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The Maiwa Wrap Party is a night to remember. We put on a spread, bring in a live band, and let loose.

The highlight of the evening is the Maiwa Auction—it’s entertaining to watch and exhilarating to participate. On the block are complete outfits, carpets, furniture, and carefully assembled lots containing books, objects, and textiles. All proceeds go directly to the Maiwa Foundation.

Join Jan Duclos, a French national who has lived most of his life in India, and Laxmi Duclos, a member of the Banjara community and traditional embroiderer, as they guide us through an exhibition of Banjara embroidery.

Jan and Laxmi together run the Surya’s Lambhani Women Welfare Trust (Surya’s Garden) in Hampi, India. It is one of the most vital co-operatives working with Banjara embroidery today. The group works with local craftspeople to preserve traditional needlework skills and designs.

Well known for bold colours and a forceful design sense, the Banjara (sometimes called Lambhani or Lambada) are thought to be descended from the Roma who migrated through the mountains of Afghanistan and settled in the deserts of Rajasthan.

Since the 14th century, the Banjaras have gradually traveled down to the south. They worked for the Moghuls transporting provisions and trading goods, traveling with large herds of thousands of bullocks and carts, buying and selling sugar, salt, grain, and perfumes. Their habit of living in isolated groups away from others, which was a characteristic of their nomadic days, still persists.

A leading textile artist of Japan, Misao Iwamura has also been a mentor to weaver Chisako Hisamatsu. This exhibition will feature exquisite and innovative works from both artists.

Please RSVP to Maiwa (604) 669-3939 or Silk Weaving Studio (604) 687-7455

(Exhibition runs September 21–October 5, 2012)

Noren are the traditional Japanese cloth dividers that hang in doorways and windows.

Working with stitch resist and immersion dyeing, master noren artist Yoko Kano has worked on two major projects creating noren for the towns of Katsuyama and Naoshima, Japan. On display will be pieces showing both traditional and contemporary designs.

Please RSVP to Maiwa (604) 669-3939 or Silk Weaving Studio (604) 687-7455

(Exhibition runs September 8–19, 2012)

Bangladesh is one of the most suitable regions for growing indigo. However, due to the colonial history of the crop and the subsequent rise of synthetic indigo, its potential has remained dormant. Now Living Blue, a project of the Nijera Cottage and Village Industries, has revived the famous crop. They are using it to add this distinctive blue to a range of exquisite textiles.

Village artisans combine a variety of traditional stitches with nui shibori on handspun, handwoven cloth. The results are a range of quilts, shawls, and scarves that convey the feeling of well-loved cloth.

Join Anowarul Haq and Apurba Deb Roy from the Living Blue project as they take the audience on a guided tour of some of the most exciting textiles to come out of South Asia. There will be a discussion of the cooperative and how the Living Blue project is changing lives in Bangladesh.

On the bank of the Shinjo river in the historic town of Katsuyama is the Hinoki gallery. Behind the cloth “noren” that hangs in the doorway, Yoko Kano runs a textile studio that has transformed this tiny Japanese town.

The noren in Katsuyama (Okayama Prefecture) are a collaboration between the local residents and Yoko Kano. Each individually crafted design contains a personal meaning for the people who work in the shop it decorates. “My work is to express their personalities as faithfully as I can in the cloth. It’s great to have a relationship with people I see every day where they can tell me exactly what they expect to see in their noren.”

On the shores of a small island, situated in the inland sea of Seto, sits the town of Naoshima (Kagawa Prefecture). It was here, in 2001, that Yoko Kano was invited to make noren for 14 private homes. The project sparked a revival in noren use and highlighted the relationship of textiles to the expression of an architectural and personal individuality. The noren also bring the art of dyeing and design into the mind of each person who walks through the town.

Join us for an illustrated walk as Yoko Kano and her daughter Kazuho explain the origins of the noren project, what it has meant for Katsuyama, and how the noren are made.

Yoko entered the University of Art and Design Joshibi in 1966 and graduated from the design courses in textiles. An accomplished dyer and weaver, Yoko made noren for commercial clients before beginning the noren project in Katsuyama and Nashima. She owns and operates the Hinoki Gallery

The Hot Potato Jazz Bandits in front of the Maiwa Store.

Merchants in Granville Island's NET LOFT celebrated a successful event on Wednesday as they all came together for Net Loft Night. Edible Canada (just across from the Net Loft) provided food and Liberty Wines provided wine. Live music filled the space. The Hot Potato Jazz Bandits and Jim Burnes both played generous sets.

