Clearest. Deepest. Blue.
Sizes from 30g up to 2.5 kg. Our large sizes are priced at a wholesale rate so that all artisans can participate in the magic that indigo brings.
Maiwa's Natural Indigo
Decades ago, Maiwa began looking for blue. The word “indigo” was everywhere, but the legendary dyeplant proved much more elusive. It had been a little over one hundred years since the German chemist Adolph von Baeyer had discovered the chemical formula for indigo and worked out a way to synthesize it industrially. During that time farmers who grew indigo and those who knew how to extract it became increasingly rare.
Indigo has great longevity: archeological evidence of its use dates back to Indus valley civilization in the third millennium BCE. Ancient cultures—Greek, Roman, Chinese, Japanese, Indian—all created distinctive textiles based on indigo blue. Remarkably, indigo was also used in Central and South America, where it was independently discovered. Blue seems to be both universal and at the same time deeply tied to the culture that uses it.
Maiwa, after thirty years, has formed an intimate relationship with indigo. We have worked with historians like Jenny Balfour Paul, researchers like Dominique Cardon, and botanist-chemists like Michel Garcia. We’ve brought together block printers from Rajasthan and the Kutch desert and placed them in the same natural dye studio as ikat weavers from the south and eri silk farmers from Ethiopia. Indigo connects them all.
Maiwa's indigo is grown in Southern India. Here the plants drink in the tropical sun before farmer-producers transform the green indigoferra tinctoria into a colour that is beloved by artisans the world over. We've just received a fresh harvest.
Maiwa, after thirty years, has formed an intimate relationship with indigo. We have worked with historians like Jenny Balfour Paul, researchers like Dominique Cardon, and botanist-chemists like Michel Garcia. We’ve brought together block printers from Rajasthan and the Kutch desert and placed them in the same natural dye studio as ikat weavers from the south and eri silk farmers from Ethiopia. Indigo connects them all.
Maiwa's indigo is grown in Southern India. Here the plants drink in the tropical sun before farmer-producers transform the green indigoferra tinctoria into a colour that is beloved by artisans the world over. We've just received a fresh harvest.
MAIWA Productions
DVD - Indigo: A World of Blue
On Sale $10.00 (Regular $21.95)
Tuesday, July 25, 2017
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Another fall symposium and workshop session is on the way.
See the list below for spaces that have become available and follow the links to the registration site
for the most comprehensive line-up of textile workshops in Vancouver.
for the most comprehensive line-up of textile workshops in Vancouver.
All workshops below have openings as of this posting.
WORKSHOPS
Natural Dyes and Ikat
From a Selfie to (Self) Portrait in Textiles
Making Space (in Your Head) for a New Work
The Art of EmbroideryThe Creative Studio (first offering)
Mycopigments (first offering)
Elements of Design
Mycopigments (second offering)
The Colour Workshop
Kumihimo 2-Day
rusTEA Encaustic
Creative Rug Hooking
Introduction to Dyes
Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Grey
Crochet in Hyperbolic Space
Mycopigments (first offering)
Elements of Design
Mycopigments (second offering)
The Colour Workshop
Kumihimo 2-Day
rusTEA Encaustic
Creative Rug Hooking
Introduction to Dyes
Neutral Territory: 50 Shades of Grey
Crochet in Hyperbolic Space
Full course descriptions, information on our studios, and our cancellation policy can be found at:
Wednesday, July 19, 2017
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Own a Piece of History.
Exhibitions and workshops need the space taken by these cabinets.
We are letting them go at 50% off the ticket price. This is your chance!
All sales final - no holds - full details below.
All these cabinets are vintage antiques, collected throughout India. Some pieces have been refurbished.
See our listing of cabinets.
We expect this incredible sale to generate considerable interest so furniture will be sold on a first-come / first-reserve basis.
Here's the deal:
• All furniture can be purchased at Maiwa East (1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver BC, V5L 3M3) OR by calling Maiwa East at 604-251-3980.
• Phone requests will be honoured in the order they are received.
• A 50% deposit is needed to hold pieces for purchase.
• Once the deposit is taken customers have 48 hours to confirm purchase and complete payment.
• After 48 hours pieces not purchased will go back on sale and deposits will be refunded.
• All pieces must be picked up at Maiwa East within 2 days of purchase.
Please Note:
• We cannot accept email reservations. Please do not send credit card information via email.
• This sale is to clear space. Maiwa cannot store your item longer than 48 hours after purchase.
• Shipping is the customer’s responsibility. We are happy to recommend a delivery company that we use.
Our staff at Maiwa East will be happy to help assist you through the process of adding a piece of history to your home.
Exhibitions and workshops need the space taken by these cabinets.
We are letting them go at 50% off the ticket price. This is your chance!
All sales final - no holds - full details below.
