the MAIWA JOURNAL: July 2019

HAND-FORGED BELLS

FROM THE KACHCHH DESERT

Forged with simple hand tools. Fired in a kiln. Individually tuned until the bell maker is satisfied that the tone is clear and true. These bells are what turn a flock of sheep into an orchestra. We've brought them back so that you can hear the music for yourself.

SEE MAIWA'S BELLS HERE

Now available for the first time online. These bells range in size from only an inch to almost a foot high. All the bells, regardless of size, give a music that comes directly from from the heart of the Indian desert.

Maiwa's bells are available at Maiwa on Granville Island

7 days a week between 10am and 7pm

And Online at maiwa.com

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MEET THE ARTISANS

Meet the artisan bellmakers of the Kachchh Desert

Wednesday, July 31, 2019 No comments

Jawaja Wool Runner - Night
$139.95 CAD Size = 3' x 5'

The wools of the desert regions of Rajasthan make for durable and long-lasting carpets. The weavers of Jawaja work on extra-wide handlooms to create these stunning flatweaves. They feature simple, bold designs and are fine examples of the weaver's art.  The Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja (AAJ) is a rural cooperative located in Rajasthan, India. AAJ members are leatherworkers and carpet weavers. We carry a selection of Jawaja carpets in our main store on Granville Island and in our online store.

Wednesday, July 24, 2019 No comments

AJRAKH

Ajrakh is a traditional block printing technique. All our bedding is printed with natural dyes on organic cotton.  

For centuries, wooden blocks have been used to print eloquent geometric patterns on cotton. These patterns are timeless, revealing a remarkable play between figure and line.

Blocks are hand-carved from hardwood. These are used in a printing process  that can involve up to thirty distinct steps. The many processes of scouring, washing, printing with mordants, dyeing, washing, printing with resists, dyeing, washing, printing with dyes and final washing can take up to three weeks to complete. Much of the beauty and depth of ajrakh cloth comes from the intricacy of the imprint.

  Instantly recognizable - there is nothing like an ajrakh.

VISIT THE COLLECTION

PUT TOGETHER YOUR DREAM BED

Ajrakh takes time. So much time in fact, that we only have a new collection of ajrakh bedding every few years. It has just arrived: strong colours, clear details, sumptuous patterns. Now is your chance to put together your dream bed.

SET A TABLE

All the patterns shown here are also available as tablecloths and napkins.

MEET THE ARTISANS

Jabbar Khatri carefully places wooden printing blocks to create a geometric design.

Wednesday, July 17, 2019 No comments

Above: Kama Kimono Jacket over the Prana Skirt and the Badami Tank all in Cutch

LINEN BANDHANI

TYING EVERYTHING TOGETHER

VISIT OUR NEW BANDHANI CLOTHING

DOTS • DOTS • DOTS

“Bandhani” derives from the Sanskrit term meaning “to tie.” Each circle on this naturally dyed linen is tied by hand. The artisan pinches a tiny portion of the cloth and ties fine knots with cotton thread. The compressed cloth resists the dye.

For this clothing, Maiwa opened a collaboration with the bandhani artisans of Rajasthan. Rather than just patterning yardage with dots, each garment was bandhani tied in particular areas - so that there were fields of dots to contrast with plain areas. The tied patterns are different for each garment.

Above: Kama Kimono Jacket over the Prana Skirt and the Badami Tank all in Stone Grey.

Above: Thappa Top in Thunder Grey.

Above: Thappa Top in Cutch.

Bandhani is a completely unique way of adding pattern to cloth. Maiwa has combined this distinctive technique with a naturally dyed palette on linen: cutch, pomegranate, and indigo. Natural dyes on linen are our specialty. The tones have a profound character: strong yet with a nuanced depth. They work well alone, in combination with your other clothes, or combined together into ensembles.

The Badami Tank with the Prana Skirt both in Indigo.

Prana Skirt in Thunder Grey.

Prana Skirt in Cutch.

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Maiwa's clothing is available at Maiwa on Granville Island

7 days a week between 10am and 7pm

And Online at maiwa.com

￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣￣

Wednesday, July 10, 2019 No comments

ORGANIC BEDDING

HAND BLOCK-PRINTED WITH NATURAL DYES

ON ORGANIC COTTON

DABU

Dabu is the name of the block print technique made famous in Rajasthan.   Artisans in Rajasthan create a mud-resist known as “Dabu.” A cold-water resist, dabu is particularly effective for blocking out areas during an indigo bath. The character of dabu and the wooden blocks used to apply it go together to create the distinctive patterns known as “dabu” prints.

BANDHANI

We have included two bandhani patterns in this year's dabu collection. These are tied by the bandhani artisans of Bagru, a group that lives and works alongside the dabu blockprinters.

Visit the Collection