Well, I can't wait until they have been sewn up to show you what our talented weavers have come up with, even though they said it was a very complicated design to sketch and to weave:
The little model is Noseko's grandson - oh my, what eyes!
And how beautiful is Phumeza's hair?
This week I made up these little mock-ups of an Orbit cube...
I also asked the weavers to make me one with the circle positioned more to the corner, with the bands all lining up, as if it were a layered sweet that was cut square. I'll snap what comes in next week to show you, ok?
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Chris the stonemason has been tinkering on our home on and off for the past fifteen years. In this time he has built us retaining walls, flower beds, even a rock pool.
And what, I hear you ask, has this got to do with Mielie? Well, I guess we are both preserving age-old time-consuming handcrafts, even though textile and rock lie at opposite ends of the art/craft universe.
I never tire of watching Chris work. Rocks and stones are his medium, and he has an uncanny eye for spotting them and matching them perfectly. Natural stone work has recently become increasingly popular in our area, which can only be a good thing, because it keeps this ancient craft alive and it ensures that there is food on people like Chris's table. Chris is pictured here with Moses, his assistant.
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Meet Malibongwe,the nephew of Vuyelwa and Noseko, who are sisters. His cousin, Nomalungisa (Noseko's daughter) also makes beautiful corsages and butterfly bags for Mielie.
As you can see, Malibongwe has a winning smile. He is soft-spoken and always prepared to help. He is one of Mielie's finishers who, unlike our weavers, come in to our workshop every day. Once our bags, etc have been woven, Malibongwe sews them up and stitches on the handles. The finishing team is full of jokes and pranks, so you have to be wide awake in our loft!
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This weekend I had to find a new home for two cupboard's worth of fabric, craft
supplies and other personal effects vital for the survival of a crafter... even
though she might only need to glance at them once every couple of years.
The answer? More cheap chinabags, of course! What are the tags hanging from the
handles for? Glad you asked! They are my new, uber-sophisticated filing system
that let me know at a glance what's in the bag. Clever, huh?
If you live in South Africa, then head for Pep Stores, which is were I found
these beauties. They cost between R13 and R18 (about $2 - $2.50). A gift at
the price!
On a personal family note, our exchange student, Gregor, arrived early this
morning from Munich, Germany. Our whole family is thrilled to welcome him into
our home, and I'd like to thank his parents, Ahmed and Johanna for sending him
to us. In January 2009, our 16-year-old, Daniel, will fly back to Munich with
Gregor for his great German adventure.
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Lotte-Sophie is the brand new little niece of Anke Voelker, of Kapworks,
Mielie's distributors in Germany. She's from Neustadt, near Hanover
and as you might have deduced, her mum is a big Mielie fan. Altogether
now: Aaawwww, ceeuuuute!
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What? You haven't heard about Shoes & Socks day before? I'm not surprised - I just
made it up! Notwithstanding, I urge you to go forth and celebrate your socks and
shoes in new and unusual combinations this weekend.
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If you've been enjoying MieliePeeps for a while, you'll know that Thursday
is the day that we see our crafters. Today Ntsapokazi (left) arrived at Mielie
with her head shaven. She's the third Mielie Peep to do so recently - first it
was Zanele and then it was Ntombi's (pictured, right) turn. I salute you girls
- you have MUCH more guts than I do!
Noseko arrived back safely from a funeral in the Ciskei. As is tradition at
this time of the year, she brought us an Eastern Cape pineaple, which is a
completely different animal than the small queen pineapples we get locally.
The Queens are very tasty, but if you want to make pineapple juice, there is
nothing better than the Eastern Cape variety. Enkosi kakhulu, Noseko!
Mzo and I went to source mielie strips today and got really lucky - we found
fantastic colours, soon to be turned into Mielie bags, and then we found a
takeaway that makes fabulous Fish buns. Oh, joy!
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Remember the wave carpet first mentioned here? Well it's finished and it's
beautiful, don't you think?
Mielie had been quite quiet recently, so everyone wanted to do the carpet.
Sheila decided to draw lots, and Manyawuza's name was drawn.
Pictured above are Manyawuza and Sheila, who recently went to Norway
together, compliments of Springbok, one of Mielie's outlets in Oslo.
Finally I would like to say hi to all Elizabeths out there, especially my sister,
Liza, who lives in Taiwan. Did you know that your name has consistently been
one of the most popular girl's names for the past 200 years? That's something
to feel special about!
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I popped in to meet with Margie and Hayley of Africa Nova today. Oh my,
Margie has created an exquisite shop! I think a visit to Africa Nova on
its own is enough reason to cross the globe to visit Cape Town.
I would also like to acknowledge Margie and her husband Nick for encouraging
me when Mielie was still in its baby shoes. If there are any designers/product
developers out there who would like to hear my two cents' worth, here it is:
A shop owner who really understands her customer-base and has taken the
trouble to understand your product is worth listening to.
There were no Mielie bags to be seen in the shop, but watch this space!
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This branch of flowers goes to the person who just took a peep at our blog and
tipped the counter over to 1000! The flowers are actually little brooches,
made by Nomalungisa, or Lungi, as she's known round here. Lungi has a great
flair for colour and texture. She's also always laughing. Come rain or shine,
she'll probably come to work wearing her jeans and her black leather jacket.
Keep it up, Lungi, we love having you in our team!
Speaking of flowers, be inspired by these featured on a recent blog entry
from Tiny Happy. Click here for more. Eish!
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