New Finds

The following were amazing finds on the internet. The first is Kantha Threads, by a woman in Bangladesh. Follow the link to an in-depth detail of her life and how she has inspired and supported women in their life through these threads. Her work is quite inspiration and very impressive.

"Holud" http://kanthathreads.com/

"reflection" http://kanthathreads.com/

Second, is a magazine called HandEye. This website brings the stories of craftsmen and women from around the world into our homes. It's a great way to know about different organizations, artists, and crafts. If you have the time, go through some of the articles, I've come across some great finds. Enjoy!

http://handeyemagazine.com/

I no longer wish for that Cheeseburger

Just finished reading Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. I had attempted it awhile back but couldn't get interested. However, after being introduced to how un-sustainable we are leading our lives this year, I turned back to this book to see what it had in store. My sister, THE ENVIRONMENTALIST, is laughing her head off right now, now that she has finally converted her youngest to the cult of eco-friendly, sustainable, and anti-consumerism. However, she also regrets making me into the monster I have now become. :)

The book was very interesting, not necessarily biased, it tried to lay out the facts, which unfortunately were leaning towards one side. The side that big corporations have and are going to great lengths to get the consumer to buy buy buy and eat eat eat, in large proportions without consideration for the humans involved, environment exploited, or the future sacrificed. The read might be a little strong at times, because of the details of the injuries suffered by workers at meatpacking factories. I got a little queasy myself. However, we do need to be aware of where our food comes from and who it affects. The book gives you a good review of how it all started, how we have come to the position we are at now and also offers a means to resolve this problem. This can be and should be related to my post about The Story of Stuff, which gives a good explanation of how change is slow in happening in governments.

Anyways, this was a very serious post, but it doesn't necessarily have to be. We read, we learn, and move on with a better judgment about how to lead life. On that note, enjoy the video below.

Trade Fairs

Thinking of attending the ONE OF A KIND SHOW, 2010, in New York. To get a feel of the products that are out there and the artists that are on the same path of a handmade lifestyle.

See the link: http://www.oneofakindshowny.com/

It gives consumers to shop for one of a kind, hand made products directly from the artisan. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students, and free for children under 12 years of age.

It's taking place on the following dates:

November 11-14 and
November 18-21, 2010
 
Location: Midtown at 7 W 34th St. at 5th Ave.
Directly across from the Empire State Building

Drop a comment if you'll be attending!

The Story of Stuff

The Story of Stuff

click on the link and watch the video if you have a few minutes.

Trip to Block Printing community in India

I should have posted these pics up sooner but I just didn't get the chance. I was busy trying to get results from the natural dye block printing I had learnt in India.

This is how the story goes. So, fortunately, I was able to meet Dipali Patwa, a textile designer and founder of MasalaBabyNyc, http://www.masalababynyc.com, adorable adorable children's clothing based on Indian aesthetics.  She connected me with Fabindia. Fabindia is a leading retailer in India that works with various craft communities in India, bringing development through employment to their communities.
 Check out the link for their website: http://www.fabindia.com/

Once in India, I was sent to Pipar City, a town an hour away from the city of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Not knowing what to expect, I was quite nervous but after reaching the house of Chhipa Yasin Shahbuddin, all my nerves were put to rest. I was given a room in their house and the family was very warm and welcoming. Yasin Bhai (brother Yasin) lives with his wife and two children, with two adjoining bungalows for his two brothers, Farouq Bhai and Ilyaas Bhai. Both brothers live in their houses with their wives and children.

Without a minute to waste, I was taken to their block printing factory a few blocks from their house. 

Upon entering the factory, I was immediately in love with the atmosphere, the people, the work. I could not believe I was actually there, having the opportunity to learn amongst the block printers. Yasin Bhai and his brothers welcomed me into their homes and their work spaces without holding back anything. They took me around on rounds day after day, I learned how to achieve various color results using alum and iron printing. I spent time over boiling hot water, watching fabrics seep color from various flowers. They also didn't spare me from the physical labour. I washed my own samples in the 2 feet deep wells, amongst the other workers in the factory. The final day I was initiated into making the dabu paste, which is a mud paste that is kneaded with your feet for an hour. I was encouraged to step into the 2 feet deep well, with mud rising up my legs, stepping hard to get all the mud mixed in thoroughly. They had a blast making me do this. :) 

dyeing fabric in dhavri ka phool, mahi, and alizarine

Ilyaas bhai at the indigo vat

washing fabric

Yasin Bhai in the middle

Farouq Bhai laughing while I step on the dabu paste

It was hard leaving the factory after becoming attached to the workers and the Shahabuddin family. Not enough can be said about their warm hospitality. I am currently working on details for another trip to the Shahabuddin factory early next year. I can't wait.

MA Textile Design Exhibition 2010

Images from the 2010 MA Textile Design Exhibition at Chelsea College of Art and Design, UAL. The following is a result of hard work and sweat. The collection is based on our visuals of daily life, bringing awareness to the ordinary through extraordinary techniques. The colors are attained through flowers, leaves, and barks, each gaining a personality of it's own and with a story of its own. The fabric's range from new to reclaimed fabrics that needed to continue living their life with a new meaning.

The result of the show was self-satisfaction. After a year long effort to create my own standing and to prove that we can, even as a technologically advanced society, slow down and pay homage to the natural world around us. The patterns speak of pillars, architecture, and nature that surrounds us on our daily wanderings. We don't seem to notice them usually but through the fabrics, I wanted to give the viewer that special preview into what they might have missed on their walk over. The love given to each of the fabric was my way of slowing down and being aware of what each object in our life goes through before it makes it into our living rooms, bedrooms, and kitchen tables. The appreciation gained for time was priceless. The love for fabric created by nature and colored by nature grew immensely. I just hope now we can do justice to these fabrics and give them a home that will truly appreciate them.

May - The Experimenting begins again

After coming back from India, I've been working on getting similar results on my block printed fabrics. It's coming along well, with great mistakes! All I need to say is, Sodium bi-carbonate is not the same thing as Sodium Carbonate.
Here are a few pics of the samples taken by the very talented Amar Abdel -Halim.

These samples are of linen fabric gotten from TRAID, London. The fabric was accumulating dust with no buyers, hence it was donated for my project. Lugging it across London was fun, after changing 3 buses and Vedika holding onto the other end of the roll.

The fabric was washed and left overnight in a bath of detergent and soda ash. Next it was dipped in a solution of Harde or myrobalan so that it may produce a better color at the end. Once dried, it was printed on with a mixture of Alum and Tamarind Seed powder. Once dried, it was dipped in a dye bath of Dhavri ka phool, mahi, and Alizarine. Dhavri ka phool and mahi are indian names for different flowers. Alizarine is the synthetic form of madder. The combination of these three gave our fabric a coral coloration, however, we were attempting for Red. After further research, I found out that the PH of the level, if it is too acidic will produce coral colors and hence needs to be neutral to produce the right color. So, the solution to that is adding soda ash to bring the fabric to a neutral PH. With a dash of soda ash, the result was closer to what we wanted. We had gotten a good dark red. The ground however became purple...So the experiment is ongoing.
The darker fabric was first dipped in Iron water before being dipped in the dye bath, hence it has a darker coloration.

Pics of the block in order of development: