Barbara Hester has been creating unique western apparel and art from old weavings in Santa Fe, NM for 16 years. She is born and raised in the Southwest and since taking her degree in textiles at the University of Arizona, has devoted her time to breathing new life into old fabrics, particularly old Native American and Mexican weavings. Rather than lose these precious textiles to the ravages of time, Barbara creates beautiful fashions that can be worn and appreciated as art at the same time.
Barbara imaginatively resurrects damaged old Navajo rugs, Mexican Saltillo blankets and other classic fabrics that would otherwise be lost and creates beautiful new, durable fashions prized by western dressers and the dance crowd in New Mexico, Texas and elsewhere. Below are a few examples of her work.

A few examples of one-of-a-kind western skirts:

This skirt has 11 yards of material around the hem! It is multicolored, hand-stitched Seminole Indian patchwork on a black background with a grosgrain waistband and a closure that doubles as a pocket. The top is black, 6 gore (panel) cotton, the next tier is old Seminole patchwork from the 1930s, the next tier is more beautiful Seminole patchwork with many rows of rickrack (circa 1950s) and the last 2 tiers are rayon ruffles. The hipline is fitted to accent the broad hemline with a great flare.