the MAIWA BLOG

Wednesday, January 15, 2020 No comments

2019 FOUNDATION

TEACHING NATURAL DYES IN BENGAL

We continue to work with a natural dye revival in Bengal. Regular readers will know that following the 2017 Indigo Sutra conference, Maiwa taught workshops in rural Bengal. To get artisans up and running with natural dyes they need orders. As 2019 unfolded, those orders started to arrive. We will unfurl the cloth, check the weave and dyeing and then think about how this magnificent cloth can be used.

Read about the Bengal Workshops in our series of blog posts.

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2019 BEHIND THE SCENES

HELPING "THE CLOTH THAT CHANGED THE WORLD"

Maiwa was pleased to provide some of the natural dye samples that will be on display at the Royal Ontario Museum's upcoming show: The Cloth that Changed the World: India's Painted and Printed Cottons. The exhibition opens in April 2020 and runs until September 2020. A few of our images have been used in the accompanying book. The book is a magnificent production edited by Sarah Fee (Senior curator of Eastern Hemisphere fashion and textiles at the Royal Ontario Museum.) The book is now available for pre-order.

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2019 ENGAGEMENT

GIBSONS PUBLIC ART GALLERY

Charllotte Kwon delivered a talk at the Gibsons Public Library on the Sunshine Coast. It was her Slow Clothes lecture in which she argues for ways to put value and meaning back into our textiles and the ways we make them.

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2019 LECTURES

MAIWA SCHOOL OF TEXTILES

The 2019 Lecture and Event Series included a number of international artisans. We had five outstanding individuals from India including father & son, Jabbar and Adam Khatri. brothers Abdullah and Jabbar Khatri, and famed weaver Shamji Vankar. We also hosted a special event by India Flint, and provocative lectures by Meghann O'Brien, Anna Heywood-Jones, and Tim McLaughlin. The annual Threads Lecture was delivered by Charllotte Kwon and Tim McLaughlin.

SEE ALL REVIEWS HERE

Friday, January 10, 2020 No comments

Monday, January 06, 2020 No comments

Don't miss your chance to register for these upcoming January and February workshops. Spaces won't be available long!

CAPS, CAPS, CAPS

JAN. 31 - FEB. 2, 2020 - (10:00AM - 4PM)

WITH EDIE ORENSTEIN

This three-day introduction will lead you through the design and construction of a traditional European-style cloth cap. You may choose from two popular styles: the “newsboy” or “poor boy” style and the “flat cap” often identified as a driving hat. Although these hats appear deceptively simple, you will learn the special tailoring skills needed to enhance their fit and complete the desired look. All materials are supplied. Students will learn such skills as, taping, lining, bill construction, and inserting sweatbands.

REGISTER HERE

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DRAWING FROM THE MODEL ON THE SEWING MACHINE

FEB. 7 - FEB. 9, 2020 - (10:00AM - 4PM)

WITH ELEANOR HANNAN

The sewing machine is a tool for expressive free-form drawing. Why not use it to draw directly from the model?

Imagine: your machine is set-up, loaded with your favourite coloured threads, your chosen cloth is ready, and the elegantly costumed model is posing in front of you.

For the textile artist, no greater thrill exists: the challenge of it, the freedom of letting go (you just cannot always control what will happen), and the potential for discovery. Unexpected and miraculous things happen!

This short course is intended to introduce students to the art of machine embroidery as an expressive drawing tool for quick studies from the live model. Read full description...

REGISTER HERE

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THE INKMAKERS PEN

FEB. 7 - FEB. 9, 2020 - (10:00AM - 4PM)

WITH TIM MCLAUGHLIN

Making ink has much to recommend it. It may be done in small spaces. It does not require specialized equipment or expensive ingredients. The results may be quickly seen and put to use. The process has an element of alchemy about it, where mundane materials are transformed into something extraordinary. It can lead one to appreciate diverse histories, both of civilizations (for what civilization has not had writing at its centre?) and of artists and artistic movements.

