January 29, 2011

Our first morning. Everyone is up early. In the cold predawn light we are getting organized.

Our workday begins with water. We have samples from all over India and some from Ethiopia. We test it for pH and then the presence of ferrous compounds and calcium. Any traces of iron are especially problematic as they will combine with tannins to make a black dye. Even without tannin, the presence of iron can sadden or dull other colours.

Today is the first day of the Maiwa Masterclass in Natural Dyes. The workshop was conceived by Charllotte Kwon as a way to gather experienced artisans from widely divergent backgrounds who are working in different techniques.

Artsans have come from as far away as Ethiopia, as close as the next lane of this village, and from all over India. Guiding the natural dye component of this workshop is Michel Garcia. On this first day he will gather the questions, problems and concerns of the artisans. This is a daunting task: some artisans, such as the blockprinters, are heavily constrained by their process. Washing their cloth in the middle of the procedure, for example, is not an option.

For others such as the ikat weavers, changing the order of dyes might result in a huge amount of extra work because they must tie entire lengths of yarns in order to resist the dye and get a certain colour.

Loading up before dawn, the bags are tied to the roof of the car.

1:30 am Team Maiwa hits New Delhi, India.  (L-R) Sophena Kwon, Charllotte Kwon, Dani Bush, Jane Stafford and Gale Anderson-Palm. Behind the camera Tim McLaughlin.

In January 2011 we packed our bags for six weeks in India. On this trip Maiwa staff (Charllotte, Sophena, Dani and Tim) will be joined by a number of special guests.

A classic wool and silk shawl from the Avani co-operative in northern India. The artisans live close to the Tibetan border where the Himalayas are clearly visible.

The morning we began working on this promotion it was cold and pouring with rain. Not uncommon in the Pacific Northwest and quite typical for the entire Vancouver winter. We wanted to present some of the best qualities of our shawls; the fact that they are such a cosy, warm, versatile solution to winter. But we didn't want to emphasize the leaden skies, or get soaked taking the pictures.