(Debra has been in Belize since late January, working as a volunteer with Mayan village craftswomen, the Chairladies Fajina Association crafts cooperative and the GATE program)

I was fortunate to arrive in January just in time for the Fajina Ladies monthly meeting where I got to meet 7 members of the co-op. All are from different Belize villages. We talked about sewing, macramé and of just making things in general. All 7 invited me to their villages and asked me to show them some different crafts that they don’t know. I took one offer and went to the home of Felize and Remigia Cucul in San Pedro Columbia where we proceeded to get to know one another. The next morning at about 8:30 am the ladies began arriving. Eventually there were 25 of them who wanted to learn basic pattern making. It seems there are only a few women in the village who know how to make the beautiful colorful dresses they all wear. I only brought one pattern with me but luckily it had a pair of shorts in it. The ladies wear them under their dresses (bloomers). After pinning and cutting Remigia sewed the pieces together and I showed her how to put an elastic waistband on. That’s when the ladies came out of nowhere with shorts in hand. I showed them how to lay the children’ shorts on the paper and make a pattern from them. They were so excited. We all broke for lunch and Remigia showed me how to make hand-made tortillas with Calaloo in them. Then the ladies started making their way back and there were some new faces this time.

I had brought a ball of thin and a ball of thick twine and 2 books on macramé. I spent the rest of the day standing behind the old and young of San Pedro Columbia, tying knots. Towards the end of the class I showed them that by using just those 2 knots and a few beads they could make a necklace. They all had to go home and start dinner so I thought that was the end of the class. I was wrong! Ladies who weren’t in the class had caught word of my being there and dropped by the house with shorts in hand. I was still showing ladies how to make patterns up until 8:00 PM. We had a wonderful time.

I’ve been sewing now with a group of 12 ladies in Punta Gorda every Saturday. I’ve showed them how to make plant hangers and to do some small template quilts. They are happy to be learning something new but frustrated about not having anywhere to sell their goods. I’m going to Barranco to help sew traditional Garifuna costumes for their upcoming conference. I’ve also been asked if I could come to the high school and give classes on quilting and macramé.