Students will learn how to prepare a variety of inks from classic inkmaking traditions including iron-gall ink, pigmented ink, and a natural dye lake. Students will learn how to prepare a soluble and a waterproof binder and how to best formulate or adjust inks for particular uses. Read full description...

REGISTER HERE

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MAPPA: CARTOGRAPHY ON CLOTH

FEB. 14 - FEB. 16, 2020 - (10:00AM - 4PM)

WITH BETTINA MATZKUHN

“Mappa” is Latin for a square of cloth. And maps are the perfect vehicle for describing any kind of voyage.

In this workshop each student will produce three small samplers that address aspects of both cartography and textile techniques. The samplers are preparation for beginning a larger personal map that may continue to evolve after the workshop. Looking at historical and contemporary artists’ maps, especially those on textiles, students will discuss their forms and meanings. From global data visualization to a trip around the kitchen, maps are about narrative: what to include, what to leave out. Read full description...

REGISTER HERE

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THE MASTER HATTER

FEB. 19 - FEB. 23, 2020 - (10:00AM - 4PM)

WITH EDIE ORENSTEIN

Dive deep into the hatter’s art. In this five-day workshop, you will work from creative conception to finished hat. Mentored by Edie every step of the way, you will be guided through inspiration, design, styling, felt selection, fitting considerations, selection, and use of blocks (from Edie’s own unique collection of traditional and contemporary blocks). Throughout the course you will learn construction techniques and skills such as steaming, shaping, pouncing, wiring, sizing, finishing, and embellishment using machine and hand stitching. Read full description...

REGISTER HERE

Thursday, January 02, 2020 No comments

Monday, December 23, 2019 No comments

INDIGO VAT PROJECT

Natural indigo is the famous blue dye used throughout India. The Maiwa Foundation is building infrastructure to encourage the use of natural indigo (derived from plants) rather than synthetic indigo (synthesized from petrochemicals). We are also encouraging the use of a natural fermentation process in dyeing whenever possible.

Traditional dyeing with natural indigo is accomplished through a fermentation vat. This process is difficult (if not impossible) to do in a shallow plastic pan or a metal pot. As with other fermentation processes (wine, beer, bread) the enzymes which drive the process are sensitive to temperature and environmental conditions.

Traditionally clay vessels are used that may be anywhere from 3 to 10 feet deep. The deeper vessels require more dye to get started, but they can run longer without removing the sediment (which gradually builds up on the bottom of the vat). Deeper vats can also accommodate lengths of cloth. The vats are buried in packed earth to stabilize the temperature. Sometimes they are surrounded on the outside with goat dung. The dung breaks down (like compost) and acts like a slow-release heater to keep the vat active during the winter.

The Maiwa Foundations identifies artisans who are enthusiastic to return to traditional methods. Maiwa will purchase and oversee the installation of traditional vats. In addition the Maiwa Foundation provides training in traditional methods as well as trouble shooting and sourcing natural indigo.

Your donation will assist in the purchase of the pot itself, transport, preparation and installation. The Maiwa Foundation hopes to remove barriers to authentic artisan work.

Click Here to Donate to the Indigo Vat Project

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ONLINE GIFT CARD

Shopping for someone else but not sure what to give them? Give them the gift of choice with a MAIWA ONLINE gift card.

Gift cards can be used for anything in the MAIWA ONLINE store only. Sorry, the ONLINE gift card cannot be redeemed in the physical stores (Maiwa, Maiwa Supply, Maiwa East).

Gift cards are delivered by email and contain instructions to redeem them at checkout. Our gift cards have no additional processing fees.

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IN-STORE GIFT CERTIFICATE

Looking for a gift certificate for MAIWA SUPPLY, MAIWA EAST or the MAIN MAIWA STORE? Please call us at 604 669 3939 or drop by and we will be happy to issue a gift certificate for the physical stores.

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MAIWA'S HOLIDAY HOURS