MAIWA'S NEWLY UPDATED ONLINE STORE IS HERE!

Visit our sparkling new website and receive

FREE SHIPPING ON ORDERS OF $250 OR MORE

within Canada and the continental U.S.A.

{Through the month of March}

Maiwa is constantly adding new products to the website.

Check back soon for updates.

SEE YOU ONLINE!

Cannot be combined with other offers.

Mark your calendar, it's a new  EARTH & WEAR event.

with

Maiwa Handprints 

Devil May Wear, and 

The Gallery of BC Ceramics

Tuesday March 7th 7-10pm

at The Gallery of BC Ceramics

1369 Cartwright Street,  Granville Island, Vancouver, Canada

Join us for hors d'oeuvres, 

a cash bar, and fabulous door prizes 

representing the best of Granville Island

Going? Check out the Facebook Event Page

In 2016 The Maiwa Foundation was able to make a big difference in the lives of rural schoolgirls. Many of you know about the leatherworkers and weavers who together form the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja (AAJ).

Getting started with a little help.

Many of the female children of AAJ artisans have to walk several miles to school. The distance, combined with the time taken and the obligation to do other work in the home can make it difficult for girls to attend school (or to have enough time to complete homework). In these rural Indian families boys usually get bikes and girls do not.

The first ride.

The pink bike project was conceived as a way to assist the village schoolgirls to get to and fron school. These bike are female "style," pink and very sturdy. In collaboration with the Artisans Alliance of Jawaja, the Maiwa Foundation oversees the purchase of the bikes and the distribution in the village. In January of 2016 we made our first delivery of bikes. Now, at the start of 2017 we are doing another round of promotions for the project.

Lined up and ready to go.

Interested? We have set up a special donation button on our website to support the Pink Bike Project.  A $100 donation purchases one of these sturdy pink bikes for a village schoolgirl.

A good day - the arrival of the bikes and some reactions.

The Backstory to this Project.

Jane Stafford of Jane Stafford Textiles, (JST) a weaver from Salt Spring Island, visited the AAJ weavers in 2014. After that meeting Jane was inspired to assist the group. In her own words: 

"Way back in 2014, Handwoven Magazine gave me a little award for $500.00 and JST (Jane Stafford Textiles) matched that with another $500.00. We donated $1000.00 to the Maiwa Foundation requesting that the money be used for girls education in the village of Jawaja.  During the next tour a lovely lady matched that donation so there was now $2000.00 to go to the girls. In the end it was decided by the Jawaja village that the money go to buy bicycles so the girls could travel the long distances to get to school and they wouldn't have to start and end there day walking in the dark. The bicycles are pink and girls style and extremely sturdy so the boys of the village aren't interested in them :^)"

What is the most sought-after garment in the Maiwa workshops?

THE INDIGO APRON!

Completely made from start to finish under the expert guidance of two of our top instructors. Sheila Wong takes you through the design, cutting, and sewing of the linen, and Sophena Kwon takes you through shaped resist and indigo dyeing. The result is a signature piece that says a lot about who you are and what you can do. This workshop is perfect for those starting out or for the experienced artisan. This workshop is a great combination of skills taught in a fun and engaging format.

⇸ Limited spaces available in a few of our spring workshops ⇷

Introduction to Dyes

Dyeing to Sew

The Indigo Apron

Image & Markmaking

Arashi Shibori

Vintage Hand-sewing Techniques

Pattern Drafting: Working from the Block

Reverse Pattern Drafting 4-Day

The Cartographic Quilt