Gahaya Gifted Hands

This morning we went into town with some friends. On our way home we stopped at the Gahaya Gifted Hands. This is one of the many craft co-ops in town that creates beautiful baskets, beads, and art. This particular business actually sells to Macy's. You may have seen their products in the store. The woman who owns the business attends our church and her daughter goes to KICS. So, we were given special permission to take photos and given a special tour. It was fantastic!

These beads are extremely common in Africa. They are made by hand from pieces of magazine paper and then strung on string to make beautiful necklaces, bracelets and earrings.

Emma joined in and gave it a go!

Is this not the most beautiful sewing machine you have ever seen?

I wanted to take it to Antique Road Show so bad!

This is one of my favorite shots so far in Rwanda.

I just love the color and her face. So beautiful!

Here the men are dying sisal to be used in the weaving of baskets. They boil water in these huge tubs over a fire and then add the dyes.

They put in the sisal in and then give it a stir. It immediately turns into a vibrant color.

They only had it in the pot for about 3-5 minutes. They then lay it out to dry.

The sisal is then woven into these gorgeous baskets and bags. They actually had one there in the shop with a Kate Spade USA label on it. Pretty cool!