Camelia gets her sewing machine

Camelia  grinned from ear to ear when I brought HER sewing machine to her home this past week. She has been hand sewing bookmarks to sell with the goal to get enough money together to purchase a reconditioned sewing machine complete with carrying case (a must to protect the machine from dust). She is so excited even though her house (made of 4 wooden garage doors) doesn't have electricity. She has trouble shot that issue by talking with her sister and a friend from church about using their homes with power when I'm not in town. The above pic is at our home in SV where I gave Camelia her first lessons on her own machine. This week she'll be sewing aprons on her very own. I'm so proud of all Camelia's efforts.

Sina recently joined the micro enterprise part of my ministry in San Vicente. The funny part is that she was the first person I asked "Would you like to have me help you start your own business with your new sewing skills?" Well, that was three years ago. At that time Sina's answer was "No thanks. I just want to sew for my family." What could I say. Times change. The construction work that her husband does has slowed considerably over the past year. So, Sina approached me about joining the group of ladies who are focused on having their own small sewing businesses. She expressed that she would like to be able to help with the family's expenses. Sina and her husband have three children ages 3-9. They hope to build a home on property that they have purchased on the south end of the town of San Vicente, Mexico. It's exciting to have Sina join the group as she has some accounting experience and she is VERY particular about the quality of products that she sews. She is pictured here with the newest addition to her product line. See the next blog for a closeup and description. 

Sina's purse close up

Thought you might enjoy a close up of Sina's new purse design. The bags are lined, have three pockets inside, a zipper closure and a decorative zipper pull.