“A crocheted piece is a lovely manifestation of a thought, expressed through hand, heart, hook and yarn.” ~Francine Toukou
It’s midnight and Ana sits in the sala putting the finishing touches on a handbag she began a week earlier. The children have been in bed for hours. It’s the only time she has to relax and concentrate on the task. This particular handbag began as a stack of used, plastic Kroger and Supermercado Paiz bags. She enjoys coming up with a unique design and combination of colors for each new bag.
“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” ~Maya Angelou
In 2014, I wrote about this family living in rural, northern Honduras who had just begun a business called “New Life Handbags”. Ana and her family continue to create works of art using recycled plastic shopping bags and plastic table cloths. She has made handbags, beach bags, cell phone cases, and book or Bible covers.
Many people have shared their used bags from Walmart, Food Lion, Kroger, Sheetz, Sharp Shopper, etc here in the states and from stores in Honduras too. Used, disposable tablecloths have also worked well. Ana actually prefers working with the tablecloths because the smoother texture is easier on the fingers. Some of the other items used are beads, old buttons, reused zippers and handles from old, worn out purses. She lines many of the handbags with new satin material, but others are left unlined and can be used at the beach or the supermarket. A college student even bought one to carry her things to the shower in her dormitory.
Preparing the “plarn”, or the plastic yarn, is a time consuming process. Her kids pitch in to help cut the bags into about 1″ strips, tie them together, and roll them into a ball of “plarn” in preparation for crocheting.
The kids have goals of well-paying careers when they grow up, something that is difficult to attain for many people in their situation. Too many days spent already in their short lives without food is a strong motivation. But for now, they are doing what they can to make ends meet. As Ana says, her family is “busy weaving like spiders.”
You can find their items for sale at NewLifeHandbagsShop on Etsy.com here.
Rural Honduras 