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the MAIWA JOURNAL




Natural. Honest. Colour.

Visit Our Collection of Natural Dyes Here

OR VISIT US ON GRANVILLE ISLAND



MAIWA'S NATURAL DYES

Our sensation of colour is unique. And artists making colour with natural dyes have a direct connection with their materials. Each of these materials, each dyestuff used, can be a doorway to a new world.

Putting natural colour on cloth can be done with leaves (such as indigo and henna), barks and woods (logwood, osage), roots (madder), flowers (chamomile, marigold), fruits and nuts (walnut, myrobalan, pomegranate), minerals (alum, iron), and insects (cochineal, lac). These are just some of the classic materials that have been used to give strong fast colour for thousands of years.

The aromatic steam that rises into the air from the dyepot, especially when working outside on a cool morning, is one of the most compelling aspects of the dyer’s studio. Indeed, working with natural colour is such a sensual experience that many artisans work with natural dyestuff for the sheer pleasure of making the vat. The saturated colours of the immersed materials are also highly photogenic—as is the entire dyeing process.




Maiwa’s obsession with natural dyes is well known. What is less well known is the work that we do behind the scenes each time a shipment of natural dyestuff arrives in our warehouse.

Our role is a bit like that of a master vintner who evaluates multiple grape harvests to make an exceptional wine. We do a complete set of sample tests to evaluate the shade and strength of our shipment. Dyes from natural sources will change with each season. If there has been only little rain one year, the concentration of dyestuff in the plant will alter. So we often combine and blend stocks from multiple years to ensure that the raw dyestuff will yield consistent results. 

At Maiwa our policy is to acquire the raw dyestuff in its most elemental form (wood chips, roots, petals) so that we can ensure purity. We then process it into the form (usually a powder) that works best for the artisan dyer. We use natural dyes extensively in our own production, so we can ensure that each package contains a product we would be proud to use ourselves.


Visit Our Collection of Blank Textiles

Wednesday, January 30, 2019 No comments

MAIWA IS HAVING A
FLASH SALE!


20% OFF
EVERYTHING!


Thursday, January 24th — Sunday, January 27, 2019


IN STORE ONLY 
MAIWA  &  MAIWA SUPPLY,  GRANVILLE ISLAND 


Have you had your eye on something in the Maiwa Stores? An exquisite handwoven shawl perhaps? Maybe some of the leatherwork from the legendary Artisan's Alliance of Jawaja? Or if you are an artisan yourself, perhaps you have been waiting for a chance to build your stash or stock up your natural dye cupboard. 

Now is the time. Visit us on Granville Island between January 24th and 27th and receive 20% off. 


Visit us at Maiwa on Granville Island in Vancouver
7 days a week between 10am and 6pm (Winter Hours)



Cannot be combined with other discounts or special offers.
Tuesday, January 22, 2019 No comments

MAIWA ON GRANVILLE ISLAND
IT'S LIKE A TEXTILE GALLERY WITH A NEW SHOW EVERY DAY.

Our Granville Island store carries many things that you won't find online.
It is the nature of much artisan work that each piece is unique. For this reason our physical store carries a wealth of items that you won't find anywhere else.


Wrap yourself in a beautiful feeling — warm winter shawls from Maiwa. 

These shawls showcase the immense creativity that artisans have taken in approaching every aspect of the shawl. Right from the moment the spinner grasps multiple fibres between her fingers and begins to work with them there is an excitement and joy in creating. That spark is captured in fibre choices (including wild silks) weaving construction (including supplemental wefts) and finishing (including stitching narrow weaves together). 

These shawls are as versatile as they are beautiful — wrapped around you to stay warm, or even spread on a bed or sofa to showcase creativity and skill.


AVAILABLE IN-STORE
Maiwa - Granville Island, Vancouver 7 days a week 10am-6pm (Winter Hours)
Online - maiwa.com


VISIT THE SHAWL COLLECTION HERE






VISIT THE SHAWL COLLECTION HERE

—————————————————————————————

-  MEET THE ARTISANS  -
These shawls are created by a number of artisan communities in the Kutch Desert of India where generations of skill and mastery are passed down in the spinning of the threads, the warping of the looms and the weaving of the cloth.



Wednesday, January 16, 2019 No comments

My goal is to help inspire people to create beautiful things.
If you are passionate and driven, there is no reason why you cannot be creative every day.

