Our Symbol for Duality

You can find this symbol in much of our work, interpreted in many different ways. (The symbols below are from photos of our embroidered belts.)

Duality and complementarity are an important underpinning of our worldview. We believe the universe is made up of reciprocal movements, always dual and complementary: darkness-light, formation-disintegration, heat-cold, birth-death, humidity-dryness, day-night. Duality expresses sets of two with different but complementary qualities. Our lives should also express this harmony with the cyclical cosmic movements. Through Mother Earth we construct our lives within this movement. We nourish ourselves with the strength and energy of Father Sun and recuperate our vitality each night in the presence of Grandmother Moon.

Of course, our reality isn't always this peaceful, but it is something we can reflect on to keep ourselves centered.

Learning the meaning of our Maya symbols

We invited Eli, a Maya spiritual guide, to explain to us the meaning of the symbols that we weave into our work. Of course, that is a subject for more than one talk, but he began by explaining that our ancestors wove the symbols into their cloth as a way of communicating. They were communicating their understanding about mathematics, the physical world, time, space, colors, different designs, and cosmic messages. They had a written language, too, but it was very difficult and only very learned people could read and write. But in those days, everyone could understand the meanings of the symbols woven into the cloth.

Besides everyday clothing, our ancestors wove ceremonial clothing and many other different cloths for many different purposes. (Maybe you would like to know more about that one day?) Many, though not all, of these cloths are still being woven today. We are pleased to learn about the meanings of these symbols, it is a way of reclaiming some of our identity that has been lost over the past 500 years.

Holiday Selling

We didn´t have any extra minutes last week to update our blog, we were busy participating in different local holiday selling events.

We were very pleased – our new red aprons and all of our shawls were very popular.

The photo below was taken before the beginning of the annual Alternative Gift Fair organized by Morristown’s Unitarian Fellowship. It is always a great event for us, we are grateful for their support. This was our fourth year participating, and it really is gratifying when repeat customers return and tell us how happy they are with their towels or aprons or whatever, and want to know what is new this year…and then make their purchase!

PS That is Caryn modeling our new red aprons.

Fair Trade Holiday Shopping

First, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you in the United States! We hope you enjoy a wonderful day surrounded by your friends, family, and neighbors.

We have heard about Black Friday, and want to remind you as you begin your holiday shopping to think about shopping “fairly”, to think about the people that make the gifts that you are buying, and whether they are being paid a fair wage for their work. Our little business has made a huge difference in our lives. Some of us have been able to go to school, some of us have been able to give our children more nutritious food, and we have been able to afford the medical care our families sometimes need.

For those of you who ask about how much of the profit from our sales in the U.S. reach us, well the answer is all of them…we are the owners of the business, and the goal of our selling organization in the US is to cover their costs. To tell you the truth, we are not making any profit now, we are still developing our market, but that is the idea!

So, after you have your delicious Thanksgiving dinner, and start to think about shopping, please think about us! Click on our Etsy store just to the right and see many of our products.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our shawl hand woven in cobalt & magenta

We have just started to sell our shawls hand loomed in cobalt blue and magenta. They are the same weaving design that Delfina created earlier this year, but in new colors. And they look great paired with our cobalt striped tote bags that feature an embroidered sun.

Our friends at Ramapo College in NJ like this design a lot, and they have asked us to weave it as a scarf, about half the width of the shawls. Stay tuned!

Gift bags for Doña Pancha’s Chocolate

We have been making custom gift bags for Quetzaltenango’s luxury chocolatier, Doña Pancha. The embroidery on the front of the bags represents the typical clothing of the K’iché people of Quetzaltenango. Quetzaltenango has both K’iché and Mam people (there are 22 different ethnic Maya groups in Guatemala, each with our own language!)

One bag shows the men’s ceremonial “traje” and the other shows the women’s ceremonial “traje”.

Of course when we were talking with “Doña Pancha” about making gift bags for her chocolate, we had to try it! It was really delicious. She makes lots of different flavors. We bought some of her chocolate that is flavored with cardamom and made hot chocolate with it. Delicioso.
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If you want to learn more about Doña Pancha’s chocolate, her web site is www.
chocolatededonñapancha.com

Our Day Named Q’anil

We have embroidered this symbol for Q’anil in some of our backstrap loom woven belts.

