Beautiful creations from the women
of Casa Ursulina

We'd like to introduce you to Tamara, who's proud and happy to model the very first product of her very first class at Casa Ursulina. Tamara is one of six young women who are coming this year from Los Almendros, about a ten minutes' walk from Casa Ursulina. It's a neighborhood where there's a lot of unemployment and a lot of crime. Much of the crime is drug related. Much of it is poverty-related: people steal for a living. Life isn't easy there.

Tamara and the other young women from Los Almendros, like so many other Chilean women, have natural gifts for making beautiful things. They're excited about learning to weave . . . choosing yarns of different colors and textures and putting them together into attractive scarves and shawls. Sister Mimi (background left) is proud of these women. Her classes exude enthusiasm and creativity.

Tamara, still a beginner, hasn't sold any of her creations . . . yet. But many of our experienced weavers have made scarves and shawls for orders from Abbey Press, Handcrafting Justice, and other vendors in the United States. They also sell their work in Chile, especially at fairs in the local area.

Meche, a veteran of the Casa Ursulina community, is skilled in crocheting, knitting, and weaving . . . actually almost any craft she gets into. Here she displays her latest crocheted purse.

Besides the popular spinning and weaving workshops, there are classes in other types of needlework and crafts. The pages attached to this page show the types of items that are made here and the those that can be made for sale. We can fulfill a small order, like the Christmas-red tablecloth that Meche is making for one of our friends in the States. Or we can fulfill orders for hundreds of items like scarves, shawls, and angels. If there's something you'd like that you don't see in these pages, ask!

Each woman producing items for sale pays for materials and makes a small contribution for the maintenance of Casa Ursulina. The rest of the proceeds from the sale of her products goes to the artisan herself. Through their work, these women . . . most of whom can't find work elsewhere . . . help to bring in much needed support for themselves and their families. Some of them have been able to save to purchase spinning wheels, looms, or sewing machines so that they can work at home.

Products of Casa Ursulina are currently being sold through several outlets in the States, including Mount Saint Joseph Shop at the Ursuline Motherhouse, and HandCrafting Justice, a fair trade ministry of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd. Click to see their web sites.

Links to other products are shown below. To order, or for any information you need, please e-mail Sister Ruth Gehres at Casa Ursulina. If your business would like to sell our products, we will be happy to make this possible. Don't hesitate to ask!

 

Links to Photos of our Products

Susana is one of several women who create a variety of colorful angels, both large and small. Our Christmas angels are always in demand. To see a photo sheet of these products, click here.

Woven bags, 100% wool or wool plus other fibers, come in many designs and colors. For photos, click here. For felted bags and other felted items, click here.

Mirta displays her fine crochet work. Beautiful crocheted table runners, are produced at Casa Ursulina. To see samples of these items, click here.

Felted bears, dogs, rabbits, and other animals will make delightful ornaments for your home or children's room. Click here.

To see an assortment of colorful and imaginative felted jewelry, please click here.

Here Carola models one of her felt hats. For more hats and felted clothing items, click here.

SOME SOURCES OF PRODUCTS FR0M CASA URSULINA

 

Book and Gift Shop giftshop.msj@maplemount.org

HandCrafting Justice is a fair trade partnership working with women struggling for economic justice and independence in developing countries. An angel Christmas tree topper made at Casa Ursulina is sold through the HandCrafting Justice web site.