I had a cuteness overload the first time I saw the little Maew Maews. It was early in 2020 at a Thai market and the fellow stallholder from Peace of Mind by Chiang Mai Cotton had them nonchalantly perched amidst a sea of lovely tablemats, clothing items and other hand-made natural yummies.
I INSTANTLY knew that commercially supporting this level of hand-made craft by Karen village women really mattered.
What is a Maew? It's the Thai word for cat. Sort of mimicking the sound that a cat makes. Sort of Meow with an Asian twist. 😊🐱 When you say something twice, like Maew Maew, it makes it diminutive, so it means "Little Cat". And makes it sort of cutesy.
What makes these Maew Maews so special? They are entirely hand-made, organic & natural and are creating employment for ethnic Karen women in the villages around Hot and Op Luang in Northern Thailand. They're hand crocheted from natural, organic cotton - all naturally dyed using local herbs and plants like turmeric and indigo. They're even stuffed with natural cotton, which can be seen fluffing its way all over Northern Thailand at the end of the hot-dry season.
You can read more about the amazing Thai cotton tree (also called Kapok) in the Green Galoshes blog Here.
So, back to Maew Maew. Yes, it's a BIG DEAL that she's not only safe and comforting, but also suckable and not laden with synthetic polyesters which leach nano-plastic particles into young babies. Who'da thunk a synthetic plush baby toy would be a health hazard, but it's true.
How can my Thai herbal & natural products business best support the ethnic Karen women who produce these cuties? By buying lots of them. And onselling them together with our own products. Cos one Maew Maew sale won't put enough food on the table or keep a young Karen child in school, but many many Maew Maews just might.
So this Christmas we have a sweet little Maew Maew Pure Baby Gift Box. Selling online and shipping globally.
Two tins of our Pure Baby Balm (think unfragranced beeswax balm with vetiver essential oil, coconut oil, anti-inflammatory sesame and pure vitamin E) and a cute little Maew Maew. In an eco-friendly gift box that can be reused.
We decided to randomly allocate the various skin/fur toned Maew Maews, to reflect the incredible ethnic diversity in our little corner of the world and to help promote not only racial tolerance but, indeed, a distinct LIKING for all of us with our uniquely coloured outsides.
Hand-crafting and Hand-made MATTERS and is a rare thing in an ever-increasingly automated world. The choice I made for Maew Maew (and the incredible people from Chiang Mai Cotton and tg=he villages around Hot) makes me smile. I also love that choosing a little Maew Maew is just one more vote against GMO commercial pesticide-laden western cotton.
We often think of needlework and handmade as one-off and not scalable, but I beg to differ. In my part of the world, hand-made continues to be a viable option for sustainable employment. And I'm gonna do my darndest to make sure they sell and enable more Karen women to support their families and put their kids in school.
Together We Can.
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These little Maew Maews are indeed cutesy and well made.
They ARE seriously cute, no?? 😍
I love everything in your post! The crochet cats are adorable, the colors are choosen so well in their soft and muted hues. I love that the cats are tiny individuals which project (in my eyes, but I may be a tad too fond of plush animals) different characters, although they are made with quite similar features. It is wonderful that the material is organic and safe for children. And even cooler is, that they are a source of income. I honestly hate it that in most countries handmade items are not valued (besides if you are super lucky and have millionaire customers). Garments, toys etc are so cheap, that yarn or farbic let alone the work is so much more expensive so that it is not profitable to sell handmade items. I love to hear, that it is different where you live and even more wonderful that you can help to make the tiny cats more famous and your costumers also get to know them. <3
Thank you for such a lovely comment. 😊 I really DO hope we can all learn to value handmade more, and work towards a society where handmade items are affordable and sought after. I love the fact that some amazing Karen mamas have a chance to put their kids into school with the money that they earn.
Appreciating your support. 😍
Wow so neatly done and beautiful thanks for sharing
Aaaw - thank you for the vote of confidence - supporting ethnic indigenous women is all about creating opportunity for them - and doing that is a pleasure.
Yea your very correct my friend
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