"My village had been greatly affected by terrorism, which blinded all illusions of developing and succeeding in the realm of handcrafts."

"My name is Lucila Emiliana Pedregal Ramírez, I was born in a city renowned for its extraordinary handcrafting tradition. It is here where I learned the art of arpilleria (appliqué) and embroidery. I learned from a very young age, when I started attending community classes.

"In 1980, I emigrated together with my family to Lima in search for economic opportunities. My village had been greatly affected by terrorism, which blinded all illusions of developing and succeeding in the realm of handcrafts. I have now developed many product lines which have given me the opportunity to teach other people who like myself, emigrated from marginal provinces.

"One of these product lines includes knitwear. We learned to knit as a natural progression from arpilleria and embroidery. This allows us to specialize in a variety of fields, such as knitted finger puppets. We perfected our techniques slowly but surely, and we eventually bought semi-manual knitting machines that allow us to expand our creativity to include diverse accessories.

"I try to capture in my work our traditions, festivities, harvests and, according to the season, I try to light the festive spirit."