All these cabinets are vintage antiques, collected throughout India. Some pieces have been refurbished.
See our listing of cabinets.
We expect this incredible sale to generate considerable interest so furniture will be sold on a first-come / first-reserve basis.
Here's the deal:
• All furniture can be purchased at Maiwa East (1310 Odlum Drive, Vancouver BC, V5L 3M3) OR by calling Maiwa East at 604-251-3980.
• Phone requests will be honoured in the order they are received.
• A 50% deposit is needed to hold pieces for purchase.
• Once the deposit is taken customers have 48 hours to confirm purchase and complete payment.
• After 48 hours pieces not purchased will go back on sale and deposits will be refunded.
• All pieces must be picked up at Maiwa East within 2 days of purchase.
Please Note:
• We cannot accept email reservations. Please do not send credit card information via email.
• This sale is to clear space. Maiwa cannot store your item longer than 48 hours after purchase.
• Shipping is the customer’s responsibility. We are happy to recommend a delivery company that we use.
Our staff at Maiwa East will be happy to help assist you through the process of adding a piece of history to your home.
Monday, July 17, 2017
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Slow clothes take time … every day in our store we have conversations with our customers: we introduce the artisans and explain who they are. We point out weave structures, natural dye techniques, and show the carved hardwood blocks used to hand print our fabric. Held between thumb and finger, the cloth transmits something very difficult to put into words — but easy to feel.
We are optimists. So now, for the first time ever, we are offering a small collection of our clothing online. We’ve looked long and hard at production to ensure that what we sell can speak on its own. Its the best way to bring the artisan’s voice to you.
This Clothing Features Ikat
The patterning of an ikat is the result of resist dyeing the threads before weaving. If the final pattern has more than one colour, the threads will need to be retied for each colour. With weft ikat the weaver will make small adjustments with each throw of the shuttle to keep the pattern in alignment.
Ikat is a complicated process demanding much patience, considerable design skill,
and a good geometric imagination.
Ikats may be either warp ikat (the longer threads), weft ikat (the threads perpendicular to the warp), or double ikat (warp and weft). Ikat patterning ranges from simple star patterns to full figurative imagery done in many colours. Such ikats, especially when worked in silk, are among the most costly and prestigious of textiles.
Ikat weaving, with its highly distinctive patterning, is one of the ways that colour and motif comes to be associated with a particular area or culture. An ikat speaks of its origins in an eloquent and timeless voice.
Maiwa works with ikat craftspeople throughout India, encouraging a return to natural dyes, which firmly establishes ikat as a high-quality cloth. We also actively work to incorporate ikat into clothing and bedding to promote this exquisite combination of weaving and dyeing.
Ikats may be either warp ikat (the longer threads), weft ikat (the threads perpendicular to the warp), or double ikat (warp and weft). Ikat patterning ranges from simple star patterns to full figurative imagery done in many colours. Such ikats, especially when worked in silk, are among the most costly and prestigious of textiles.
Ikat weaving, with its highly distinctive patterning, is one of the ways that colour and motif comes to be associated with a particular area or culture. An ikat speaks of its origins in an eloquent and timeless voice.
Maiwa works with ikat craftspeople throughout India, encouraging a return to natural dyes, which firmly establishes ikat as a high-quality cloth. We also actively work to incorporate ikat into clothing and bedding to promote this exquisite combination of weaving and dyeing.
Wednesday, July 12, 2017
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WORKSHOP
NATURAL DYES & IKAT
With Mary Zicafoose & Sara Goodman
An inspiring workshop taught by two groundbreaking artists who have had a profound impact on the textile traditions and practices of artisans worldwide.
In this workshop students will work with both resist-dyed threads which are called ikat, and with direct application of dyes which is called a painted warp (or weft). Ikat tapestry weaver Mary Zicafoose of Nebraska will share techniques from her lifelong ikat studio practice, and natural dyer Sara Goodman of New England will teach warp painting with natural dyes. Students will learn how to establish and maintain a natural fermentation vat and an iron vat, as well as many other processes and techniques.
IN MARY'S WORDS:
The over-and-under manipulation of individual fibres into cloth is neither a heroic nor a precious activity. It is a simple, repetitive process which, when plied with intention, artistic vision, and inspired craftsmanship, becomes the agent for textile objects of legend.
I create textiles that aspire to do more than grace museums, command public spaces, and decorate homes. They are woven metaphors that strive to tie the contemporary, the symbolic, and the timeless together—coded to become a magical and lyrical form of cloth.
