One thing that I have learned in my travels around the world (49 countries so far…) is that women are the same the world over.
Mothers, Sisters, Grandmothers, Daughters, and Aunties…we care deeply about each other, and especially for our families and our communities. Time and time again I have visited cultures and communities where the focus is not on possessions, but on family and especially children. During my years working as an import fashion designer in Asia, I met so many women who thanked me for bringing business to their community, so they could feed their children. That left a lasting impact on me, which is expressed through the eQuilter charity program.
One of the communities we support is through Langa Lapu in South Africa. Recently we had another shipment of handmade fabrics that are made by these women, and their products are a crucial support for these mothers and their families. The owner Pru runs a soup kitchen once a week, and also contributes to an AIDS orphanage down the road. So when we bring in another shipment of these very unique products for eQuilter, there are mothers and grandmothers who have spun this fabric into gold to feed their children.
Another group of products like this are the Guatemalan Ikats. These are handloomed cottage industry fabrics with threads that are space-dyed by hand, made on lap looms. Generally the weaver loops one end of the lap loom around a post on her front porch, the other around her waist, and proceeds to work the warp and weft one row at a time in the traditional method. If you look at my photos from Guatemala you will see many of these ladies wearing the traditional Mayan hand-loomed textiles that they wove themselves. To me, these fabrics are so incredibly special. I feel a very personal connection to the women who made these textiles to feed their families, but also to share their beauty with us.
Attention friends in INDIA, Asia-Pacific, Africa & Europe:
I will be giving an online power point lecture “International Quilt Trends” through the India Quilt Festival (in your time zone!), on Sunday Jan 24. You can register to attend here:
https://www.indiaquiltfestival.com/workshop/international-quilt-trends/202
I’ll be giving an online presentation to the WaShonaji guild here in Denver this weekend as well. I have a couple more online talks coming up and I’ll give you information on those soon. During these months which are hopefully the last part of the pandemic, we need to support each other by sharing beauty and inspiration for those quilts yet-to-be-made in 2021 and beyond….
Wishing you health and comfort in the New Year,
Luana and Paul
