Welcome to Thailand

WEFTshop Textile tour  24/01/2012.

We left Bangkok today after meeting at the Survarnabhumi airport. Having not met half the tour group yet I was relieved to find the two friendly looking women on the  queue  in front of me where  Anna and Julia Booth.The other two paticipants of the tour are Annette Ribbons and her teenage  daughter Hana. With Emma and her son Tane , Emmas mum Annie and myself ,we total eight.

I chat to the women about why they decided to come on the tour. Annette Ribbons  is a lecturer of Costume at NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) and is  a lover textiles and textile arts ,and also very fond of this part of the world. Hannah has come with her, last visiting Thailand when she was a two year old and was keen to come here again. Annette and Hana both participated in the WEFTshop  doll workshops in Sydney so it is great to have them here meeting more of the community WEFTshop supports.

Julia Booth is a textile artist based in the Blue Mountains and in the early stages of setting up her own creative  business .She is also a lover of  all things textiles Julia and her mother  Anna have decided that they enjoy  travelling together  and endevour to make a trip each year to a new destination . Last year Anna choose Italy so this year was Julias chioice. She has been a follower of WEFTshop for a long time and was interested in the textile and ethical angle of this tour.

On arrival  we are  met by Emma, David (tour driver), Yapa (tour interpertor ) and Ya Mi (WEFTshop artisan). Ya Mi is a  Lahu women  from Burma who makes  fabulous trims and sews colourful trimmed bags for WEFTshop.Driving into town I ask Ya Mi how she feels about teaching the group some of her traditional techniques. She says “I  am very happy because I am sharing my culture”

After settling into our rooms at  the guesthouse we head over to the venue for our workshop. When we arrive, we are greeted by WEFTshop artisan Noe Thee,   she is beautifully dressed in her traditional Chin costume.We are welcomed  with a brief background into their culture  and hear some personal stories of their journeys from Burma into Thailand. Noe thee and  Ya Mi both warm us with a speech translated by Yapa. They both relate how happy they are to have us there and to share their culture and textiles with us. They share their dreams with the group and express how much   working with Emma  has positively impacted on their lives.

Ya Mi says ” I have gotten so many benefits from this work. I learnt skills in design  and colour  matching which is very helpful to me.” By doing work with WEFTshop she has also formed friendships with the  other WEFTshop artisans Noe Thee and Mana.

Noe Thee says because she makes some income from the textile sales it helps her pay rent on her house,also”I am happy to be able to do this and also to get other women to help  do  the work and make an income.”

Then we are in for a very special treat   a lot of family arrive  dressed in traditional  Lahu costume and perform a welcome dance for us  and afterwards we all enjoy dinner together. It’s been a huge day of travelling and learning about textiles and culture. What is most memorable about the day is experiencing the warmth ,courage and generosity of Ya Mi, Nor Thee and their families.