Durban - Learning to loom with beads has added new skills for the beaders at Woza Moya in Hillcrest.
Phumzile Blose, 61, from Inchanga, has used her handicraft talents to support her family, including her 10 daughters, eight of whom have been crafting with her. Two others joined 16 women who completed the five-day loom beading course hosted by Woza Moya Craft shop in Hillcrest.
The free beading course encouraged crafters to learn new crafting techniques.
For 21 years, the Woza Moya Craft shop has been teaching and promoting different forms of handicraft work to keep local families from poverty.
Their work includes beading, sewing, crochet, wire work and carving, and the recent free looming training allows the women to add a new product to their offerings.
Blose told the “Independent on Saturday” that she had been in the craft business for years and the growing demand for the products she had been creating through the years has kept her going.
“I was able to provide for my children and we never went to bed without food. After the Woza Moya Craft shop made an announcement about the loom beading course, I decided to tell my daughters so they could also participate. I am glad they jumped at the opportunity because it shows they really want to see the family business growing,” said Blose.
Benziwe Blose, 32, one of the unemployed women who participated in the loom beading course, said she learnt a lot from the programme and was ready to showcase her new skills.
“My mother taught me how to bead after realising how passionate I was about beading. I would play around with needles, trying to figure out how beading was done. I started with small strings, bracelets and traditional necklaces. I then got to a level where I could make my own beaded products. Being one of the loom beading course participants has been such a blessing because it has improved my crafting knowledge. I am now able to use the loom machine which enables me to work at a faster speed,” said the daughter.
Paula Thomson of Hillcrest AIDS Centre said the aim of the programme was to encourage the youth to come on board and take the opportunity to assist their mothers who are already in the craft sector.
“We launched a hat band project after the course at Decorex Africa and it was well received. The bands are adjustable and can fit in any hat. We have a number of people showing interest in Cape Town, but our main drive is to get international customers and that is what our team is busy doing at the moment,” said Thomson.
The Independent on Saturday