Our ancestors carefully watched the movement of the planets and the stars and developed several calendars that are still important to us today. One of these calendars is a ceremonial, or spiritual, calendar. This calendar is made of 20 energies, each with a special name and character, paired with 13 different numbers. So, combining the different energies in order with the days’ numbers makes a calendar of 260 different days. Q’anil is the name of one of the 20 energies.

Q’anil represents seeds, life, and the creation of the universe, especially life and Mother Nature. The four points represent the four colors of corn -- red, white, yellow, and black -- which also represent the four great races of humanity. Q’anil represents birth and rebirth. It is a good day to start or restart a project, understanding that like seeds, it will take time to develop.

Introducing Our New Crossbody Messenger Bags in Brown Stripes

We are very pleased to present our new crossbody messenger bags. Really, they have been the most complicated bag we have learned to make, with inside zippered pocket, a magnetic snap closure, a separating zipper to close off the interior, and a gusset! We struggled a bit in the beginning, but are proud of our results – and hope that our clients like them as well.

The fabric stripes were inspired by one of the traditional Cajolá stripes made into “servilletas” that we use for wrapping tortillas or tamales, or for carrying gifts of food to neighbors. Of course the pattern doesn’t look exactly the same because we are using less yarn in the warp and the weft.

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The embroidery motif represents the woman’s womb and her unborn children, an important part of the cycle of life.

Although we designed the bags for the United States, we have been selling them here in Cajola, too.

Backstrap Loomed Belts in New Colors

We have been weaving our belts in new colors for fall. This is the first time we have tried colors other than black or white as the background. We are happy with the results! We will be putting them in our Etsy store as soon as we can.

P.S. In case you have seen something about the horrendous rains we have been experiencing in Guatemala and Central America, we are grateful to say that we have been spared any serious damages up until now.

Chatting with the Backstrap Weavers

As you may remember, our group of backstrap weavers grew out of the need for their work. We had begun the group with women who learned to weave on the foot loom, and other women who learned to sew on manual sewing machines. But, we had requests for products that we couldn’t make on the foot loom. Since many of us learned to weave on the back strap loom when we were children we formed a third working group, the backstrap weavers.

The other day we were reflecting on how we feel about being in MayaMam Weavers. Cleta said “I am so proud to be working in this group and to know these other women. I really like this kind of work, and we are learning things little by little. And to earn money to live on, of course that is excellent.”

Elicia mentioned the ergonomic benches and how much they have helped their weaving by eliminating their pain. And she also mentioned that earning money was definitely a positive thing.

Anciona commented that there weren’t any opportunities to earn money before the group formed. And “a big thank you to Juana Ramos, who trained us in how to use the ergonomic benches.”

Sandra and Delmi are the newest members of the back strap weavers. Sandra said she is very happy here, and Delmi is also happy because she didn´t have any work before.

We also talked a bit about their embroidery designs. Although their designs come from their own culture and town, they aren’t really sure about what they all mean, even though they use them in their work. We are going to invite a Maya spiritual guide to help interpret the symbols in the near future.

Shawls in Fall Colors

We have been weaving our shawls in new colors. This one, in a rich pumpkin and jade color, is great for fall. Is hand loomed in the pattern we call “Delfina’s Design.” To finish it we have braided the fringe in double knots. The shawls are 100% cotton and amazingly warm – perfect for a chilly fall day. It looks great as a scarf we think – don’t you?

To share a bit of “behind the scenes” with you -- we take turns weaving on each loom. That way we can balance challenging days with easy days. If you are a weaver you know that weaving using the four pedals requires a bit more concentration than weaving with two pedals. And, because sometimes our backs get tired, we take a break from weaving and hand embroider one of our other products. The seamstresses set aside enough embroidery work for us to be able to take breaks each day.

Have a good day!

Celebration Table Runners and Placemats

We are pleased to debut our latest products from the backstrap loom. We call them “Celebration Placemats and Table Runner” because their vibrant stripes and dramatic embroidery make them shout “let’s celebrate!” The idea for these came from our customers. First, we made “Celebration Basket Liners” which were designed to line bread baskets. But our customers bought them 8 or 10 at a time to use as placemats. So, we started weaving them in sets of 4. We weave them 4 at a time on one warping, so the stripes are the same, but we change the embroidery for each one. And then one of our customers wanted a table runner to go with her placemats, so we created this set of 1 table runner and 4 placemats. Of course we still can make a custom set in the colors that our customers may want.

