Jette Vandermeiden talked to us about her "$50 challenge", She has given people $50 to spend on a hand-made fibre item at a local market when they have gone travelling somewhere. This has yielded her a wonderful collection of weaving, embroidery and other items from around the world. Some of the items she has also collected herself.

Pictured here is a red Laotian healing/prayer cloth that she purchased at Convergence (weaving and spinning conference usually held in the States). The cloth reflects the importance of water, birds, snakes, the third eye, telling the story of creation and Mother Earth. Someone who was ill would be wrapped in this healing cloth and the "3rd eye" in the weaving would be placed over the person’s forehead where their 3rd eye was located.

Kente cloth is woven in Africa (mostly Ghana), of narrow strips which are then sewn together.
The heart is from Hungary with elaborate emboidery.