Something very special often comes from class and that is finding likeminded people who become life long friends.
Two people who attended one of my classes is Ann Toet and Jan Klaver.
Not only are they best friends and sister-in-laws but these ladies are such clever creative individuals. Like most people who grow up in rural areas, craft is a big part of life and both women were taught various crafts from mothers and grandmothers.
Jan Klaver
Jan was born in country New South Wales where she learnt sewing by her grandmother on an old treadle sewing machine. Her father is Dutch and her grandmother and great aunt passed on to her a love of hand embroidery.
Felting and eco dyeing combines all the elements of creativity, mindfulness and surprise and this is what Jan loves to share.
Ann Toet
Ann is an award winning serial crafter who first learned crochet and knitting at the age of six from her mother.
She has dabbled in eucalyptus dyeing since 1984 and has been teaching crochet, macrame, spinning and felting for many years.
Some images of their incredible work have been shown here. They are truly more inspiring and creative in person. Each time we meet, they are working on and always have something fabulous to show and share.
The great news is that we have decided to come together and organise a workshop of dyeing, spinning and felting workshop. Come and learn how to make your own Felt artwork!
Join us in September for this workshop, email for details.
]]>It has been a while in between blogs but since it is April and Buddhist New Year has just past, I thought it would be a good time to start again.
April 12th - 15th was the celebration of ( Theravada ) Buddhist new year in Southeast Asia, Cambodia, Myanmar, Laos and Thailand. Pi Mai
( the word for new year in Lao), Songkran, is also the start of the monsoon season.
The celebrations are quite beautiful to witness and take part in as they are lively, very colourful, filled with smiles and laughter. The tradition usually ends in water splashing as a cleansing ritual to welcome to new year.
After several years of learning and watching Master weavers and dyers in Laos and Thailand, I returned back to Australia in 2006. Now that I was without my mentors, I was able to experiment freely.
The traditional natural dye practice has always been about local and seasonal, so it was only ‘natural’ that I adapted this knowledge to where I was living. When teaching classes and workshops, the practice of local and seasonal can be adapted to anywhere in the world. I take the students for wanders around the street or bushland, where ever we may be.
My work is a combination of East and West, that was the reason the little cooperatve we established was called Eastern Weft.
I am proud and truly grateful to be Lao Australian and you may notice in my work that everything I create is a combination of Buddhism and biology (science).
As I kid, I was always very curious, maybe more so than most because to some extend I felt held back and conflicted because my parents and their traditional Lao values and teachings at home and then at school, I was that we could be whatever we wanted!
This was where my curiosity in life began, to know that there was a big wide world to explore ( my granny and her fellow villagers still thought the world was flat).
We would go the temple a few times a year, for religious events and celebrations. This is where I developed a dislike for marigold flowers, until l started natural dyeing with flowers, they had only ever been associated with boring religious celebrations and offerings. I also hated the smell of them.
All I wanted to do was just be Australian!
During my years of returning to work in Laos for UNICEF and various Aid agencies, I was able to reconnect with my Lao family and understand the culture a bit better.
My granny would go to the temple every single morning to give alms and work her way up in the Buddhist hierarchy and pray that she would be well taken care of in her next life.
My Grandma and her pursuit of the afterlife is the inspiration for my work.
A unique viewpoint of being Lao Australian, using Buddhism to guide me and science to correct me in my daily experiments.
In the western world, death and decay is mostly viewed as sombre and darkness and thought of as the end of life. However, in biology it is the start of life and in Buddhism it is a celebration and preparation for the ‘afterlife’.
I recently wrote an article for Garland magazine about the use of decay and decomposition in the process of my work.I have always been drawn to discarded materials and objects. This is probably because I have never forgotten the fact that I was a refugee and therefore everything I do is personal.
Decay and decomposition is seen as the end of life but in biology, it is also the start of life.
In these images and article, I have allowed the dye baths to fester and rot while textiles soaked underneath, nature controlled the outcome.
Above is an image of a handwoven silk scarf that had been buried in the mud for several months and then dipped in iron water. The scarf began to disintegrate.
Above is an image of a walnut curculio eating its way through merino wool while being soaked in a pot of gulls and rain water, exposed to the elements.
Garland magazine is one of my favourite publications, a platform for thoughtful writing about beautiful objects made today across the wider world by some of the most incredible artists and makers. What an honour to be featured.
As a thank you and also in celebration of Lao New Year Garland Magazine and I are giving away this silk scarf dyed in all decaying gutter leaves and rusty nails as well as this patchwork cushion.
Thank you for all your support, Samorn, Khaisy and the weavers in Laos.
https://garlandmag.com/article/decay-is-beautiful/
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For eight whole days the students were given an experience to learn from and live amongst extraordinary yet ordinary folk. To learn traditional natural dye methods that have been practiced for centuries using locally sourced materials and learn some weaving techniques using simple floor looms.