It is my belief that the activity of working with fibre, the processes of spinning, dyeing, wrapping, weaving, sewing, joining—the simple yet complex acts of making cloth—can trigger spiritual and cultural memory. It is my experience and my belief that inherent in the hum and whir of the wheel, and in the rhythmical bang, bang, banging of the beater, and in the silence and the singularity and focus of the fibre processes, comes a letting go and an expansion. It is my belief that over the ages, as women, and men have stooped and bent over their handwork, their simple cloth, as well as the fine brocades of kings and queens, a greater collective emotional, energetic, and etheric fabric has been remembered and woven. Weaving has always been a portal for information, guidance, inspiration, and revelation—for meditation and renewal.
Fiber Art Now - Spring 2017 Issue - In Their Own Words (Mary Zicafoose: Midway)
Tuesday, July 04, 2017
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See the full post on Sheila Wong's Blog here:
http://www.swfds.com/sewing-blog/maiwa-2017-workshop-review
Saturday, July 01, 2017
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Visit us in Victoria!
We're setting up shop in Victoria, BC, Canada for July long weekend!
Our very own Charllotte Kwon will be giving the keynote address Sunday at 8pm.
Stop by to see us and shop for some of your favourite items in the McKinnon Gymnasium Market Hall at the University of Victoria on:
Friday June 30th from noon - 8pm
Saturday July 1st from 9am - 5pm
Sunday July 2nd from 9am - 5pm
Open to both ANWG and non-ANWG members.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
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2017 FALL SYMPOSIUM & WORKSHOPS
REGISTRATION IS OPEN!
The Maiwa School of Textiles has an ambitious line up for our 2017 fall workshops,
lectures and events led by the best local and international instructors.
We don't expect these spaces to last long.
Full course descriptions, information on our studios, and our cancellation policy
can be found at:
SCHOOLOFTEXTILES.COM
lectures and events led by the best local and international instructors.
We don't expect these spaces to last long.
All workshops below have openings as of this posting.
WORKSHOPS
───────
LECTURES & EVENTS
───────────
Full course descriptions, information on our studios, and our cancellation policy
can be found at:
SCHOOLOFTEXTILES.COM
Monday, June 19, 2017
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New Bengal Shawls - keeping the great Indian tradition of hand spun cloth alive.
Step into summer with our latest hand spun scarves and shawls in a variety of styles and weights. This collection features jamdani embellishments; a traditional technique where the artisan uses a supplementary weft thread to create intricate designs. They also showcase the metallic sparkle of zari (gold & silver plated thread), undulating ikat, and the softness and tradition of hand spun handwoven cloth.
What is handspun?
This is handwoven cloth made from handspun threads.
But it is so much more than simply a beautiful type of fabric. It is an idea of cultural self-sufficiency with deep roots in the Indian identity.
In its essence, handspun, handwoven is fabric created through personal labour without industrial machinery. It harkens back to the centuries when India produced some of the world's most prestigious cloth. With it’s emphasis on manual skills and hand production, handspun also had a central role to play in countering the displacement of family life that took place during industrialization.
Mahatma Gandhi saw handspun as a way to break India’s dependence on British manufactured cloth. As part of the non-violent freedom struggle, Gandhi understood that a return to hand-made cloth would strike an economic blow to Great Britain (India is one of the largest markets in the world) while empowering the Indian public with a sense of self that could be achieved by all.
Gandhi’s exhortation to boycott British imports and mill-made fabric, and for everyone to spin and weave their own cloth, is now well known. The effect of the Swadeshi (homerule) movement had the side-effect of slowing the erosion of traditional Indian hand production; —especially weaving. Because “homespun” had played an important role in creating a national identity (the spinning wheel or “charkha” is on the Indian flag) India’s craft sector continued to privilege traditional materials and methods. Handloom was encouraged and promoted.
Handloom also permits weaving from fibres too fine to be handled by industrial mills. The mechanism of the loom (almost always worked with bare feet) permits the weaver to judge by feel when it is too damp, or too dry to continue working with extremely fragile fine-spun cotton. Exceptional muslins - as light as the air itself - can be woven only for an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening when the conditions are exactly right.
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
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─────────────────────────
Registration takes place on June 19th at 10am (pst) and spaces fill up early.
Click on the link below and read on to find the best way to reserve your spot.
Click Here For Tips on How to Register Successfully
WORKSHOPS
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LECTURES & EVENTS
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Tuesday, June 06, 2017
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The art of handweaving in Bengal is ancient. In some villages you can hear the flying shuttles of handlooms as you pass each and every dwelling on a village street. Maiwa works in collaboration with artisans to encourage longevity of skills. We commission pieces, such as jamdani and double warps, that can only be made by artisans who control each and every throw of the shuttle.
Traditional Bengal weaving often begins with hand-spun cottons and silks. As these fibres are twisted into yarns, and as these yarns are woven into fabrics, the work passes from artisan to artisan, just as the weaving knowledge passes from generation to generation in an unbroken thread stretching back thousands of years.
The richness and beauty of these shawls are perfect for summer.
Tuesday, May 30, 2017
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