Let’s celebrate!

Chatting with the Seamstresses & Atol de Elote

As you may remember, our group of seamstresses began with learning how to sew on a pedal machine. It isn’t as crazy an idea as it may sound because we lose electricity FREQUENTLY and they don’t have to stop working. However, in time they have learned how to sew on the serger and have started using the electric machines once in a while.

We were chatting the other day about how far they had come since they first began their sewing lessons.

“In the beginning it was very hard because we didn’t know how to run the machines, but now we can make many different kinds of products and we have learned different skills.”
“Now we can work to earn money to get out of our poverty and provide for our children.”
“We feel very good when our products turn out well.”

As for Atol de Elote
Last week’s blog brought a request for our recipe for the sweet corn drink “atol de elote”.
Here is our “gringa” recipe (because it uses a blender):
You need about 3 cups of fresh (cooked and taken off the cob) or frozen corn. If you wish, save about ¼ cup of the kernels for garnish. Place the corn with 2½ cups of water in the blender and blend on high speed until it is smooth – except for the hulls. Strain out the hulls and discard them. Then, put the corn mixture in a saucepan over medium heat with a stick of cinnamon. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes. Bring 1½ cups of milk to a boil and stir it into the corn liquid. Continue cooking on low heat about another 20 minutes. Taste the mixture. Depending on your corn, it might already be sweet enough. If not, add ¼ cup of sugar. Add a pinch of salt. Garnish with the reserved corn and serve in mugs. If you do not have a blender, you may make it the traditional way, grinding the corn with mortar and pestle. (Recipe adapted from Favorite Recipes from Guatemala, by Laura Lynn Woodward, Editorial Laura Lee, Antigua Guatemala).

Buen provecho.

Our Cajola

In case you would like to know a little bit about where we live, our
Cajola is a mostly Maya Mam town in the western highlands of
Guatemala. It is beautiful here. We live among lots of mountains, and
you can see how beautiful it is when our corn is so high that it
nearly hides our houses. As you may know, corn is sacred for us Maya,
and the planting and growing and harvesting of corn is an important
part of our lives. Right now we are harvesting the corn and can eat it
fresh. We make a delicious drink called “atol de elote,” we eat the
corn right on the cob, we prepare it with a special squash named
“ayote” or we make special tamales called “tamals de elote.” Of
course, we eat corn all year long, but dried, in our tortillas,
tamales, and sauces. (You can ask us for a recipe if you are
interested!)

Unfortunately, there is a lot of poverty in our town -- half of our
children never have enough to eat. Some people don’t even have land to
grow their own corn. In our photos you can see the corn ready for
harvest, our market, and a traditional but old adobe house. (Many of
our family members have left for the U.S. to work to send money back
to build houses of concrete block.)

You can see why it is so important for us to be working, to make a
better world for our children.

Our Cosmovision or Our World View

First, sorry for not publishing yesterday, but we didn’t have any access to the Internet (not so unusual here in Cajola).

So, today we would like to share with you a small overview of our cosmovision, our view of the world that underlies our culture and our weaving.

“We are part of the earth, there is only one unity. That makes us be, live, share, communicate, and commune with her, as living beings, creators, and re-creators of life.”

“In Maya thinking, water, the sun, the earth, fire, air, and all the elements of nature are diverse manifestations that are the daily confirmation that the cosmos is a living and sacred being.”

“We believe that no species is superior to another. We are complementary elements, although different from each other; we are all linked in a network, like a spider’s web interwoven with relationships and interactions that are interdependent and complementary.”

“I am you and you are me.”

The photo below is a painting by Ely Lopez, a Maya spiritual guide who is a member of Grupo Cajola and who works with us from time to time to understand the meanings behind some of our symbols. We weave the symbols but sadly, don’t always remember what they mean.

At Last, Our Brown & Cream Diamond Table Runners

We are so happy to finally launch our brown and cream diamond table runners. When we learned to weave originally it was on a two-pedal foot loom. After we were weaving well on that loom, we wanted to try something more difficult. So, a master weaver came and showed us how to work with four pedals. That was a lot more difficult, and we had some painful experiences weaving entire bolts of fabric without noticing we had missed some threads in the warp, or had mixed up the order of the pedals. We had especially painful experiences with our brown and cream diamond fabric. But now, we are proud to say, we have mastered the diamond weave using the four pedals. With the collaboration of our sewing team and all the embroiderers, we proudly present our table runners and placemats (that match our emerald green diamond pattern) in brown and cream.

