The Jacket Project: One-of-a-Kind Art Pieces

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles is collaborating on a very special project that transforms fair trade, artisanal fabric from Thailand into one-of-a-kind jackets designed and sewn in Canada. We're thrilled with the first jackets, made with organic silks and handspun organic cottons.

The Jacket Project brings together TAMMACHAT co-founders Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase with Nova Scotian dressmaker Theresa Eagles to create unique jackets, each a work of art that connects women across the world. Two designs are available at TAMMACHAT's November 2012 shows in Nova Scotia.

For more info, see our original blog post -- The Jacket Project: Local Meets Fair Trade.

Organic silk jacket, dyed with stick lac,
featuring mudmee (ikat) panels and cuffs

Organic silk jacket, dyed with stick lac

Organic silk jacket in a natural, undyed cream

Organic silk jacket, dyed with stick lac,
featuring mudmee (ikat) accents.

Cotton mudmee design, using
a traditional Thai wrap skirt fabric

Organic silk jacket in gold,
created with coconut husk and undyed yarns

Organic silk jacket combining solid fabric,
dyed with rosewood, and a subtle earth tone fabric

Handspun, organic cotton, dyed with authentic indigo,
with mudmee accents

Handspun, organic cotton, dyed with authentic indigo,
with mudmee accents

Handspun, organic cotton, dyed with authentic indigo,
with mudmee accents

Handspun, organic cotton, dyed with authentic indigo,
with mudmee accents

Peek inside our weaving books!

Come along with us on a virtual tour of Isaan weaving villages in Northeast Thailand! We created 3 PHOTO BOOKS that showcase some of the Thai silk and cotton weaving groups with whom we work. Each book gives a behind-the-scenes look at the making of extraordinary handwoven textiles. From creating the natural fibres to natural dyeing to readying the loom, these books tell stories that bring these textiles and the women who create them to life.

You can look inside our books for FREE. If you want to buy a copy for your craft library, they are available either from our website (hardcover only) or from TAMMACHAT's Blurb Bookstore (hardcover and softcover).

With these books, you will go on a virtual tour of Isaan with TAMMACHAT to visit:

• members of the silk weaving group Panmai
• members of the silk and cotton weaving group Prae Pan
• organic cotton farmers, natural dyers and weavers who live along the Mekong River, and are weaving sustainable communities

We're proud that each group featured uses the books themselves to illustrate their traditional practices to their own customers. We also use them extensively at our own eco-textile events to demonstrate weaving and dyeing techniques, and to introduce some of the artisans. Enjoy!