Global Groove Life
Handcrafted Cat White Cat Coin Purse
Handcrafted Cat White Cat Coin Purse
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This Cool-Cat Kitty and Mouse coin purse is as charming as it is functional. Handmade by women artisans in Nepal.
- Zipper top with Pom-Pom pull.
- Fully lined.
- Measures approximately: 5 inches x 3.5 inches.
- 100% All Natural New Zealand Wool.
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Azo-free dyes. - Due to the handmade nature, slight variations in size, exact color, shape, pattern, or other characteristics may be evident. Each piece is truly a unique work of art, lovingly crafted by hand.
The Art of Felting:
The first step to creating these beautiful felt pieces begins with gathering some of the world’s finest sheep’s wool from New Zealand. Making felted wool is an ages-old, time-consuming process of bonding fabric with fiber. This is a physical job where the artisan’s scrub, rub, roll and rinse the wool again and again with soapy water.
Once the wool is bound into a sheet and the desired thickness is complete, the felt is laid out to dry. From there, the felt wool is cut and re-worked into many complex shapes and designs. The many sheets of wool might merge several colors to create patterns and layers. This takes a well-trained, talented artisan and is a true labor of love. The end results are colorful, one-of-a-kind textiles that are stunning to behold.
About the Artisans
About the Artisans
Chichicastenango, Guatemala, has become one of the most important heritage centers in Guatemala during the past 10 years, due to its predominant indigenous Maya Quiche population and their traditional textile products. Yet, despite increased tourism and a renewed interest in traditional Mayan crafts, work opportunities remain few for the indigenous population, many of whom are uneducated and otherwise unemployable.
Enter De Colores Art, a local business that levels the playing field for villagers by offering free training to anyone who demonstrates the initiative to learn a trade. The company employs 30 women and 18 men to knit and embroider textile products, with the option of working at home using materials provided by the company. De Colores recognizes the culture of its Mayan employees, and as such allows flexible hours and gives time off for sowing and harvest days.
De Colores also invests in community education projects by funding two local schools in the neighboring towns of Chujupen y Pachoj, and by providing scholarships to qualifying students.
In addition to stimulating the local economy by creating new jobs, De Colores makes a conscious effort to use recycled materials whenever possible. The reason for this is twofold: to preserve Mayan culture, as recycled textiles showcase traditional knitting patterns that aren’t often seen in newer textiles, and to reduce scraps and waste.
Communities collaborate in the production process, as men work on the biggest textiles and women do the embroidery, crochet and macramé seen in smaller pieces. In some cases, in order to be competitive, sewing machines are used to assemble the finished product, although all the components are handmade and hand embroidered from cotton, wool and/or silk.