We have embroidered the same motifs you can find on our emerald green diamond runners, placemats, and napkins. We have embroidered "b'e" on the table runners and placemats, which stands for path, or our destiny. Destiny is an important Maya value, we think each human is born with special gifts and a plan how to use those gifts. If we don't find and follow our destiny, we will be unhappy and even ill.

We have embroidered "n'oj" on the napkins, which stands for wisdom. We believe wisdom comes with experience and reflection, especially in our spiritual ceremonies which are centered on our relationship with the universe and nature.

Please have a look at our brown and cream diamond table runners and placemats on our Etsy shop (www.mayamamweavers.etsy.com)

Saludos!

We are getting a new home!

Construction started this month on our new work area...it will be great! We will have a place to store our things out of the dust and rain, we will have good lighting to work by, and space to move around. You can see the BIG HOLE that is being built to support the structure. Actually, the new structure is being built by Grupo Cajola and includes this huge basement that will also serve for storage, our workspace, and a large conference room. We will be using the current conference room as part of our work area. Our current space will be converted into the preschool that the group is starting that will care for our preschool children and the children of our sister-business, the Egg Farm of Grupo Cajola. The plan is to complete the construction by the beginning of next year...we will see! We have the worst of the rainy season still to contend with. In the meantime, the hole is quite amazing.

Chatting with the Foot Loom Weavers

We weavers were chatting the other day about our group and how far we have come – and how far we still have to go – and how we really love weaving and we are so pleased to be able to begin to earn a living with our weaving. Nearly all of us learned to weave on the back strap loom when we were young, and we love working with the yarns and the beautiful colors. We had the opportunity to learn to weave on the foot loom after our group decided to start a business weaving. Little by little our work improved, and then we began to gain confidence in designing our own fabrics.

Recently, our challenge was to design a “happy fabric” to use to make cushions for the preschool that Grupo Cajola is starting. (Grupo Cajola is the organization that helped us first organize as a group and has been helping us start up our business.) We got together and thought about what colors are “happy” and picked pink as our warp (the length of the fabric). Then we decided to put broad stripes in red, yellow, and blue, so each cushion will have three broad stripes.

You can see the weaving in the photo; we hope you think it is “happy”!

Our Handbag Clutch with Backstrap Loomed Trim

We have added a new product to our Etsy store, a handsome (we think) handbag clutch in coal black or cobalt blue with embroidered trim.

We thought of this smallish clutch (around 6½” x 8½”) as a way to show off our traditional backstrap weaving with our traditional motifs. The top closes with a zipper – it took us awhile to learn how to set the zipper in nicely. And we fully lined them in our own jade cotton fabric. We have sewn a slip pocket inside that fits credit cards or business cards. (This was our first experience sewing a slip pocket, too!)

We are proud to present our handbag clutches!

Aprons and Sacred Corn

Our towels inspired us to make full aprons from the same striped fabric. On the bib of the apron we have embroidered an ear of corn. Corn is sacred for us Maya -- our creation story tells us that we are made of corn. And of course, corn is the basis of our diet, made into tortillas or tamales or delicious warm drinks called atol.

The growing of corn -- "the milpa" sets the rhythm of our living during the year. Most of us grow our own corn to eat, though sadly some are too poor to own land, and have to buy their corn with their scarce resources. We continue to follow the practice of our ancestors planting beans and squash in amongst our corn. Since corn and the earth are sacred, when we plant the corn we thank Mother Earth for letting us grow the corn.

Growing our corn even changes the appearance of our town. In January and February everything is dry and brown. After the corn has been planted in April or May (depending on the cycle of the moon) little by little the growing corn changes everything to green, until August or September when the cornstalks hide our houses except for the roofs peeking out.

Our Kitchen Towels

Our popular emerald striped kitchen towels have been woven in a traditional Cajolá pattern typically used to wrap tortillas or bread or carry gifts of food from one family to another. However, we have woven the towels as a much finer cloth. And the earthtone stripes were created as a complementary color way.
The diamonds embroidered on the border of the towels represent the process of life -- birth (the red center), life (green), illness (yellow), and finally death (purple).

