Mayan Hands Dye Project

 

    When I was invited to design a towel for the Mayan Hands Dye Project I joined a team of people who have generously donated time, energy, and technical expertise to help a group of women committed to learning and perfecting the natural dye process.  Together, for over five years, they have worked to make the potentially life-changing project a reality.

    The publication of Deborah Chandler's article about the project in the most recent issue of Handwoven magazine (Sept/Oct 2014) and my accompanying towel design has sparked the hoped-for response. The first batch of kits sold out quickly, and Cotton Clouds (all proceeds benefit the Guatemalan dyers) has a waiting list for the next batch which is scheduled to arrive soon from Guatemala. Please contact Cotton Clouds to be added to the list.

    To say the enthusiastic reception has been affirming and inspiring for the women on the dye team is an understatement. The money they have earned is not just more than what they typically earn; because there is little or no work for them otherwise, the income from the kits is all they are earning. 

    In an earlier post I wrote that the dye project was done in collaboration with WARP when Mayan Hands is, in fact, an independent member organization of WARP. Founded by Guatemalans Brenda and Fredy Rosenbaum in 1989, Mayan Hands is a fair trade organization whose mission is to assist women in their quest to rise from poverty by giving a “hand up,” not a “handout”.

    More about the towel design: The huckaback block design first appeared in Handwoven in 1985 in towels known as "friendship towels".  My design is a variation of the original, but the name still fits, perfectly appropriate to describe the affiliation between the weavers who are learning the dye process and those who appreciate their artistry and reach out in friendship and support.

    It is my hope that the design of the towels honors the efforts of all of those involved in the Dye Project. I hope, too, that weaving the towels will prompt a deeper appreciation of the connections and the friendships we forge through our love of weaving.

    One of the team members who deserves special thanks is Rocío Mena Gutierrez.
She provided " information, nudging, inspiration, dedication, fun, and a will to push hard when everyone was tired." (quote, Deborah Chandler). For a fascinating look at Rocio's time in Guatemala with the dyers and their families please read her blog:   http://naturaldyeproject.wordpress.com/

Recipes for Success

Tooting my own horn a bit this morning by sharing the lovely comments Anita Osterhaug made preceding a post I wrote for Weaving Today, the online resource for Handwoven magazine. Anita is the editor of Handwoven. Her continued enthusiasm and support are hugely appreciated!

May 24, 2013

Recipes for Success

Sarah Jackson is one of the most talented weavers and designers I know. I am perpetually in awe of her ability to marry structure, yarn, and color and produce just the right fabric for her purpose. Sarah blazes new territory in her weaving, but she also appreciates the value of having a path to follow. ––Anita When I decided to resume weaving several years ago after a long hiatus, I wasn't sure I could remember how to dress my loom, much less figure out the specifics of a new project. So for my first foray back into the world of weaving, I opted for a project from a book I found in the library, Handwoven's Design Collection 20, Weekend Weaving Projects. Wanting to focus strictly on the mechanics of weaving, I chose to use the exact yarn and colors specified and followed the instructions to the letter. The venture took decidedly more time than one weekend, but the result was two lovely tea towels . . . and renewed confidence in my weaving ability. A year or so later, after joining my local weaving guild, I heard a member scoff, "Real weavers only need more technical information, not recipes for weaving," Well, I have to say, I'm all for recipes (and I'm a real weaver). Following "a recipe" for a weaving project allows one to learn a new technique or experience an unfamiliar fiber, color combination, or weave structure without the concerns of designing from scratch. Case in point: a new weaver in my guild approached me recently to excitedly tell me she had just finished weaving cloth for a project of mine in the November/December 2012 Handwoven. "Squares within Squares Top" is an 8-shaft turned Atwater-Bronson lace project with a complex treadling sequence. Quite an ambitious project for a beginning weaver, or so I thought! She had tackled it with confidence knowing all the details and information were at hand. Along the way she became familiar with a new weave structure, learned to treadle with both feet simultaneously, wove with Tencel for the first time, and discovered a new wet-finishing technique. As a designer, I'm thrilled when others are inspired by my work. If their confidence and competence as weavers increases as a result of recreating one of my projects, then the joy of doing what I do is magnified as well. I'm going to write more recipes! —Sarah H. Jackson Sarah Jackson's Squares WithinSquares Top. The "recipe" can be found in the November/December2012 issue of Handwoven