Meet Sheila Wong — Maiwa Instructor


Among the young luminaries of the Vancouver textile scene is Sheila Wong. At the age of 18 she started her first company designing outfits and managing dance performers in her hometown of Calgary. She knew she found her métier the first time she saw an energetic audience reacting to her designs.

After completing a Bachelors of Applied Business and Entrepreneurship degree and a fashion design diploma, Sheila took on positions as studio assistant at the Fashion Exchange building, production manager at Aritzia, and instructor at Blanche Macdonald Fashion Centre and Vancouver Community College. In 2010, Sheila founded a truly unique boutique sewing studio. From pattern-drafting to final stitch, the studio provides a creative environment for all skill levels to learn fashion design techniques with personalized private instruction. The studio has been very successful and is often booked several months in advance.

What truly makes Sheila Wong stand out in the industry, however, is her desire to help other artists succeed. Sheila loves collaborating with other designers and artisans, and has this to say to anyone who has ever wanted to see their own name on a piece of clothing: “Anyone can design and construct a garment; you just need the right amount of guidance and motivation. My goal is to help inspire people to create beautiful things. If you are passionate and driven, there is no reason why you cannot be creative every day.” Sheila Wong Studios can be found at swfds.com or on Instagram at @sheilawongstudios

Some spaces are available in Sheila's spring 2019 workshop Vintage Hand-Sewing Techniques

VINTAGE HAND-SEWING TECHNIQUES
Tuesday, January 15, 2019 No comments
2018 FOUNDATION
TEACHING NATURAL DYES IN BENGAL


2018 opened with a trip into rural Bengal to teach natural dye use. It was a colourful experience. We posted the whole story in three parts on the Maiwa blog.

As a follow up to this post, when we returned to Bengal in November 2018, the group we were working with had naturally dyed enough yarn to make over 500 finished saris - that's a lot of dyeing.



2018 AWARDS
CRAFT COUNCIL OF BC'S EVENING OF RECOGNITION


The Craft Council of British Columbia honoured four individuals during it's special "Evening of Recognition" in March 2018.  Here, Robert Jekyll presents Maiwa founder Charllotte Kwon with the Robert Jekyll Award for Leadership in Craft. Charllotte received the award for the year 2017 through the Canadian Craft Federation. During the evening Keith and Celia Rice-Jones  received the CCBC Hilde Gerson Award and Barbara Duncan received the CCBC Citizen of Craft Award. Congratulations to everyone.



2018 EVENTS
A CELEBRATION OF NATURAL INDIGO


Welcome to the gift economy. In May 2018 we grew indigo seedlings and gave them away to customers. We like to think everyone should know where natural indigo blue comes from. We also gave away tiny vials of seeds for those who wanted to try growing their own. There was an exhibition of indigo textiles from the Maiwa collection and a full day of demonstrations in front of Maiwa Supply. See more photos in our blog post.



2018 EVENTS
NATURAL HAIR DYE & MEHNDI


In July we hosted another in-store event centered on natural dyes. This time it was the body adornment known as Mehndi. Found throughout India, much of the Arab world and used in many different cultures, mehndi is popular at celebrations and festivals. The designs turn the skin a reddish brown and last for a few weeks. Here is our Mehndi post.




2018 EVENTS
STOP BUY & OVERDYE


At Maiwa East we got our indigo vats going again for a special "Stop Buy and Overdye" event in August. People brought their Maiwa garments and we dipped them in natural indigo.




2018 ENGAGEMENT
DE YOUNG MUSEUM, SAN FRANCISCO


In March, Charllotte Kwon presented her lecture "Waiting for the Monsoon: Slow Clothes in India" at the de Young Museum in San Francisco. Charllotte had been invited to give the Annual Sinton Lecture in the Koret auditorium. Charllotte traveled with books and textiles from the Maiwa Collection.




2018 ENGAGEMENT
PERFORMANCE WORKS, GRANVILLE Is. VANCOUVER


The Granville Island Fashion Show was held in April, Maiwa was there. The show put the spotlight on Granville Island fashion. There was much to celebrate; from clothing to music to jewellery, to all the incredibly talented makers.




2018 ENGAGEMENT
TEXTILE SOCIETY OF AMERICA, VANCOUVER


TSA 2018 was held in Vancouver, Canada in September. It was an honour to have so many people in town who have done so much to further our understanding of textiles. Maiwa opened up its textile collection for two events; Melody Borosevich and Sophena Kwon staged an exhibition in the Maiwa store; Sophena presented a dyeing demonstration and is seen here next to "Chronos" a time traveller costumed by Nicole Dextras. Charllotte Kwon delivered the closing plenary for  the conference: "Weavers Without Borders: The Fabric of Trade."




