the MAIWA JOURNAL

Tuesday, December 14, 2021 No comments

Thursday, December 09, 2021 No comments

Registration Now Open

Maiwa workshops are breaking new ground in the textile arts.

It's like having a mini-documentary for each step in the process.

Lush, well crafted videos that are clear and easy to follow. Watch the trailers below to see what we mean.

Make this the year you take a Maiwa Workshop.

THE NATURAL DYE WORKSHOP

WITH CHARLLOTTE & SOPHENA KWON

Watch the Trailer Here

45 evocative instructional videos with written instructions and downloadable PDF's.

Work with 11 natural dyes including indigo.

Build dyepots 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.

See Full Online Workshop Details Here

JOURNEY INTO INDIGO

WITH SOPHENA KWON & DANIELLE BUSH

Watch the Trailer Here

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

THE INK MAKING WORKSHOP

WITH TIM MCLAUGHLIN

Watch the Trailer Here

21 documentary instructional videos with written instructions and downloadable PDF's.

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.

See Full Online Workshop Details Here

TANNINS, OXIDES, & INDIGO WORKSHOP

WITH NATALIE GRAMBOW

Watch the Trailer Here

38 evocative instructional videos with written instructions and downloadable PDF's

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.

See Full Online Workshop Details Here

See All Workshops

Watch the Maiwa School of Textiles Trailer and Teaser below

schooloftextiles.com

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Keep an eye on schooloftextiles.com for updates.

Tuesday, December 07, 2021 No comments

Thursday, December 02, 2021 No comments

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