All the Way from Indiana . . . A Workshop in Dyeing Wool!

Sister Mimi Ballard welcomes Susan Pugh to Casa Ursullina on March 13. Her bags, stuffed with treasures for Casa Ursulina, barely made it under the weight limit.

Susan Pugh arrived in Chillán on March 13 with two bulging suitcases . . . and just a bare minimum of personal items. Her unpacking was a process of pulling out treasures from seemingly bottomless bags: countless bottles of wool dyes, boxes of latex gloves, a huge roll of plastic wrap and lots other items needed for wool dyeing, stacks of books about working with wool, and even a small inkle loom!

Susan and Sister Mimi Ballard met in fall 2006, when Mimi spent two months at the White Violet Center for Eco-Justice, a ministry of the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods near Terre Haute, Indiana. Here Sister Mimi prepared herself to teach wool preparation, spinning, and weaving when she returned to Chillán. She found in Susan an excellent teacher of spinning and a generous friend.

This was Susan's third visit to Chile and, as always, it was a blessing for the women of Casa Ursulina. In her first two visits, Susan had concentrated on teaching spinning techniques. She also served and continues to serve as an advisor and assistant in marketing handspun wool yarn from Casa Ursulina in two fiber shops in south central Indiana.

Susan and Lucía paint dye onto carded wool that will be spun after drying.

This year, Susan focused on the process of dyeing wool. While many artisans prefer wool in natural colors, others are attracted to the brighter hues that result from commercial dyes. Through her contacts in the United States, Susan was able to obtain a store of commercial dyes at discounted prices for use at Casa Ursulina. The process is complicated and labor intensive, but well worth the effort, as the photos show.

During her time in Chillán, Susan also made several trips to Piedra Lisa, a rural area where Sister Mimi and other women from Casa Ursulina go regularly to teach crafts to a women's group. In previous years, Susan had helped some of these women to begin using a spinning wheel rather than the slower and more laborious drop spindle. She had also given them suggestion on how to improve the quality of their yarn. Visiting these women again this year, she found them making excellent progress and creating beautiful products.

When Susan returned home on April 8, her suitcases were again bulging . . . this time with skeins of bright wool yarn ready for sale to happy customers in the States. Susan and her husband, Gene, live in rural Montezuma, Indiana. They have two children and two young grandsons who are the delight of their youthful grandmother.

Susan's visits to Chillán have been partially sponsored by a grant and partially self-funded. Many materials are donated or partially donated by her friends and contacts, and she is generous in providing supplementary items.

Thank you, Susan . . . we hope to see you next year at Casa Ursulina!