Sewing Out of Poverty – Daughters of Charity And Ethiopian Women

The Daughters of Charity bring Welsh master-quilters to Ethiopia to show women a way out of trafficking and poverty.

“There is a long tradition of weaving and embroidery in Ethiopia. The country is just recovering from cycles of drought and war which have left the majority of its people impoverished.

“But now there is a possibility for developing new products and creating more income for women who would otherwise be forced into sex work or other hazardous ways of earning a living.

“The women themselves, the Daughters of Charity, who run the women’s project, and CAFOD are very excited by the possibilities this Welsh-Ethiopian link can create.”

The Ethiopian made quilts will be inspired by the styles and patterns of Welsh quilts and made using flannel woven at the Welsh Woollen Museum at Drefach Felindre by Melin Teifi as well as the colourful Ethiopian fabric designs.

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Welsh quilt expert Jen Jones from Llanybydder and seamstress Janet Bridge from Cardigan travelled to Ethiopia recently to give master classes in the ancient skills of quilt-making to a group of poor Ethiopian women.

The women attend a women’s skills centre in the northern region of Tigray, funded by CAFOD (the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development).

The aim is to make money from their new skills by selling their hand-sewn quilts in both Ethiopia and Wales.

http://www.christiantoday.com/article/welsh.quilts.sew.seeds.of.opportunity.for.ethiopian.women/11819.htm