Alleson Kase and I closed TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles in 2016. We will keep this blog online because we share important stories here about women's weaving in rural Thailand and Laos from 2007 to 2016. We've been told that it may well be the only record of its kind in English.
ALLESON KASE, GOODBYE:
With heavy heart, I want to share with you that Alleson passed away on December 11, 2023 from a short and intense neurological disease. Together we created TAMMACHAT, but it was Alleson's eight years living in Thailand, travelling extensively throughout the country and learning Thai, that let us learn about and support weaving in this region in the very personal way we did. You can see that in our blog posts.
To read more about Alleson, visit this page for a tribute to this remarkable woman who was committed to seeing change in the world and helping women in many ways.
When we asked the groups we met how we could help, they always asked us to help them open a market in Canada for their work. We did this by not only selling their weavings, mostly directly at community sales events and online, but also through presentations that Alleson created about the weavers and dyers to bring their stories to life. We always said to our customers: "You are buying more than a scarf or bag. You are buying a story and helping women. Thank you."
Altogether, we sold more than 5,000 pieces and put money in countless women's hands. We were very proud of this.
NATURAL DYES & FAIR TRADE:
We also chose from the beginning to work with groups that worked with naturally dyed fibres, both cotton and silk, to protect their health and that of their environments. Over the years we sought out and added more groups that focused on this, from raising their own silkworms to growing organic cotton to making their own natural dyes from local dye materials, weaving and sewing finished products. In fact, many of the groups passed us along to sister groups and off we went to learn more.
We started buying scarves, but soon moved into other woven textile products and designed many of our own that would appeal in our market. This designing was very much a collaborative effort with the weaving groups. Much of our work was done together over wonderful meals! The whole experience was an unending adventure for both of us, rich in so many ways, but especially in the relationships we built.
All our work was based on fair trade principles. And our customers respected and supported that too.
BIG BROTHER MOUSE BOOKS:
For many years, we supported Big Brother Mouse, a social enterprise in Laos that brings books to kids who only have lessons on blackboards, if that. We supported village "book parties" (and went on a few; you'll find blog posts about that here) and we donated a book for every textile piece we sold. Alleson's great ability with numbers and spreadsheets made this accounting easy. We made a final donation to support one of the schools that Big Brother Mouse went on to build in Laos, offering a new way to teach and learn. And recently, I have begun doing some editing (and simplifying) comics for Big Brother Mouse to help students learn English.
Alleson wrote most of the blog posts you find in this blog and also the text for our photography books. You can preview them (and buy, if you like) through our Blurb Bookstore.
To learn more about the artisan groups we worked with and greatly respect, visit our Artisans page.
And finally, visit the TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles Facebook page for more photos and stories from our work.
I send a huge thank you to all who supported TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles and these weavers over the years. A special thanks to the Thai and Lao women (and a few men) who introduced us to and often helped us work with these groups.
Warmly,
Ellen Agger
