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the MAIWA JOURNAL

 



PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFT

Teachers Sophena Kwon and Danielle Bush from the Maiwa School of Textiles recently taught an in-person Print & Paint workshop at the wonderful Penland School of Craft. It was a delight to see everything offered in our online course come to life through 12 students over two weeks in June.





Students worked through techniques that unlock the secrets of direct application of natural colour—making mordant pastes, thickened dye pastes, and the versatile mordant-dye paste.





LEARN WITH MAIWA IN YOUR OWN STUDIO


Creativity on Cloth

Dive into a creative and colourful workshop that takes natural dyes to the next level. Use the direct application of mordants and dyes to print on cloth with the use of brushes, blocks, stencils, and pens.

We are happy to announce Print & Paint with Natural Dyes will run online in September.

Registration opens August 11th.


maiwa.teachable.com




Teaching at Penland School of Craft was a deeply nourishing experience that continues to inspire us.




Colour is unlike anything else. As an artist, to make colour with natural dyes is to experience a direct connection with your materials. And each of these materials, each dyestuff used, can be a doorway to a new world.

See all Natural Dyes



THE NATURAL DYE KIT

A great way to get started with natural colour.

Learn the basics and go beyond with all the supplies included in this kit along with Maiwa's in-depth instructions, essential to discovering the world of natural colour.


Shown: The Natural Dye Kit


See all Natural Dye Kits



Shown above: Dyeable Onam Top - Handwoven Silk dyed with natural dyes.




See all Dyeables and Blanks on Sale Here

Thursday, July 31, 2025 No comments



We bring you our Summer Collection of Slow Clothes in colourful block prints and hand weaves. For us, making clothing means opening up the process to include hand spinners, hand weavers, natural dyers, block printers, embroiderers...all the skilled artisans who are left behind in the rush to mass produce clothing.
Thursday, July 24, 2025 No comments



A TWO DAY BOOK EVENT

Join us for a natural paint making demonstration and book signing.
AT MAIWA ON GRANVILLE ISLAND, VANCOUVER BC
Tuesday, July 22, 2025 No comments


Natural Dyes. Natural Colour

We use natural dyes extensively in our own production. This is the best way to know how a dye behaves and see the changes that happen from harvest to harvest. Because we use the same dyes we sell, we can ensure that each package contains the best available dyestuff.
Thursday, May 08, 2025 No comments


Natural Dyes. Natural Colour

We use natural dyes extensively in our own production. This is the best way to know how a dye behaves and see the changes that happen from harvest to harvest. Because we use the same dyes we sell, we can ensure that each package contains the best available dyestuff.
Thursday, January 16, 2025 No comments

 


About Kakishibu

Kakishibu has a rich cultural heritage that dates back centuries in ancient Japan. This natural dye, derived from fermented unripe persimmon fruit, holds a special place in Japanese traditional crafts of textiles, paper and woodwork. Renowned for its rich amber colour, durability, and eco-friendly properties, kakishibu continues to captivate artisans.
Tuesday, November 05, 2024 No comments




We use natural dyes extensively in our own production. This is the best way to know how a dye behaves and see the changes that happen from harvest to harvest. Because we use the same dyes we sell, we can ensure that each package contains the best available dyestuff.
Thursday, September 19, 2024 No comments





The Natural Dyes in our Clothing

Are the Same Natural Dyes

On Our Shelf
Tuesday, May 28, 2024 No comments



Get In Touch With Your Materials

Natural Dyes. Natural Colour
Tuesday, February 13, 2024 No comments



Kits

Grey's are complex when they are made with natural dyes. Tannin and iron combine on cloth to create delicate, nuanced shades. Together they speak about slate, pensive skies, and a darkness that still contains light.
Tuesday, January 16, 2024 No comments


It's 2024 ...


2024 is fresh and bright. It's a new year, filled with potential. This is the time of year when we like to sit down and block out some time for projects and creative work. No matter what your preferred technique - we've got what you need to get started.
Tuesday, January 02, 2024 No comments

 

Get In Touch With Your Materials

Natural Dyes. Natural Colour
Tuesday, May 23, 2023 No comments


It's 2023 ...



2023 is fresh and bright. It's a new year, filled with potential. This is the time of year when we like to sit down and block out some time for projects and creative work. No matter what your preferred technique - we've got what you need to get started.
Tuesday, January 03, 2023 No comments



Green to Blue in an Afternoon
with Persicaria Tinctoria



See the Full Journeywoman Collection Here


Before dawn breaks we are out in the dye garden leaning over the beds of persicaria tinctoria. Everything is deep green. This robust plant is also known as Japanese indigo and the seeds are sometimes listed for sale under the name polygonum tinctorium. This is the same plant that is used in the Sukomo process mentioned in Takayuki Ishii's book "The Way of Indigo" 


Maiwa maintains a number of beds of persicaria to test planting and growing strategies. We look at different techniques to measure, not only the vitality of the plants, but also the yield and quality of the dye. We work with different extraction methods and some ways to direct dye cloth and garments.


We mix fresh leaves, the cloth to be dyed, and a little salt. It takes about half an hour of constant squeezing and squishing to obtain a strong even coverage. This techniques is called fresh leaf dyeing — and it is very satisfying. You can harvest your leaves in the morning and dye a garment the same day.


This technique - sometimes called the salt rub method - is easiest on silks, but it will work on any fibre that will take natural dyes. We've done it light and dark and also combined it with weld and marigold grown in our dye garden to produce these gorgeous teals.




DYEABLE CLOTHING & BLANKS


See All Dyeable Clothing

See All Blanks

See All Yardage




See all of Maiwa's Natural Dyes



OUR WEBSITE DEDICATED TO NATURAL DYES

Visit Maiwa's naturaldyes.ca Here




This journal has been an idea of ours for a long time. It is a little like a combination of a travel journal and a natural dye journal. It is the journal we have always wanted!

See The Natural Dye Journal Here


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

Wednesday, September 07, 2022 No comments
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