After a good fall show season, we're heading out tomorrow for 4 months in Thailand and Laos. As always, we have visits planned with weaving groups with whom we've been working for the last few years. Top of our list for this trip is sourcing organic silk and organic cotton fabric for several designers who value fair trade and working with handwoven, organic fibres and natural dyes. We also have several new groups to visit, as we've connected recently with some people doing interesting work with Thai weaving groups on organic cotton production.
In Laos, we will be visiting Mulberries' farm to see firsthand their work creating organic silk and have offered to make a book for them, similar to the 3 we've already created for 2 Thai weaving groups and a Thai NGO. We'll be delivering 15 copies of our latest book, Weaving Sustainable Communities, to the Pattanarak Foundation the day after we arrive in Bangkok. Take a peak inside TAMMACHAT's 3 books if you haven't already seen them.
And back at home in Atlantic Canada, we'll stay in touch with the newly formed Clothing and Textile Action Group, a group of people working within the Ecology Action Centre, based in Halifax, NS, on issues around sustainability, clothing and other textiles. We've been involved since the first meeting and value having a local group that shares our values and is taking active steps to change how we look at our current production and use of the textiles we wear and use.
Hitting the ground running, in our usual fashion!
In fair trade,
Ellen (Nok Noi, my Thai nickname, which means little bird) and Alleson (Pii Plaa, Thai for older sister fish -- hard to translate!)
#1: Planning our upcoming trip
Our attention is now on planning for our fall holiday gift shows in Nova Scotia (Wolfville, Halifax and Lunenburg) and New Brunswick (our first time in Fredericton).
But even as this goes on, we are planning our upcoming trip:
But even as this goes on, we are planning our upcoming trip:
- contacting our weaving partners in Thailand and Laos to set up visits
- reviewing what sold well this past year and planning orders
- designing new pieces to add to our collections
#8: Of peacocks & indigo
Greetings from Sakhon Nakhon -- one of the 19 provinces of Isaan (Thailand's Northeast).
We came here in search of handwoven cotton khram (indigo) textiles, an art practiced for generations in this area. These luscious blues have been very popular at previous TAMMACHAT events; probably because so many of our customers have the same hair colour that I do -- although it would be a challenge to name any colouring that doesn't look great with one of the umpteen shades of blue that can result from this natural dye, depending on the fibre, the season, the method of processing and the number of dye baths. We've been told that even the time of day is a factor -- BTW, early morning is the preferred time to dye the yarns.
I'm happy to report that our search has been very sucessful; we have not only found indigo products but we've found them made by women's groups in 2 different provinces and numerous districts, encompassing hundreds of kilometres, women and items!
Already on their way to Canada are some exceptional mudmee patterned indigo scarves. Mudmee, as some of you know, is a process of tyeing and dyeing the yarns before they are woven. These variegated yarns then line up on the loom, resulting in elaborate geometric, and sometimes figurative, patterns.
We visited one weaving group on the banks of the Mekong, where we were able to see and photograph each step of this process. While we were there we hosted a luncheon get-together with the group, where much laughter as well as great food was shared. We especially enjoyed a hilarious lesson on the correct pronunciation of Mae Nam Khong (Mekong River in Thai) -- next time you see Ellen, ask for a demonstration.
We rushed off from those visits in Ubon province to come north to Sakhon Nakhon, when we heard a provincial fair was in full swing where many weaving groups that specialize in indigo would be selling. Although we were invited to visit their villages, we settled on purchasing goods at the fair this year and have promised to return next year (prior to the fair's launch) to take them up on their hospitality and see first hand the work in progress.
We're sure that the many shades of indigo and the many styles of weaving that we're sending home today will make everyone an indigo fan.
Ellen has taken pictures of someone (?) wearing a selection of these wonderful cotton scarves with close-ups so you can see the woven patterns.