While we in the western world are working towards more sustainable living, life in many villages in Laos ( and other parts of the world) hasn’t changed much, it is where ecology and economy are not separated, they are one.
Local villagers who are genuine craftsman using their skilled hands to create simple tools and objects for every day living. Every single person has a particular skill that can be traded for something else in the village.
We learnt to crochet from fisherman, basket weaving for sticky rice holders with women under a tamarind tree, making charcoal and mud bricks all from locally sourced materials.
It was an incredible week of learning and sharing, Barbara who was a guniea pig in this ‘pilot test’ writes about her experience with us in Laos. It is the first blog post in a long time and you can read her words and see more pictures of what we go got up to.
Our next class is set for October later this year but since the Corona virus outbreak, it may be postponed but hopefully the class for January 2021 will go ahead.
I asked Barbara to write about her experience and this is what she shares in her own words:
My first visit to Laos in February 2020
As I prepared for my trip to Vientiane in January I was consumed by what-if’s and doubts. Previous travel in Malaysia in 1998 and to Bangkok in 2011 ended in medical emergencies that encouraged me to think that I don’t travel well in Asia. Motivated by curiosity and determination to see my friend in her birth country, and to learn Lao weaving and botanical dyeing from a master, I accept an invitation to go to work with Samorn and Khaisy in Laos. I stocked up on remedies and meds, checked my vaccinations and took myself by the hand and boarded the plane.
Arriving in Luang Prabang it was love at first site. The old capital has a big river, trees, red dirt, temples, gardens and low rise. My first experience of the capital, Vientiane, is that it’s bigger, louder and busier than Luang Prabang, with a few high rise buildings a few French colonial villas still standing.
I stayed at Hotel Khamvongsa, a delightful and elegant hotel, close to the Mekong river and opposite the peaceful Inpeng Temple. Breakfast at the hotel is a delight every day.
Bespoke is a way of life in Laos because most things are still hand made in country. It’s a place where people will greet you with a smile and help you with anything you need; where traffic just goes around and no ones gets in a rage. It’s also a place where home cooked meals are treasured and market food is like ‘home cooked’ in front of you. The food everywhere is super fresh, tastes like real food and regenerates the the spirit. On one of our forays into the hinterland to source natural dyes and mordant materials, Khaisy bought a chicken from a basket maker we stopped to buy from. Two days later I had the best chicken soup, mountain grown greens and sticky rice for lunch. I was with Khaisy when she purchased both the chicken and the greens that had been brought to market by Hill Tribe people. Somehow the food had the taste of where it had come from and I was nourished by the care and attention of the farmers and the cook.
My week in Laos has given me a new appreciation of how much we have lost in the modern world and how much there is to re-learn about sustainability in the west.
Through Khaisy’s and Samorn’s careful planning I felt as though I had joined a local village; that I had the care and protection of a family. Every day I was surrounded by amazing silk of every possible colour. I was praised for trying, coached and guided to make art. Make no mistake, if you join one of these workshops you will not become a master weaver, but you will leave with a broader mind, an understanding of Lao botanicals and their dye properties, a full belly, a silk weaving you made yourself, a brimming heart and an appreciation for the incredible skills of the Lou textile artists and weavers.
The evidence is in - I’m ok at travelling in Asia.
Barbara Wheeler Instagram: @every_thread_counts_
]]>The most beautiful garden in all of France
Going to France is always so special so you can imagine a girls excitement when she is told that she is being taken to visit a palace that was constructed in the 14th century, with the most beautiful garden in the whole of France. The Chateau of Villandry is a castle located in Villandry in the department of Indre-et-Loire in France. An incredibly beautiful part of France in an area known for its magnificent castles and villages.
It is truly the most spectacular garden I have ever set foot in. I imagined Alice in Wonderland and Willy Wonka's chocolate factory in one. I'm a plant lover more than animals or sweets and being a textile designer who uses natural dyes I was also curious to see what was available in the garden.
Every inch of the castle ground is perfectly manicured and not a single weed allowed to enter. The attention to detail is very much what is expected in such a place and what the French are renowned for. Each year the theme changes and so do the plant and flowers in the garden. There is even a tennis court even more beautiful than the grounds of Wimbledon!
In the very beginning when we established our weaving cooperative we were just a small group of 6 women. Each weaver came from different ethnic minority group, mostly from the mountainous area's of Northern Laos.
]]>The faces behind the creations
In the very beginning when we established our weaving cooperative we were just a small group of 6 women. Each weaver came from different ethnic minority group, mostly from the mountainous area's of Northern Laos. Each ethnic minority group has a rich textile tradition of their own that distinguishes their tribe from another. We are proud that so many traditions and techniques exist in Laos and we combine them together each season when creating our textiles.