Atwater-Bronson Beaded Top

Looking over my most recent posts I noticed I hadn't shared the results of fabric I was working on ...last May! I was surprised to remember that I started it that long ago, and it makes me realize how long the designing, weaving, and finishing process often is. I finished the weaving in June and put the top together then. I took it with me when I attended Convergence in July, but found little time to work on the embroidery and beading then. It was finished and mailed to Handwoven magazine in mid-August for publication in the November/December issue. The description, "Sarah Jackson's snowy, showy Atwater-Bronson top..." really does describe the look of the fabric, although the beads and silky embroidery floss catch the light and shimmer more noticeably than the photo shows.

 

In the close-up below you can see more clearly the two threads I used--8/2 cotton which has a matte finish and tencel which is shiny--in both the warp and weft. The embroidery and bead placement was mapped out with pieces of freezer paper  ironed onto the fabric.

It was fun wearing the top around the holidays for a bit of sparkle and shine!

Dogwood Lace Tunic

Finished! The label is sewn in and it's ready to wear. Well, actually... ...ready to wrap and mail to Handwoven. The wearing will have to wait. 

Someone in the publishing business once told me that greens and blues are the most difficult colors to photograph accurately. I believe it! The true color is somewhere between these first two.

Making the Chinese ball buttons and frog closures was an experience in itself! Definitely a challenging project, but I'm happy with the final result.

Dogwood Lace Tunic

I've been working for several weeks on a lace project using Silk City's Bambu 12 from Cotton Clouds; sett at 30 ends per inch and woven at 30 picks per inch, 36" in the reed. Definitely not a quick project, ...but interesting to weave and satisfying to watch develop on the loom. I love the finished fabric; it looks and feels remarkably like silk.

The color is a soft, muted green, most accurately seen in the photo below:

This project is for the March/April issue of Handwoven magazine featuring designs that recreate or are inspired by heirloom linens. My inspirations were a vintage lace bodice from Paris and a 1930's quilt; each tells a story of one of my grandmothers  ...but I'm saving that for the magazine.

An Oriental-style tunic, Vogue 8830, seemed a good fit for the fabric. I shortened the sleeves to 3/4 length, omitted the cuff, and lined it with a printed rayon. The final stitches will go in tomorrow. Yea!

(photos of the finished tunic in my next post)

Turned Atwater Bronson Lace Kimono Vest

Recently I wrote about a turned Atwater Bronson lace sample I had just completed, but I hadn't decided exactly how I wanted to use it.  

I decided to weave the fabric for a vest using a pattern I'm familiar with, Dana Marie #1007 Kimono Jacket and Vest. The vest is finished!

 ...and in the mail heading for Handwoven magazine's offices in Loveland for the January/February 2013 issue which focuses on varietal wools. 

For the lining I used a rayon batik; I love having something colorful and fun inside the vest, and the fabric has a soft drape with just-right support for the woven fabric. 

If you sew, you know that sometimes the trickiest detail in finishing a garment can be finding the right button, and that was certainly true for this vest. While it only took two days to thread the loom and weave the fabric, it took half of a morning and three stores to come up with the button; buttons in this case. The final solution? Three stacked buttons; the large square one on the bottom is black, the round one in the middle is green, and the top one is shell which has the perfect mix of iridescent blues and greens.

The collar fabric was woven on the same warp with a treadling variation I came up with while sampling. Proving once again the value of sampling! 

I loved working with the yarn, Webs 2/10 Colrain Lace, a blend of 50% merino and 50% tencel. And, no matter how many times I warp my loom and weave, I'm absolutely fascinated by the idea that I can start with this...

and, one thread at a time, end up with beautiful fabric...magic!