Tuesday, March 15, 2011

New Village, ideas growing and bursting....

I forgot how much hard work goes into starting a new group, the ladies from our local village can give each other a bit of advice [ and mostly helpful] so when someone new comes along, they help out....new villlage all is completely new and so has to gone over many times in the minutest detail.
Caught unawares...much preparation to get machines embroidered pieces ready for the handstitchers....This is Sarda who comes to help at the house, a real gem and such a beuatiful young lady inside and out.
At our place boys make morning tea....Praveen is alright I have got him trained but Mukesh tends to expect women do all things in the hosue and anything he can get them to do outside...jokingly but strickly we have set the ground rules- Nothing outside is Sarda's job and he makes the morning tea for us, which he does with good grace....bragging the other day "Oh Madam likes my tea the best!"
Here he is being cheeky with Praveen.
The machine embroidery man does a great job....my mind is bursting with possibilities, I am wondering if I can convert some of my sketches into limited edition Stitches- you know the idea of limited edition prints?
as the ladies develop with working the leaf shape nicely...it is so important how you attack points....the possibilities really grow for what we can do that has a more expressive feel......
always my mind is bursting with ideas, patience is hard but I know I have to go step by step...so I have a box or two of samples I have played with here, waiting their chance to come out and be used
I must add... if I have someone here I am talking ideas with I invariably can not find the exact one I want until they fly out!!
I have my old serviettes from home, so we sat and stitched them together to get a chance for the women to get what we are looking for...went well Kumlis there with me was quick to catch on
It was intense, but good yesterday...we paid ladies who had suceeded at the small squares we use for teaching....none of the mother aged ones 30+ years could write their own name [in our home village close to us woman of that age can] but most of the children do seem to be at school now.
I worry if I sound ghoulish trying to connect to the really poor??but I feel this village is a good choice,the women close to us would like the extra work and can use it for their families, these women really, really want the work and are clambering for it [at the moment they make 9m lengths of braid for an Ajmer shop for 1.5 rp each]
Again I feel guilty for thinking it but I was glad they did not seem to have electricity and so as it got dark after quiet a few busy, busy, busy hours and cups of good chai we were able to gracefully say we need to leave now....back early today to finish off what we missed......but a breather was needed....take a look at the colours of the sunset- spectacular.
Sun is rising and I can here Baba waking up, there is the sound of his gingling bells....have a happy day:)

No comments: