the MAIWA BLOG: March 2020

Tuesday, March 31, 2020 No comments

We want to thank our community for the outpouring of support in response to our last message. You are our lifeline. We are so very grateful for every order placed. Together we will do everything we can to keep a sense of community and creativity alive.

STAY CREATIVE AT HOME

UNTIL APRIL 5th 2020

We've dropped our minimum for free shipping to $100

At Maiwa we are all are being extra cautious and practicing social isolation in an effort to flatten the COVID-19 curve. If you are also self-isolating at home now might be a good time to consider a creative project.

- To Our Friends in The USA -

Right now the US dollar enjoys a favourable exchange rate against the Canadian dollar.

At the time we are sending this email;

1 US dollar purchases approx. $1.40 worth of Canadian goods.

For our US friends — its like an extra discount.

You can select the display currency on the MAIWA.COM website to see prices displayed in US dollars. A variety of international currencies are also available.

- Shipping You Can Trust -

Maiwa has always packed shipments with care. Now we have ramped up cleaning and disinfection to be extra diligent. Boxes and packing materials are all new. All surfaces are cleaned throughout the day. Our online fulfilment and mail order department is not open to the public. In our department social distanceing is in effect. We are very proud of our staff — we think they are the best there is!

- Website - Phone - Email -

With MAIWA SUPPLY closed we realize people can't pop in to ask for product advice. So we are expanding phone and email support for product recommendations.

Also check out our invaluable set of instruction sheets here:

MAIWA INSTRUCTION SHEETS

Email us directly anytime at maiwa@maiwa.com

Phone us at 604 669 3939

Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm (Pacific Time)

- COVID 19 Update for MAIWA STORES -

Our two Granville Island stores, MAIWA and MAIWA SUPPLY remain closed.

MAIWA EAST is staffed with our MAIL ORDER department but is closed to the public.

Workshops at the MAIWA SCHOOL OF TEXTILES are suspended.

- Some Suggestions -

To take advantage of our free shipping

MAIWA'S NATURAL DYES

BLANK TEXTILES FOR PROJECTS

MAIWA CLOTHING

UNTIL APRIL 5th 2020

We've dropped our minimum for free shipping to $100

- Support a Friend -

A GIFT CERTIFICATE to the Maiwa Online Store is a great way to support a friend who is self isolating. Available in a range of values. Gift Certificates never expire. Redeemable for anything listed on maiwa.com

Monday, March 23, 2020 No comments

Handwoven cotton from Bengal. Natural indigo gives the blue, the gold lines are made from threads of wild tussar silk.

EVERYTHING INDIGO

Take a look at everything natural indigo can be.

MAIWA'S INDIGO CLOTHING

Let us unwrap a blue thread for you.

This thread begins at our workshop held during the Indigo Sutra conference in 2017 where we encouraged a natural dye revival with natural indigo. As a follow-up to that workshop we went on the road, visited rural dyers and helped to troubleshoot and perfect technique.

We kept returning each year. We saw the yarns that they dyed and then we were shown the fabric that they wove. We held it in our hands — we loved it. We placed a large order to encourage them to keep dyeing and weaving. Then, one day, those bolts arrived at our studio. We unrolled the bolt, took a deep breath, cut into it, and began to make the garments you see here.

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SCARVES & SHAWLS

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BEDDING

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INDIGO: THE JOURNEY FROM PLANT TO DYE

THE INDIGO HARVEST

In southern India indigo dye is obtained from Indigofera tinctoria. Indigofera is a beneficial crop because it returns nitrogen to the soil. In many places it is grown in rotation and simply ploughed under (without ever extracting the colour). When it is grown for the dye, the crop can be naturally weeded by pasturing cows or goats — they eat the weeds but not the indigo. Depending on the weather, a single plant can give 2 to 3 harvests a year.

INDIGO EXTRACTION

Once cut, the indigo plants are placed in a large extraction tank, covered with water and allowed to soak until they ferment. The fermentation transforms indican (present in the leaves) to indoxyl (a soluble form of indigo). The water containing indoxyl is drained off and then whipped to introduce oxygen. The oxygen transforms the indoxyl to indigo. The indigo settles to the bottom where it is collected and concentrated into cakes. This is powdered indigo - the most famous dye in the world.

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MAIWA'S NATURAL DYES

GET YOUR BLUES FROM US

Maiwa sells natural indigo extracted from crops grown in southern India. We carry everything you need to get started; like the natural indigo kit and keep going, like our largest size of indigo. In addition we offer an instruction sheet for Indigo and Woad and The Organic Vat.