Pierre from Liberty Wines oversees the selection.

Maiwa used the Event to launch a new Aranya collection. One of the techniques that this group is becoming known for is figurative shibori: creating whimsical patterns on cloth using this ancient resist method.

Figurative shibori work from Aranya

Not only a great celebration and a chance for intimate time with Net Loft merchants, funds were raised for Farm Folk City Folk and the Maiwa Foundation.

Thanks to everyone for another great event.

$250 (includes $60 lab fee) class limit 16
November 9,10 (Fri, Sat) 10am–4pm
Maiwa East, 1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver, Canada



Carol Soderlund is our most requested instructor. Students emerge from her courses with a depth of understanding that is solid and true. We’re proud to include this second course offering from Carol.

Environmentally friendly soy wax brings a modern twist to the ancient art of batik. Explore markmaking in free-flowing wax with simple tools such as inexpensive brushes, wood, or metal stampls, found objects, or blank silkscreens. Create depth in the cloth while layering colour on colour on cottons, silks, and sheer organza using Procion MX dyes.

The ease and fun of wax will encourage your playful side as you create fabulous visual textures and colour on cloth.

Instructor Bio

Carol Soderlund’s works have been exhibited nationally and internationally since 1985 in such venues as Visions and American Quilting Society shows and have received numerous awards, including Best of Show at the 1989 International Quilt Festival and Best Use of Color at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Exhibition 2000. She has taught colour, fabric dyeing, colour-mixing techniques, and quilting throughout North America and is currently working on a book on these subjects.

“My work is primarily driven by a passion for colour interactions, the illusions they create, the luminosity they can bring to a surface. I love creating my own palette of fabric through painting, dyeing, and other surface design processes including discharge, shibori, stamping, screening, and foiling. My goal in design is to have a piece that intrigues the viewer at first glance and then continues to reveal surprises upon every inspection.” www.carolsoderlund.com

$325 (includes $75 lab fee) class limit 16
November 6-8 (Tue-Thu) 10am–4pm
Maiwa East, 1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver, Canada



For the dyer, the many choices of available colours can lead to confusion and disappointment in colour outcomes. This class will help students choose the pure colour that is suitable for developing a personal palette. Carol has dyed over 80 individual palettes which she will share with you through slide presentations, discussions, and hands-on dyeing. Brilliant yellows, passionate purples, rich reds, astounding blues, and soothing greens as well as the many necessary neutrals will be achieved through mixing using Procion MX dyes.

This class will focus on developing skill in intuitive colour-mixing based primarily on training the eye and understanding the relationship between colours. Students will come to an understanding of warm and cool contrasts and will learn how to choose a personal palette of pure reds, yellows, and blues from which all hues can be mixed. In addition the class will learn not only how to dye saturated, brilliant colours and avoid mud, but also how to create interesting complex neutrals (Bring on the mud puddles!). And they will learn how to shade from value to value and hue to hue.

Students will dye from 8 to 10 yards of cotton using low-water immersion techniques. On the first day, we will develop concepts through lecture and discussion and do some exercises to get familiar with the pure hues. On the days following, we will dye yardage using low-water immersion techniques, resulting in both solid-coloured and multi-coloured cloth, and explore the possibilities of layering colour to enrich the palette.

This class is suitable for all levels of experience, for both those who have had Carol’s class Colour Mixing for Dyers and those who have not.

Instructor Bio

Carol Soderlund’s works have been exhibited nationally and internationally since 1985 in such venues as Visions and American Quilting Society shows and have received numerous awards, including Best of Show at the 1989 International Quilt Festival and Best Use of Color at the Pennsylvania National Quilt Exhibition 2000. She has taught colour, fabric dyeing, colour-mixing techniques, and quilting throughout North America and is currently working on a book on these subjects.

“My work is primarily driven by a passion for colour interactions, the illusions they create, the luminosity they can bring to a surface. I love creating my own palette of fabric through painting, dyeing, and other surface design processes including discharge, shibori, stamping, screening, and foiling. My goal in design is to have a piece that intrigues the viewer at first glance and then continues to reveal surprises upon every inspection.” www.carolsoderlund.com

$250 (includes $80 for lab fee and screen) class limit 14
November 1, 2 (Thu, Fri) 10am–4pm
Maiwa East, 1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver, Canada



Screenprinting is an invaluable process for textile artists. The photo emulsion allows the artist to “expose” a screen, just like a photographic negative, giving great versatility in the types of images that can be used. It is also the perfect technique for doing multiples on cloth.

