‘Pares-pares’ meets traditional Philippine weaving in a new card game

The deck features 20 patterns across 40 cards, with four ways to play:

• “Hibla! Tugma!”
  • Find and collect as many matching pairs as you can by remembering where each pattern is hidden.

• “Hibla Snap!”
  • Be the player with the most cards at the end by spotting matching motifs faster than everyone else.

• “Alin ang Wala?”
  • Remember the motifs on display, then be the first to identify which card has been removed.

• “Hibla Pares!”
  • Collect as many matching pairs of Philippine weave motifs as possible by asking other players for the card you need.

The labels for the motifs and patterns were consulted on with textile expert, researcher and cultural worker Bernard Joseph Guerrero, which matters more than it sounds.

Weave motifs carry specific meanings and community origins, and getting the names right is the difference between a heritage project and a set of pretty prints.

Hanap Hibla is priced at ₱2,250 and can be purchased through the Hibla PH website, with freebies included.

Hibla PH describes itself as a women- and youth-led social enterprise working to preserve and promote traditional Filipino weaves while creating income for artisans and seamstresses. The group works with 14 communities across the Philippines, from the weavers of Kalinga to the embroiderers of Abra, and says its workshops have taught over 1,000 individuals the fundamentals of traditional Filipino weaving.

Its catalogue runs from handwoven inabel binakol shawls to Kalinga weave skirts to retaso keychains made from scrap fabric.

It also offers weaving workshops and classes for those who want to learn more about the traditions behind the motifs.

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