On a final note, a more personal anecdote: I was disappointed that, unlike in most other provincial capital towns, absolutely no one rents motorbikes here. I had hoped that we would have at least one day to toodle around and see the sights -- maybe have a serendipitous encounter with some weavers or ??? -- but without wheels it didn't seem possible. Anyway, having a little more time on our hands than anticipated, we returned to the fair where we saw a vendor who'd not been in her stall on our earlier visit. Not only did we find 2 more styles of scarves that we're sure will be a hit, but we also had a wonderful conversation and received another invitation to visit her home. Last but certainly not least, when she heard of my unrealized intention to rent a motorcycle, she offered me hers. After my 2 requisite polite declines, she was still insisting so I took her up on her offer, without so much as a baht (the Thai currency) or a passport as collateral. So...yesterday we had a fine time driving through the Phou Pan National Forest district and visiting the Phou Pan Palace. (Palaces are customary Thai tourist sites when there are no Royals in residence.)
And finally, here is one of the many Thai peacocks we saw at the Royal Palace, strutting his stuff!
Until next time,
Pii Plaa (aka Alleson)
We came here in search of handwoven cotton khram (indigo) textiles, an art practiced for generations in this area. These luscious blues have been very popular at previous TAMMACHAT events; probably because so many of our customers have the same hair colour that I do -- although it would be a challenge to name any colouring that doesn't look great with one of the umpteen shades of blue that can result from this natural dye, depending on the fibre, the season, the method of processing and the number of dye baths. We've been told that even the time of day is a factor -- BTW, early morning is the preferred time to dye the yarns.I'm happy to report that our search has been very sucessful; we have not only found indigo products but we've found them made by women's groups in 2 different provinces and numerous districts, encompassing hundreds of kilometres, women and items!
Already on their way to Canada are some exceptional mudmee patterned indigo scarves. Mudmee, as some of you know, is a process of tyeing and dyeing the yarns before they are woven. These variegated yarns then line up on the loom, resulting in elaborate geometric, and sometimes figurative, patterns.
We visited one weaving group on the banks of the Mekong, where we were able to see and photograph each step of this process. While we were there we hosted a luncheon get-together with the group, where much laughter as well as great food was shared. We especially enjoyed a hilarious lesson on the correct pronunciation of Mae Nam Khong (Mekong River in Thai) -- next time you see Ellen, ask for a demonstration.We rushed off from those visits in Ubon province to come north to Sakhon Nakhon, when we heard a provincial fair was in full swing where many weaving groups that specialize in indigo would be selling. Although we were invited to visit their villages, we settled on purchasing goods at the fair this year and have promised to return next year (prior to the fair's launch) to take them up on their hospitality and see first hand the work in progress.
We're sure that the many shades of indigo and the many styles of weaving that we're sending home today will make everyone an indigo fan.
Ellen has taken pictures of someone (?) wearing a selection of these wonderful cotton scarves with close-ups so you can see the woven patterns.
On a final note, a more personal anecdote: I was disappointed that, unlike in most other provincial capital towns, absolutely no one rents motorbikes here. I had hoped that we would have at least one day to toodle around and see the sights -- maybe have a serendipitous encounter with some weavers or ??? -- but without wheels it didn't seem possible. Anyway, having a little more time on our hands than anticipated, we returned to the fair where we saw a vendor who'd not been in her stall on our earlier visit. Not only did we find 2 more styles of scarves that we're sure will be a hit, but we also had a wonderful conversation and received another invitation to visit her home. Last but certainly not least, when she heard of my unrealized intention to rent a motorcycle, she offered me hers. After my 2 requisite polite declines, she was still insisting so I took her up on her offer, without so much as a baht (the Thai currency) or a passport as collateral. So...yesterday we had a fine time driving through the Phou Pan National Forest district and visiting the Phou Pan Palace. (Palaces are customary Thai tourist sites when there are no Royals in residence.)
And finally, here is one of the many Thai peacocks we saw at the Royal Palace, strutting his stuff!Until next time,
Pii Plaa (aka Alleson)