Most girls in remote village areas are taught to weave, usually by their mothers when they are young. There are no markets to buy clothes or blankets therefore they must produce their own. We are so privileged to have such gifted weavers working with us.
However, the few who can produce any pattern or picture on the loom is called a "master weaver". These people are able to create templates and set patterns for themselves and other weavers. We are lucky to have several in our house and young Vinh is one of them. She is our secret weapon.
Each weaver below is draped in the scarf that she has woven, all images were taken by Tom Greenwood in 2006.
We caught up with two of the designers from The Fortynine Studio, SS - Sarah Spackman and HW – Harriet Watts EW, after their launch globally, here’s what they had to say.
]]>Interview with Sarah Spackman and Harriett Watts of The Fortynine Studio
When Eastern Weft decided to start a new production line we had to think about the reasons why we wanted to create another bag to put out on the market. Enter The Fortynine Studio, a talented design collective... who share the same values when it comes to design and production.
To work with local emerging artists is always great The Fortynine Studio are full of incredible idea’s and are open to new possibilities in all aspects of production and design.
Eastern Weft and The Fortynine Studio share a zero waste policy that formed the underlying value of producing the Harriet clutch together.Collaborating with an emerging Australian Design Team symbolised a harmonious union between West (Australia) East (Laos) Eastern Weft and The Fortynine Studio share a complete holistic approach to design.
Harriet clutches are made using leather off cuts sources from local tanneries in Australia. The internal silk lining is Eastern Weft Silk – hand woven in Laos by young artisans of Ethnic Hill Tribes.
We caught up with two of the designers from The Fortynine Studio, SS - Sarah Spackman and HW – Harriet Watts EW, after their launch globally, here’s what they had to say.
EW - Can you tell us what you do?
SS + HW - We are two of five members of The Fortynine Studio, a collaborative design studio based in Sydney. We design and make object based work across textiles, ceramics, furniture and jewellery from our studio in Darlinghurst. We use local and recycled resources wherever possible, developing work for small production runs, exhibition and research, with the aim to explore design and the handmade in an Australian context.
EW - What is the latest project you’re working on?
SS + HW - Our most recent work together is a collection of objects called The Bushfire, which we launched at Ventura Lambrate during Milan Design Week earlier in the year. The collection is an exploration and expression of Australia’s unique understanding of the regenerative aspects of bushfire. Drawing from the Australian landscape, the studio designed five objects that relate to one another through materiality, finish and colour, with each piece designed to function both individually and as part of the suite. Alongside this collection we collaborated with The Other Hemisphere to design and make The Other Hemisphere espresso cup. They traveled to Milan and were used during the exhibition. They’re now available for sale from our online store www.thefortynine.com.au/shop. We’ve also just launched a beautiful new range of Flip Flop Slip called Mountain range, which uses the forms as a surface to create unique patterns, textured patterns.
EW - How did you feel about exhibiting in Milan?
SS + HW - We were completely thrilled to exhibit in Milan! It was wonderful to be a part of such a significant and established design event. We feel very proud to be a part of The Other Hemisphere, representing Australian design to the rest of the world. Milan Design Week is immense with satellite exhibitions and events spread out across the entire city. To experience so much design in such a short space of time is overwhelming and inspiring. It was great to see where our work sits in an international design context.
EW - 3 people that inspire/excite you?
SS – I am always excited by and inspired by the extraordinary designers, artists, jewellers and filmmakers I work with including my incredible friends who are also my colleagues at The Fortynine Studio, and my partner Keaton. I am most inspired by those who are able to develop a successful and diverse practice while maintaining a sense of integrity with their ideas and output.
HW – For me The Fortynine Studio is the most fantastic group of people to explore designs with. When we talk about potential ideas a sense of excitement and energy builds and I wish I didn’t have to sleep so I could spend all my time on it. People that really inspire me are usually artists or textile designers (although recently ceramicists and object designers), and tend to be people whose practices are intrinsic to their life. I have a deep admiration for people who are strongly connected to their local environment through their work.
EW - What is your favourite item that you have ever designed?
SS - When I was 12 I drew a picture for a family friend’s logo. I was ecstatic at the time as I loved drawing and they paid me $25 for it. After studying biology before finding my way to design, I look back at that drawing and see it perhaps as a sign of what I was meant to be doing all along.
HW – My favourite work is a series of paper objects that I developed as part of a research project that was accompanied by a theoretical component. They are still in development.
EW - Why is the handmade important to you?
SS - Handmade to me represents the continuation and survival of traditional craft skills. In a society where the economics of mass production rule, this is significant and important. Handmade objects show the knowledge and care of the maker, the intimate understanding of materials and processes that took many years to learn and a lifetime to master. They reflect the unique approach and identity of the maker, which changes the way the object is perceived and valued.