Learning to Run Our Business

Of course trying to earn a living from our textiles is not just about weaving, sewing, and embroidery! We have to learn about running our business. And, because working in a cooperative is very important to us, we also have to learn how to have a successful cooperative. On the business end of things we are learning about product development, planning, how to calculate the cost of our products, how to sell (we are trying to develop a market here in Guatemala as well as in the U.S.) -- among other things. The photo shows us learning how to use the internet. Our teachers were some students visiting us from
Ramapo College!

On the cooperative side, in the photo below we are learning how to write minutes of a meeting. It may not sound so difficult to you, but most of us have not been to school and have had to learn to read and write as adults. (We do have literacy classes at work four days a week.) And the majority of us have not been given a chance to lead in groups, so we need to learn practical things such as how to write minutes.

Our Embroidered Tote Bags Mean Something!

We designed our embroidered tote bags to incorporate our backstrap weaving and its traditional motifs as accents. The motifs have been handed down from our ancestors, who we call “the grandparents”. They are very rich with meaning. Truthfully, we don’t always understand the meanings any more, but our Maya spiritual guides still do.

You can see an example of one of our embroideries in the photo below. If you study it, you will be able to see three different symbols. We don’t think of these as symbols so much as “energies”. Hopefully you can identify a serpent, a pair of owl’s eyes, and two pyramids (one pointing up and one pointing down (all intertwined). The serpent’s energy is about wisdom and fertility. The owl’s energy is about choosing good paths, reflection and recovery, and communication. And the pyramids represent the energy we call Tijax, the earth below and the sky above, as well as the entries to the world below and to the world above.

Each of our tote bags has different embroideries. You are always welcome to ask about the meaning of other ones.

MayaMam Weavers and the Royal Ascot

Well, we didn’t actually attend the Royal Ascot...

For those of you not in the know, the Royal Ascot is an annual horseracing event attended by the Queen of England along with members of her family on the Ascot Racecourse, which property also belongs to the Crown

...but we are proud to say that Brian Main, Executive Director of Feed the Children U.K, did attend the event, wearing one of our handsome red vests (or waistcoats, as the English say). This fabric had been designed to cover the cushions of our ergonomic benches, but has been so admired by everyone that sees it that we have been thinking of other products that might incorporate it.
And, the vest was the first product. You can see in the photo below how the vest-waistcoat complemented Brian’s morning dress and top hat beautifully.

Don’t you agree?

MayaMam Weavers and TAFA List

Some time ago, we were invited to join the TAFA List -- "Textile and Fiber Artists." This has been a wonderful association for us. It is a "virtual" community of entrepreneurs rooted in textile and fiber arts and traditions currently drawn from 23 different countries. TAFA brings together old and new traditions, just as we try to create contemporary textile products drawn from our ancient weaving and embroidery heritage. Plus, most TAFA members are committed to fair trade and environmentally sustainable products and practices. Participating in TAFA List has opened our eyes to the opportunities for marketing on the internet as well as given us a community of artists to share concerns and ideas with. We invite you to take a look at the TAFA List website to learn more about the organization and see the wide range of beautiful products that our community produces (and sells!)
(By the way, TAFA List is in the middle of a fund-raising campaign to raise funds to create an improved website -- consider donating when you visit the website.)

Visit TAFA List's website at www.tafalist.com

Delfina's Weave Design

After we learned how to weave with 4 pedals instead of two, we decided to create our own design. We each created a little sampler, and then we chose Delfina's design as our favorite. It amazes us how the colors almost shimmer in the design. We were a bit surprised after we changed the size of our reed to see how the pattern changed as well (remember we are relatively new at this...) Now we have been trying different combinations of colors and making them into shawls, which seem to be pretty popular. Don't forget to check out our Etsy shop!

Who is Kawok?

Kawok is the name of the Nawal (energy) we based our logo on. The literal translation of Kawok is "management and administration". She (yes, she) is the symbol of the capacity to direct and to make decisions. But she is especially important to the women of MayaMam Weavers because she is the energy of midwives and represents the day of the grandmothers. Grandmothers for us are both our biological grandmothers who guide us in our daily lives, but also our ancestral grandmothers dating back generations who still provide us with counsel in how to live well.

Kawok receives her energy from B'atz, the Nawal/energy that means thread (or monkey) and is obviously very important to us weavers as well. Each of the 20 Nawals are important to us because they help us reflect on and understand our relationship with nature and the universe, and with that understanding we are better able to live in harmony with her.

