At Grace & Fire, consumer-creator relations are important to us. A huge part of ethical buying is knowing who you are buying from. Not only that, but there is value in knowing that so much love and so many stories are behind every bag you purchase from Grace & Fire. That is why we are creating monthly weaver spotlights—so you can learn about the talented women that drive our business.
For the month of May, we introduce Ana Liria (pictured left). Ana is a single mother of six from San Jacinto. She grew up with her sisters, who taught her how to weave when she was just seven years old. In 2019, right when the COVID-19 pandemic took the world by storm, Ana joined our partner clinic, Casa Tabito. For those who don’t already know, Casa Tabito provides aid for mothers of severely malnourished children in Guatemala. What we love about this clinic most is that they don’t stop at saving babies, they take a more holistic approach that includes administering medical aid, enrolling mothers in weekly courses with topics ranging from breastfeeding to how to use a water filter. In some cases Casa Tabito through fundraising builds homes for families who are in desperate need of a safe place to call home.
Ana had come to Casa Tabito seeking aid for her severely malnourished baby. She spent all her money on the bus fare to travel to the clinic from her village. At the time, she had been living within rusted, corrugated metal walls atop a dirt floor. Casa Tabito helped Ana in reviving her child and built a new, safe home for her to live in. We want to emphasize that, while Casa Tabito provided support and initial emergency medical aid, Ana is the real hero of her own story, she put in a lot of work and effort in helping her baby gain weight over time.
Like all the mothers in our program, Casa Tabito introduced our weaving collective to Ana. Today, Ana produces beautiful pieces for Grace & Fire to make an income that supports her family. The ability to provide for her children with her own hard-earned money has helped Ana become more confident in herself and her abilities as a mother. Ana hopes for her children to be able to study, as she never had the chance to obtain an education for herself. While weaving for Grace & Fire, Ana has been teaching her daughters to weave. Her youngest is eight, a similar age to Ana when she began learning how to weave.
Weaving has been an outlet for Ana in many ways, it is a relaxing activity that provides flow to her busy days. She can support her family while staying close to them while continuing a tradition that has been a part of her life since she was young. Ana’s work is colorful and bright, reflecting her personality and love for her work.
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