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Meet the Maker - NEW Hand Dyed Bamboo - Published 2 May 2023

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Meet the maker: Pii Md, Northern Thailand.

Welcome to the first in a series of emails showcasing the people and processes behind the fabrics we sell. Those of you that have been here a while will know that we make every effort to source our fabrics from small producers and family businesses. It's been wonderful to be a part of the symbiotic growth our family business in Shropshire and those we've bought from over the years in Thailand and Indonesia.

Over the course of this most recent buying trip Jim and Di discovered a couple of small workshops they hadn't worked with before. I think it's safe to say we're all very excited about building a relationship with these talented artisans, and bringing their wares to you! One such producer is a lovely guy in Northern Thailand named Pii Md (pictured above).

Pii Md takes locally woven cotton and bamboo cloth (which even in its raw form is a thing of beauty) and uses a variety of natural dyes to create these wonderful, unpredictable and unusual textiles.

Here he is preparing ebony berries, marigold flowers, mango leaves, indigo and rosewood to use as dyes.

The dyes are heated in these huge vats, whilst the lengths of bamboo and cotton are laid out on the ground. Pii Md uses a variety of creative techniques to give the fabrics pattern and texture. For the moon print fabric you can see that he has used paper stuck on with rice paste as a resist (can't wait to give that a go...). Once the dye is ready, he sprays it onto the lengths of fabric.

The colours and tones that result from his use of natural dyes vary from ochre to rich blue, and the creative way of applying the dye makes for some really beautiful textures and irregularities in the design - no two metres are the same, this fabric is truly unique!

We have four of Pii Md's designs available now in our shop - the first two being the paper moon design. The one pictured here is a rougher cloth, with an almost waffle-like texture, but we also have a smoother version which you can find here, and which is closer to our plain indigo in texture - a nice heavyweight fabric. Both would be suitable for structured garments like jackets or for upholstery. Click on the photos or head to our Indigo Fabrics page to see more.

Each metre of these hand dyed bamboo fabrics is unique, so you're getting something really special. The fabric lends itself to upholstery, cushion covers or for clothing such as jackets and kimonos - here are a few examples to help spark some ideas.

WORLD TEXTILE DAYS

6th May - World Textile Day Coronation Special - Kings Sutton.
This Saturday we'll be at Kings Sutton Millenium Memorial Hall for a very regal World Textile Day. We know a lot of you won't want to miss out on all the Coronation action, so we'll be screening the televised event all day. The exhibition with be royal themed, with some fabulous costumes and textiles from Royal Courts of Asia and Africa! Talk from Susan Briscoe on how patterns that were once only used by the Imperial Court in Japan came to be used in popular culture.

If you can't make it to Kings Sutton, fear not - we may well be coming to a village hall near you soon - here are our other May dates:

13th May - World Textile Day North - Frodsham, Cheshire.
20th May - World Textile Day East - Mundford, Norfolk.
3rd June - World Textile Day Scotland - Bridge of Allan

For more information, head to www.worldtextileday.co.uk

HELLENS GARDEN FESTIVAL

On 10th & 11th June we'll be selling our wares at the beautiful Hellen's Manor near Ledbury for their Garden Festival - in their own words:

"A summer bounty of the sustainable and the eclectic, crafted and grown, held in the glorious gardens and grounds of Hellens Manor".

This promises to be a lovely weekend of talks, workshops and music. You can find out more and book tickets at www.hellensgardenfestival.co.uk