Midsummer's Eve

As you read this we'd like to let you in on a little secret. The people who do this blog are away from their computers and cameras right now - they don't even have a decent internet connection. They are probably on a sandy Gulf Island beach right...

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More Clothing has Arrived

Every week we get new arrivals from India of fabulous cotton and linen clothes. These are slow clothes and we've been working for years to bring them to you at the height of summer. Come into the shop and we'll tell you that behind us are the block...

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Retooling for the Future Part 2

We've just put up the second part of the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja's presentation as a series of video files. We've included the first one here, but all six may be found on our podcast page. In this presentation the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja answer questions from the...

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Bright young minds solve problems ...

In our previous post "Collaborating with UBC Engineers" we outlined three problems that would benefit from the type of specialized knowledge that engineering and applied science students were developing. The first involved improvements to a bellmaker's kiln, while the second and third involved small scale textile processes which...

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A Sad Goodbye to the Baba Tree

[Update: News of the Baba Tree's closing has spread and demand has gone up for the remaining stock. We do sell these baskets but we don't sell them online. If you are interested please visit our store soon. If you live far away you can contact the Baba...

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Natural Dye Extracts from Couleurs de Plantes

These extracts are the result of a collaborbation between Maiwa and the French natural-dye research team Couleurs de Plantes. After years of research into dye plants, colour yields, extracts, and ecology, Couleurs de Plantes has perfected organic cultivation techniques and a sophisticated eco-friendly extraction process. We are happy...

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Retooling for the Future Part 1

We've just put the first part of the Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja presentation up as a series of videos. Usually we distribute the symposium lectures as podcasts, but because we did this one through a Skype connection we've put it up in video format. You can see all...

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The Art of Beautiful Buttons

We have just added a new collection of buttons to our online store.These buttons are hand-carved by Nepalese craftsmen. Some are wood, others are made from the horn and bones of domestic animals (mostly water buffalo) which have died of natural causes. Maiwa has worked with this group...

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The Blue Journeys of Thomas Machell

When we think about Indigo we think about Jenny Balfour-Paul, author of the British Library publication Indigo. But who does Jenny think about when she thinks about indigo? Most probably it is Thomas Machell. In 1999 Jenny discovered the journals of Machell in the British Library. It was...

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