the MAIWA JOURNAL: November 2021

Tuesday, November 30, 2021 No comments

NATURAL DYEING IN THE FOREST

Four Maiwa staff on a dyer's weekend in the Pacific Northwest prove how easy it is to make natural colour in any landscape.

Madder, Buckthorn, Himalayan Rhubarb, Indigo, Cutch, and Lac.

We highlight some of our favourites below.

See All of Maiwa's Natural Dyes

Maiwa's naturaldyes.ca

MADDER

From Europe to Asia, madder is the source of historic reds. Skilled dyers can move it from blood to brick. The pulverized roots have a smoky fragrance of their own. When you bring your dyebath to a simmer over an open fire there is a mingling of the smoke of the wood and the dusky fragrance of the roots.

We worked with rubia cordifolia on both yarns and cloth to obtain a wealth of reds. Madder is very satisfying to work with - it makes a wonderful dyepot on an open fire.

BUCKTHORN

Buckthorn is noted for the colours given by its fruits - known historically as Persian berries. Ours are collected and sorted according to the colours of the berries - which gives an indication of the colourants they contain and the final colours they will give.

We were able to bring a little sunlight into the forest by working with buckthorn on yarns. The grey yarns gave us a wonderful shade, while on the white yarns the buckthorn kept its promise of sunlight.

See Maiwa's Guide to Natural Dyes

LAC

The lac insect provides red of lac dye and also the resinous substance known as shellac. The red is a cool one with notes of almost purple in it. It has a hue which is similar to the two other famous insect dyes, kermes and cochineal.

We worked with lac dye on shawls made of tussar silk. Tussar is a wild silk which drinks in the colour. By only putting part of the shawl in the dyepot we created an ombre effect. A beautiful contrast between the colour of lac and the natural colour of the silk.

Wonderful bombyx mori, silk bundle-dyed with lac and buckthorn.

See all blank silk textiles perfect for dyeing.

Simple shaped resist techniques can take you a long way. We brought some clamp boards from our studio and also used tongue depressors - very versatile!

The autumn sky reflected in our rinse pot.

A cup of tea is welcome for the meditative act of untying our stitch resist. Conversation flows when your hands are busy.

Our crew for a dyer's weekend. We all arrived with different levels of experience, but we all left with equal levels of satisfaction. Two clothes lines of freshly dyed textiles behind us.

The times before the dyeing begins are the best. Hours are filled with excitement and anticipation. The shaped resist is applied, designs are thought out, colours are considered, and one gets the feeling that the cloth itself is anxious to go into the dyepot.

We did our scouring and mordanting before we left - this makes everything flow smoothly when you arrive at your destination.

See All Blank Textiles

See All Yardage

Dyes, Soaps, Additives, and General Supplies

You can make your studio anywhere. Here are some of our supplies that we brought along with us.

Maiwa.com

Click the button below to register in our online workshops.

Maiwa.teachable.com

To our U.S. customers – don't forget that the exchange rate works in your favour, it's like an extra discount.

Thursday, November 25, 2021 No comments

REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

Click the button below to register in our online workshops.

maiwa.teachable.com

Learn to successfully mordant cellulose and protein fibres. Work with cloth and yarns to achieve vibrant, clear colours using classic natural dyes.

In this workshop students will make over 18 separate dye-baths on a variety of fibre types (including wool, cotton, linen, silk, and hemp/cotton). The results will be shifted with iron and indigo for a complex palette. Exhaust baths will be used and these will also be shifted with a modified indigo vat. Students will receive an introduction to shaped resist and indigo dyeing. Throughout the course students will receive professional instruction from Maiwa founder Charllotte Kwon and her daughter Sophena Kwon.

• 45 evocative instructional videos.

• Work with 11 natural dyes including indigo.

• Build dye pots from 18 recipes, shift colours with iron and overdye with indigo.

• Complete the course with close to 100 different colours ... and a whole new appreciation for the magic of natural dyes.

The Natural Dye Workshop

See the trailer here.

Discover the power of oxides to create incredibly textured patterns. When combined with tannins and the blue potential of indigo, a new creative world opens up.

In this workshop students will rust print with flat metal and learn bundling techniques to work with sculptural pieces. The class will make two tannin baths to selectively shift colour while working with binding resist. Additional immersion techniques will be taught with ferrous, tannin, and calcium. A special rust-tea bath will be used to give dramatic results on cloth. Finally students will explore the magic of an iron-reduced indigo vat. This is a very creative exploration of the transformative power of materials to create novel marks and patterns.

• 38 evocative instructional videos.

• Work with 7 unique immersion baths including indigo.

• Learn a variety of binding techniques including clamp, wrap, and shaped resist.

• Complete the course with a body of work exploring the remarkable patterning potential of tannins, oxides and indigo.

Tannins, Oxides & Indigo Workshop

See the trailer here.

Learn the process of making both pigmented and non-pigmented inks, including classics like iron gall ink as well as inks made from natural dyes like cochineal and lake pigments like weld.

In this workshop students will make a range of inks including water soluble and waterproof inks. The workshop will explore papers, and the basis of pointed pen (flexible) writing. Students will learn how to generalize the procedure of ink making so that it may be applied to any organic or mineral matter. The workshop will also present a discussion of journaling, writing, books, and creativity.

