Last week we had a 90 minute zoom call with the girls in the refuge all about their weaving. With translation support from the house mother and Women’s Development Centre Director, Sashi Stephen, the girls showcased some of the loom-made items they’d produced during lockdown – and Krystyna gave them very positive feedback.
This time last year Krys and I were due to travel to Sri Lanka to volunteer our skills and time. Packed in our suitcases were 13 rigid heddle looms that we’d spent many months fundraising for. But of course the pandemic stopped us travelling and so we shipped them out. This meant the girls could get to work learning from patterns with help from the house mothers and an in-house weaver. It was a good job we did as we’re still locked down almost 12 months later!
Practising their weaving by making scarves and cloths
Krys and supporter friends have recently sent out more parcels of wool for the girls to continue to work with, and we were excited to see how they were using it and progressing their new skills.
Krys gave the girls an extended demonstration of her own looms and the range of items she’d made. This helped them to see what was possible and develop ideas for their next project. She asked the girls how easy they were finding the weaving, what parts they were most enjoying, and what they wanted to try next. They were very shy but through the house mother and Sashi they said they liked making the scarves, and after seeing Krys’s demonstrations they said they wanted to make cushion covers, cosmetic bags and learn to use colour differently.
Some of the items Krys has made on her rigid heddle loom which she showed the girls via zoom
As a follow on from our zoom call, Krys is sending out some further ideas along with visual instructions for the girls to try. And as we still can’t get out to Sri Lanka for the time being she offered another zoom session to support their experimentation with using colour when weaving. One such idea is by encouraging them to create their own cardboard mini looms.
Hot off the press: One of the girls has just left the shelter and due to her doing so well with developing her weaving skills whilst staying at the refuge, the Women’s Development Centre has donated a loom to her so she can start her own business and hopefully earn an income from her weaving.??
Your ideas needed please
If you have any ideas for what the girls can make in future that could be saleable please comment in the box below so we can suggest them to them!
Next up: Spotlight on Kirimitiya, a remote village in the tea plantation hills
Last blog: Chanting for Sri Lanka
[…] Krys is super creative and has remotely supported a weaving project at Women’s Development Centre (WDC) since just before Covid as well as helping to raise funds to buy 14 heddle looms for the refuge. She was booked to come out to Sri Lanka with me in March 2020 and we all know what happened to prevent this. We shipped the looms out during Covid and I took the remainder out last year. Krys will check in on the project, ensuring the girls have all they need. She’ll then do workshops introducing them to using colour in a coordinated and marketable way and teach them to explore and create new designs using the looms. The aim is to give the girls new skills whilst being a form of therapy and potentially providing them with beautiful items they can sell. Below is a link to one of my earlier weaving blogs with colourful pictures: http://www.marciatrekssrilanka.com/2021/02/09/looms-and-zooms-how-well-the-girls-at-the-refuge-have-… […]
[…] Looms and zooms – how well the girls at the refuge have learnt to weave and what happens next […]
When on holiday in various places we have bought small mats or rugs which we use as bath mats – they are useful at home and pack easily in a suitcase. We have various styles – self coloured with a raised pattern, coloured with a simple picture or pattern, and one wild and chunky clearly using reused torn rag but all hand woven individually.
Thanks for your comment Phil – yes a great idea for the girls to make. Do you have a picture of any you’d be willing to share?
That is so interesting. Perhaps they could try small wall hangings if they feel confident. Depending on the thickness of yarn, they could also do placemats?
Thanks Janneke – yes wall hangings and placemats sound like really good ideas and probably really doable for the girls too. I’ll pass on your suggestions and watch this space!
[…] Next up: Looms and zooms – Weaving project showcase […]