scroll online and see photo of women at a loom, supposedly in Samugheo, with a window opening to the sea and text describing the scent of the sea influencing the textiles? Fake. • A real estate site shows you a supposed listing for a house in Samugheo (or elsewhere in the island’s center) with a sunset vista of the ocean. Fake.
Samugheo is not anywhere near the sea. You can’t see or smell the ocean from Samugheo or other places in the center of the island.
As always, the best sources of information are experienced, trustworthy humans you know.
Sardinian Arts and all that I write, share, and post are human-created and human-focused, based upon my extensive in-person experience and travels in Sardinia, my good fortune in having met many friends on the island, and my continuing exploration of the many gifts Sardinia offers.
Don’t believe everything you see social media. Check sources. Get to know the people you meet online. Work with human beings you know and trust. People with experience, heart, and soul.
~ Kelly Manjula Koza
*I don’t scrape from other sites. Several sites posting all AI-generated content scrape from SardinianArts.com, however 🙁
A recent conversation prompted me to share this reminder, applicable to textile enthusiasts, weavers, and other artists – as well as in general!
The USA is one of only few countries* in the world that uses the Imperial system of measurement – that is, inches, feet, yards, and miles instead of centimeters, meters, and kilometers.
When you’re talking with or writing artists outside the US, consider giving your measurements in centimeters (cm).
Buy a metric tape measure, or use an online converter or your gizmo’s calculator to convert inches to centimeters.
Remember not all tape measures are created equal! I’ve bought some that have incorrect measurement markings. Others can stretch over time. Tape measures with Metric measurements on one side and Imperial measurements on the other side can be incorrect on one or both sides.
The tape measure you use may differ slightly from the one the artist uses. Especially for large textiles or artworks, the measurements you make and the artist makes may differ if you are using different or inaccurate tape measures.
Leave some leeway! This is especially true for textiles, which can stretch and shrink with weather and other conditions.
*The other countries are Liberia and Myanmar. The UK uses a mix of Imperial and Metric.