• 21 documentary-style instructional videos.

• Work with a range of materials including indigo, carbon black, cochineal, weld, gum Arabic and shellac.

• Learn about ink making as a way to explore materials.

• Consider the history of writing and ink and the future of your own creative practice

The Ink Making Workshop

See the trailer here.

Learn to build a range of indigo vats including organic vats made with fruits, the iron vat, and vats made with plants. Learn a wealth of introductory and advanced shaped resist techniques on silk, linen, and cotton. Learn how to handle materials in the dye vat to get the most from indigo.

In this workshop students will be taken, step-by-step, through the process of making a number of indigo vats, including three organic "fruit vats." Students will learn not only how to make a vat but also how to maintain it, revive it, and put it to bed. The different vats will be explored through the use of many forms of shaped resist - including bound, clamp and stitch resist. An astonishing array of patterning is possible through these techniques. Students will learn how to adjust vats for different fibre types and conditions.

• 35 detailed instructional videos.

• All shaped resist techniques shown with clear, step by step instructions.

• Works taken from blank cloth to finished piece so you can see the entire process.

• An in-depth explanation of the chemistry of indigo extraction and indigo vats so you can learn how and why they work.

• Discover why indigo is the worlds most magical dye.

Journey Into Indigo

See the trailer here.

Make sure you are subscribed to our email list.

Keep an eye on schooloftextiles.com for updates.

Tuesday, November 23, 2021 No comments

Thursday, November 18, 2021 No comments

A NEW WAY OF LEARNING ONLINE

JOURNEY INTO INDIGO

WITH SOPHENA KWON & DANIELLE BUSH

Registration opens November 23rd at 9am (pacific time)

Over 40 detailed instructional videos with written instructions and downloadable PDF's. All shaped resist techniques shown with clear, step by step instructions.

Works taken from blank cloth to finished piece so you can see the entire process.

An in-depth explanation of the chemistry of indigo extraction and indigo vats so you can learn how and why they work.

Discover why indigo is the worlds most magical dye.

See Full Online Workshop Details Here

Online Workshop begins January 10th, 2022

This online workshop is designed to be done anywhere in the world in your home or studio. It features a robust Q&A section with instructors directly answering student questions and one final live zoom event.

See All Workshops

MEET YOUR INSTRUCTORS

SOPHENA KWON

Sophena grew up with Maiwa as the family business. She has learned much from the artisans Maiwa collaborates with (including master dyers in India, Africa, Peru, and Mexico) and from experimenting alongside her mom, Charllotte.

In 2009 Sophena studied with Michel Garcia in France. She has taught natural dye workshops with Charllotte (including at the Penland School of Craft and at Shakerag Workshop U.S.A.), and developed and taught workshops for the Maiwa School of Textiles. In an effort to bring natural dyeing to a new audience, she founded the immensely successful Indigo Social in 2015. In 2016 Sophena was invited to present at the Mood Indigo Exhibition at the Seattle Art Museum. In addition to her natural dye work, Sophena is a skilled photographer and is the lead designer behind Maiwa’s clothing collections.

DANIELLE BUSH

Danielle Bush is the manager of Maiwa Supply. Her career in textiles began with sewing and fashion studies at the University of the Fraser Valley. Upon completing courses in design, drawing, drafting, and construction, she was accepted to do a weeklong practicum in the textile collection at Maiwa Handprints. In her words, “It changed my life.” Since 2011 Danielle has developed and taught workshops for the Maiwa Textile Symposium. In 2009 she represented Maiwa at the International Shibori Conference held in France, and in 2011 she was a facilitator for the Maiwa Natural Dye Master Class taught by Michel Garcia in Bengal, India. Danielle has a deep understanding of and aptitude for dye techniques and the creative process. Together with Sophena Kwon, Danielle travels to India each year where she helps manage the Maiwa studio.

JOURNEY INTO INDIGO TRAILER

Watch the Trailer Here

ON INSTAGRAM

It’s time for us to launch our online workshops again and we want to share the excitement with our incredible community online! These workshops have created a buzz and we want you all to have a chance at joining us online.

HOW TO ENTER ON INSTAGRAM

OPEN TO ENTRIES WORLDWIDE

TO ENTER

1. On Instagram follow @maiwahandprints, @maiwa_naturaldyes, @maiwaschooloftextiles.

2. Tag your friends who love to make in a comment. Each comment is an entry.

3. Share the post in your stories and tag us for an extra entry.

4. Comment as many times as you wish on ANY of our platforms!

THE PRIZES

1st: Online Workshop + Supply Kit (value approx. $650)

2nd: Online Workshop + Supply Kit (value approx. $650)

3rd: Online Workshop (value approx. $250)

4th: Online Workshop (value approx. $250)

5th: $100 Gift Certificate for maiwa.com

6th: $100 Gift Certificate for maiwa.com

CONTEST CLOSES – Friday November 19th, 2021 at 11:59pm Pacific Time.

The winners will be picked at random and announced on Instagram Saturday November 20th, 2021

Must be 18+ to win.

This contest is not endorsed by Instagram.

Watch the Maiwa School of Textiles Trailer and Teaser below

schooloftextiles.com

Make sure you are subscribed to our email list.

Keep an eye on schooloftextiles.com for updates.

Tuesday, November 16, 2021 No comments

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