OWP
Handwoven Reclaimed Cotton Christmas Stocking-Multi-colored- 15"L
Handwoven Reclaimed Cotton Christmas Stocking-Multi-colored- 15"L
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This beautiful handmade Christmas stocking has an intricate pattern that has been hand-woven into this Christmas stocking. Made by artisans in Guatemala on traditional back-strap looms using this complex and unique technique passed down through generations of Mayan culture. Enjoy decorating with this detailed, handmade stocking and ring in the joyous spirit of the season.
These bright, cotton Christmas stockings are made by women artisans from the UPAVIM cooperative on the outskirts of Guatemala City. UPAVIM, which stands for United for a Better Life, is an 80-member artisan enterprise helping women through social and economic empowerment. In addition to training women in creating various handmade textiles, UPAVIM has established a school, a pharmacy, and a bakery within their cooperative.
- Measures 15” high x 7” wide
Handmade in Guatemala and fair trade imported.
UPAVIM Crafts is a cooperative of women who live in marginalized communities on the outskirts of Guatemala City. The women in the organization are mothers, homemakers, and, widows and some have been abandoned by their families. Many of them are the sole breadwinners for their families. Unidas Para Vivir Mejor (United for A Better Life, or UPAVIM) was established in 1989 to create jobs for these women and to establish facilities for healthcare, education, and other social issues to benefit the community they lived in. Over the years, UPAVIM has grown from a small community health project to about an 80-member business cooperative. The organization employs teachers, seamstresses, nurses, administrators, cooks, cleaners, and secretaries each of whom is paid a fair wage and is linked to UPAVIM ‘s fair trade business.
To learn more about the talented women at UPAVIM and the techniques they use to create these unique and eco-friendly items, please click on "About the Artisans".
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.