2018 LECTURES
MAIWA SCHOOL OF TEXTILES


The 2018 Lecture and Event Series included many outstanding speakers. It was a year to remember. Here are some photos and reviews of the lectures and events and the text of the introductions. SEE 


SEE ALL REVIEWS HERE

Thursday, January 10, 2019 No comments
CAT BORDHI IS COMING TO VANCOUVER!

Cat Bordhi is known for her inventive, playful, and fresh contributions to hand-knitting technique and design. She began sharing her pioneering sock architectures and techniques in a series of books and videos in 2001. Cat introduced Moebius knitting with the 70 mesmerizing designs in her two Treasuries of Magical Knitting. Her other books include Versatildes: A New Landscape for Knitters and The Art of Felfs—Felted Footwear for Families (which has raised over $72,000 to support cancer research). She also wrote an award-winning novel, Treasure Forest. Currently she is working on three books, one on fingerless mitts, another on MoMo Cowls (a leap forward in Moebius design), and the third on portable pockets.

This is your chance to knit and purl with one of the brightest lights in the knitting world. Students repeatedly remark that a class with Cat Bordhi opened up a new world of possibility for what knitting can be.


FINGERLESS MITTS & CUFFS

FEB 8–10 (FRI–SUN) 10AM–4PM
MAIWA LOFT – GRANVILLE ISLAND, VANCOUVER BC

These garter-stitch-based fingerless mitts are a marvel of flowing textures, colour-work, and edge treatments.

It is easy to fit these mitts to the hands of any child or adult. Students often comment that this is the first fingerless mitt that really fits. They are knit flat in garter stitch, with designs around the wrist and a nearly invisible side seam that is knit, not sewn. Any mitt can become cuffs by eliminating the thumb and shortening the hand and arm; these cuffs can even become sweater cuffs. Less than one skein of DK or light worsted weight yarn will make a pair of mitts, or several pairs of shorter cuffs. 


REGISTER HERE FOR FINGERLESS MITTS & CUFFS



———————————————————————————————————————



STUDY WITH NATALIE GRAMBOW

Natalie is one of our most skilled and popular instructors. Each year Natalie teaches a number of workshops for Maiwa. Students find her approachable, supportive, and a natural problem solver.  She is up for any creative challenge.

Natalie has an extensive background in design, teaching, and textile arts. An accredited interior designer, she spent many years in Ottawa working within the architectural design field and teaching design theory. Natalie’s first deep exploration of textiles began during her visual arts/photography studies at the University of Ottawa when she experimented with non-silver techniques of transferring photographic imagery onto cloth. She subsequently studied at the École d’Impression Textile à Montréal and later travelled to Asia and Latin America, where she spent six months learning to weave with local Mayan weavers in Guatemala. Shortly after completing the Textile Arts program at Capilano College, she was awarded the BC Craft Association’s Award of Excellence. Natalie has exhibited her textile art installations in the Lower Mainland, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, and on the Sunshine Coast. She has also developed a line of naturally dyed and printed fabrics and has been commissioned by such clients as the City of North Vancouver. Currently living in Roberts Creek, BC, she continues her art practice and studies from her studio.


WORKS ON CANVAS

FEB 8–10 (FRI–SUN) 10AM–4PM
MAIWA EAST – 1310 ODLUM DRIVE, VANCOUVER BC

In this highly creative workshop suitable for both the novice and the experienced artist, participants will be guided through the steps of making an art cloth. The workshop will explore a number of pattern-making techniques, including block-printing, mono-printing, hand-painting, stencilling, screen-printing, and mark-making. In addition, collage and piecing with image transfers, antiquing, washes, and finishing will be covered. Students will complete several inspiring projects, including a finished art cloth. 
The finished works can be used as floor coverings (floorcloth), wall mounted in traditional frames, used as table runners, hung as posters, or combined into other projects.


REGISTER HERE FOR WORKS ON CANVAS




Tuesday, January 08, 2019 No comments



START SOMETHING NEW!
What will you begin this year?

Wednesday, January 02, 2019 No comments
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      • How Big is Your Natural Dye Obsession?
      • 20% Off Everything! - In-Store Only Flash Sale
      • Finding Warmth – At Maiwa on Granville Island
      • Meet Sheila Wong - Maiwa Instructor
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