February 2, Day 6

Our last full day. In the dye studio Michel is concluding with one of the most challenging colours – black. Most blacks are made with a combination of tannin and iron, but iron can eat away at the fibre and so there is a strict limit on how much can be used to obtain a colour.

January 29, 2011

Our first morning. Everyone is up early. In the cold predawn light we are getting organized.

Our workday begins with water. We have samples from all over India and some from Ethiopia. We test it for pH and then the presence of ferrous compounds and calcium. Any traces of iron are especially problematic as they will combine with tannins to make a black dye. Even without tannin, the presence of iron can sadden or dull other colours.

Today is the first day of the Maiwa Masterclass in Natural Dyes. The workshop was conceived by Charllotte Kwon as a way to gather experienced artisans from widely divergent backgrounds who are working in different techniques.

Artsans have come from as far away as Ethiopia, as close as the next lane of this village, and from all over India. Guiding the natural dye component of this workshop is Michel Garcia. On this first day he will gather the questions, problems and concerns of the artisans. This is a daunting task: some artisans, such as the blockprinters, are heavily constrained by their process. Washing their cloth in the middle of the procedure, for example, is not an option.

For others such as the ikat weavers, changing the order of dyes might result in a huge amount of extra work because they must tie entire lengths of yarns in order to resist the dye and get a certain colour.

Loading up before dawn, the bags are tied to the roof of the car.

1:30 am Team Maiwa hits New Delhi, India.  (L-R) Sophena Kwon, Charllotte Kwon, Dani Bush, Jane Stafford and Gale Anderson-Palm. Behind the camera Tim McLaughlin.

In January 2011 we packed our bags for six weeks in India. On this trip Maiwa staff (Charllotte, Sophena, Dani and Tim) will be joined by a number of special guests.

A classic wool and silk shawl from the Avani co-operative in northern India. The artisans live close to the Tibetan border where the Himalayas are clearly visible.

The morning we began working on this promotion it was cold and pouring with rain. Not uncommon in the Pacific Northwest and quite typical for the entire Vancouver winter. We wanted to present some of the best qualities of our shawls; the fact that they are such a cosy, warm, versatile solution to winter. But we didn't want to emphasize the leaden skies, or get soaked taking the pictures.

The Maiwa Guide to Natural Dyes
What they are and how to use them


Proper scouring is absolutely essential to good dyeing. Improperly scoured items do not dye evenly, the dye does not penetrate well, and the dyed item may not be fast.

Most fibres come from nature with coatings of some type. If these are not removed the dye will attach to the coating rather than to the fibre. This may not be immediately evident but over time the adjunct will separate from the fibre taking the colout with it. It is a common error to doubt the fastness or the quality of the dye when the real culprit is a freeloader who stole the dyestuff. It is best to remove all foreign matter at the beginning and start with clean fibres.

Note: Fabrics sold as “ready for dyeing” may not need scouring.

Supplies: 

Soda ash and Neutral Soap (Synthrapol) for cotton.
Orvus paste soap (for silk and wool)

Scouring cotton and other cellulose fibres:

1  Use a large vessel and fill with enough water so that the yarn or fabric may be well covered and not crowded.

2 Add 1 tsp Synthrapol (5 ml) and 4 tsps. soda ash (20 g) for each half-pound (250 g) of cotton.

3 Simmer for approximately 1 hour. Cotton is full of wax, pectic substances, and oil, all of which must be removed. The resulting wash water will be yellow brown. Bleached white cotton yarns and fabrics may not need as long.

Scouring silk and wool:

1  Use a large vessel and fill with enough water so that the yarn or fabric may be well covered and not crowded.

2 Add 1 tsp (5 ml) orvus paste soap for each pound (500 g) of dry fibre/fabric.

3 Add yarn, fleece or piece goods and heat gently (60º C, 140º F) for approximately 1 hour. Turn gently but do not agitate

4 Allow fibre to cool down slowly and then rinse in warm water. Remember overheating or sudden temperature changes will cause wool to felt.

Notes:

• Some fleece sold as scoured has also been oiled to facilitate spinning - it will need to be scoured again.
• Fleece and wools need to be scoured to remove natural oils (lanolin) and dirt.
• Silks require scouring to remove sericin - the coating of the fibre that held it into a cocoon.
• Cotton and other plant fibers require scouring to remove waxes and pectins.
• In all cases anything that comes between the dye and the fibre will create an unwanted resist.

Comparison of unscoured cloth (left) and scoured cloth (right). One piece of fabric was torn in half - everything other than scouring was the same.

Organic cotton bedding. Naturally dyed and blockprinted by hand - transform a bed into a masterpiece. Available in all traditional bed sizes and also as pillow cases, napkins, tablecloths and cushion covers. We have the famous ajrakh prints and also patterns made by the dabu mud-resist process.

Prices range from $5.95 for napkins to $179.95 for complete king-size duvet covers.