Fairly Traded

Although MayaMam Weavers haven’t been formally certification as Fair Trade, we are enthusiastic about this market of conscientious consuming. As you know, Fair Trade means that we, the artisans that make the products, are paid “fairly” for our work. What does “fairly” mean? Well, for us it means that our work will help us provide food, clothes, medical care, and education for our children (and ourselves). It has become a movement in the world to recognize that when you work you shouldn’t have to stay trapped in poverty. Since that means the prices of goods rise, we try to eliminate as much of the middleman as possible. In our case we have a volunteer who works to sell our products in the U.S. And, we look for consumers who are looking for high quality products at fair – but not cheap – prices. We take pride in our work and we are equally proud of being able to provide for our children.

You can learn more about fair trade on a new web-based exhibition called “Sustainable Fashion.” (You will find that we are one of the collaborators!)

http://trendyearth.blogspot.com/

Ergonomic Benches for Backstrap Weavers – No More Pain!

We collaborate with another cooperative here in Cajolá that was also started as part of the work of Grupo Cajolá. (Grupo Cajolá is a community group that is working for the economic and social development of our town of Cajolá.)

It all began with our complaints that our weaving caused us pain. Through networking we found Karen Piegorsch, of Synergo Arts, who had worked with weavers here in Guatemala to design an ergonomic bench that eliminates the pain we were experiencing in weaving on our backstrap looms. She visited us for the first time in 2009, and planted a seed that we could even make the benches here in Cajolá. So, one thing led to another, and Grupo Cajolá organized a group of men to form a cooperative to make the benches. And we, MayaMam Weavers, became a part of the project as well.

The foot loom weavers weave the cloth that is used on the cushions, the seamstresses sew the cushions, and the backstrap weavers were trained in ergonomics so that they could be technical saleswomen for the benches. And, best of all, the backstrap loom weavers can weave without pain. The first photo shows how the bench gives Anciona more strength while she is weaving, and the other photo shows the bench ready to be sold.

Another great outcome of this project has been the cloth used to cover the cushions. It was proposed by Yobani, the master carpenter, with the design of the traditional huipil (blouse) of Cajolá, the main difference being that it is made of cotton instead of wool. And that fabric has caught the eye of everyone, so has led to other products such as vests, crib mattresses, aprons, and fabric by the yard. Serendipity.

By the way, if you want to learn more about the benches see Synergo Arts web site.
www.synergoarts.org

Our Embroidery

We all learned to embroider as young girls. Nearly all the products that we make as MayaMam Weavers have an embroidery, and these embroideries come from our cosmovision through our collective memories. Some of us understand the symbols, while others not as well, since our culture has been under enormous repression for 500 years. We include an embroidery design on most of our products because they are beautiful, of course, but also as a way to share with other cultures some of the wisdom that our ancestors have handed down to us. We have prepared a small pamphlet explaining some of the symbols that we can send you if you give us your email or postal address.

The photo above shows the embroidery we have placed on the striped napkins that match our placemat and table runner sets. The symbol is “noj” which is a Maya Mam word (remember, we Mam people have our own language) which means wisdom. It is a special symbol because it is one of the 20 symbols for the days in our sacred calendar. Each of the 20 days has a special name and a special meaning along with a special appearance. They are called “nawals” and signify a kind of energy.

The Seamstresses

We seamstresses have a different history than the rest of the group. We were members or daughters of members of another group that had been formed to look for solutions for some of their needs.  After  that group had accomplished their original goal of acquiring sinks for each woman's house (they had access to water but no sinks to help them in washing dishes or clothes) they decided they wanted to learn to sew on a sewing machine. Some of the women wanted to pass this opportunity on to their daughters, so our seamstresses include some of the earlier group's members and some daughters.

We learned to sew on pedal sewing machines that we still use, and eventually joined with the women of the MayaMam group to do the sewing.  In addition to the sewing, we are responsible for coordinating the production of all the sewn products. This means making sure that all the materials are available as well as coordinating the hand embroidery that is the signature of our products. Although we began with simple straight sewing, little by little we have learned more complex techniques such as mitered corners, inset zippers, lining, and  inset pockets. We have also learned to use the electric serger and make buttonholes on an electric machine. The pedal sewing machines are practical because we often lose our electricity, but we would like to get more experience n the electric machines so we can do our work a bit faster.