This two-day class takes the mystery out of the photo emulsion process. It provides a solid foundation for those considering a screen-printing business or for those using the screenprint as a design element in textile projects.

Each student will understand the steps necessary to prepare an image, adhere it to a high quality screen, and use that screen to print on fabric.

All printing will be done on 100% natural fibres using Setacolor fabric paint. Participants will learn to print materials such as T-shirts and yardage on a variety of textile weights (cotton, silk, linen). Using a variety of single-pull techniques, students will explore solid one-colour printing, repeating patterns, rainbow printing, and registration. Participants will also learn how to reclaim screens for a change of imagery.

Anne will explain the different approaches needed to use screen printing for natural dyes and synthetic dyes.

Instructor Bio

Anne Babchuk has been a resident instructor for the Maiwa Textile Workshops for the past 17 years. She has taught classes in a wide range of traditional and contemporary surface design processes. Some specialties are: natural dyeing and printing, indigo dyeing, shibori, block printing, and precision dyeing.

Anne studied fine art at Okanagan University. To fund her education she started her own home-based textile business. She feels her greatest education has come through working for Maiwa Handprints, taking workshops from world-class instructors, and travelling.

Currently she archives and maintains the Maiwa Textile Collection and Library. She is also a trustee of the Maiwa Foundation and co-ordinator for the Maiwa Textile Symposium.

$195 (includes $30 lab fee) class limit 14
November 3,4 (Sat, Sun) 10am–4pm
Maiwa Loft, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada


Needle felting is a popular craft form, but the process can also result in expressive and sophisticated works of art. In this workshop students will create an original landscape, portrait, or abstract composition suitable for framing or presentation.

Students will be introduced to the basics of the needle-felting technique and elements of design theory. Whether you work entirely from your imagination or start out with inspirational images or photographs, you’ll learn how to break down the design in terms of composition, colour blending, perspective, and transparency.

The instructor will work with students individually to bring their compositions to life. As in painting or collage, students will build layers of colour, depth, and texture with yarns, rovings, and bits of handmade or commercial fabrics. The class will end with a discussion of finishing and presentation methods.

No experience necessary. This workshop is designed for students of all levels from beginners to more experienced artisans. It may be taken as an extension of Needle Felting: A New Adventure, but students should feel free to take either or both workshops.

Instructor Bio

Briony Jean Foy designs and creates one-of-a-kind woven and felted pieces in her studio in Madison, WI. She teaches weaving and gives workshops and private lessons across the USA and Canada. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and is the recipient of a Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship Award in recognition of her work in the visual arts. www.brionyfoy.com

$250 (includes $50 lab fee) class limit 14
October 31 - November 2 (Wed-Fri) 10am–4pm
Maiwa Loft, Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada



Learn a needle-felting process that is as simple and spontaneous as fingerpainting or drawing with a pencil. It’s even erasable until “set” by washing. Anyone who usually works with technical or material constraints will love the freedom and playfulness of this process.

Through hands-on exercises and illustrated lectures, students will learn about basic design elements, colour theory, and the nature and properties of fibres as they relate to needle-felting techniques.

Students will combine yarns and roving with handwoven, wet-felted, or purchased cloth. They will learn how to choose and combine materials to create complex fibre works with colour, depth, and texture. The class will not only experiment with techniques and materials to create samples, they will complete finished independent work as well.

Participants also discuss ways of adding this process to their existing work: painting, jewellery, ceramics, woodworking, quilting, collage, or any other medium. This workshop is designed for everyone from professional artists to novices who just want to explore their creative side.

Needle felting does not require expensive equipment or facilities. The process is portable, and the cost is entirely up to the artisan. Materials are readily accessible, and needle felting is a great way to use found and recycled materials. It is also a great way to experiment with small amounts of more expensive fabrics. Whether you are interested in form or function, concept or aesthetic, process or result, needle felting is addictive.

Instructor Bio

Briony Jean Foy designs and creates one-of-a-kind woven and felted pieces in her studio in Madison, WI. She teaches weaving and gives workshops and private lessons across the USA and Canada. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and is the recipient of a Wisconsin Arts Board Fellowship Award in recognition of her work in the visual arts. www.brionyfoy.com