HW – Me too. The Indigenous and colonial histories of Australia have cultivated an interesting culture of craft, design and the handmade. There’s a rich knowledge of local and natural materials here that isn’t evident in much of contemporary Australian life.
EW - Why is collaboration important to you?
SS + HW - Collaboration pushes us to explore further and work harder than we might as individuals. Throwing ideas around with other people offers new perspectives and brings together different experiences, knowledge and skills that, more often than not, bring better, more considered and more resolved design outcomes. In The Fortynine Studio, collaboration enables us to take on bigger ideas and opportunities as a collective as we each bring something different to the group.
EW - Tell us about your ongoing collaboration with us, why Eastern Weft?
SS – Samorn and I are great friends, having met while I was studying textiles at the College of Fine Arts. We have worked together on and off over the years, supporting and encouraging one another in our developing practices and lives. Our ongoing collaboration is the result of a shared passion for the handmade, traditional textiles, a mutual respect for each others’ approach, and an earnest desire to explore what Australian design is together. Because of our shared interest in textile design and working with natural fibres, Harriet joined us last year to collaborate on the new range.
SS + HW - It’s rare, grounding and incredibly rewarding to work with someone who has an intimate understanding of the materials they’re working with, and also approaches the environmental implications of producing their work holistically.
EW - What experience have you gained that you would like to share with our audience?
SS + HW - We have been lucky enough to: - hold silkworm cocoons in our hands - learn where the best dye plants are around Sydney and Canberra (and how to get people to help you pick them) - collaborate with clever and talented designers - work with the most incredible handwoven silks and antique textiles - create work together that is considered, simple and beautiful.
EW - What do you hope 2014 brings?
SS + HW - From developing new work with Eastern Weft and The Other Hemisphere, exhibiting at Ventura Lambrate in Milan and DesignEx in Sydney, to stocking our Flip Flop Slip ceramic tableware, and continuing our ceramic collaboration with Melbourne-based furniture company Jardan, we have a full and exciting year ahead. SS - I also hope to further my metal working skills through a residency with a jewellery and object designer in Scandinavia, Japan or South Korea… maybe next year.
HW – I hope to have weekends.
David is one of those incredibly talented craftsman who hand makes our leather bags. He was born in Vietnam and learned his tailoring skills from French masters in the 1970’s.
]]>Introducing David the tailor
Everyone who arrives in Australia has story, some more interesting than others.
David is one of those incredibly talented craftsman who hand makes our leather bags.
He was born in Vietnam and learned his tailoring skills from French masters in the 1970’s.
David and his wife arrived in Australia in 1985 as refugees after the Vietnam war . He then took further training in Fashion design at TAFE college (over 20 years ago) so he could understand the entire production process of a product and garment. After graduation, he set up his own workshop in the western suburbs of Sydney. Today, he creates beautiful pieces for some of the biggest names in Australian Fashion design.
He is softly spoken and polite but while he is engaging in conversation he notices a stitch that is ever so slightly out of place on your shirt.
We are extremely lucky to have our leather bags cut and handmade by a Master.
One of the most tedious and difficult of tasks is counting threads and preparing the loom. Discover the many steps we take to produce, dye and weave our natural silk.
]]>Preparing the loom for weaving
One of the most tedious and difficult of tasks is counting threads and preparing the loom. To produce 50 metres of silk at 110cm wide we must first make sure we have enough thread for the 50 metres and this means many thousands of metres of silk must be dyed, untangled, tied together and counted.
The equipment used in our workshop has been recycled or is handmade from bamboo, or local wood. Our looms were recovered from an old abandoned factory that had not been used since 1960's. We removed the cob webs, dust and repolished the wood to smoothen out the splinters and we were ready to go.
Counting threads for the loom
Slottting 4200 threads through the comb | Ready for weaving and making sure no gaps in the fabric |
We've had a lot of questions asking the production of the silk at Eastern Weft, so we've put our heads together to collect all the facts about how we produce our silk.
]]>Silk is widely regarded as the most beautiful of all textiles. Most variaties of silk, for example from Japan or Italy, use various refining methods to produce perfect silk strands. In Laos, the silk is pure, natural silk that is organically harvested, our silkworms are bred in the wild and not temperature controlled factories. The final product is bumpy, irregular threads and linen like in texture.
Once all the silk has been reeled from the cocoons into yarn, it is ready for dyeing. The art of natural dyeing has existing for centuries and we are proud to continue this tradition. We always source local materials that are in season, working in harmony with the environment. Coconut husk, marigolds, indigo and flowers are among some of the natural materials we use, we do not use artificial dyes.
Once these dyes are collected, they are boiled in large pots and the silk threads are added. They are removed and spun onto small spools ready for weaving which are in turn woven into fabric.
All Eastern Weft silk products are all made from Laos organic silk and are available on our online shop.