On 24th of October I wrote my final exam for my Bachelor of Visual Arts. After 6 years of studies, I decided to treat myself with a little trip. I came across Tasara Weaving Centre in Fibre Arts Magazine. They offer occasional textile and weaving workshops, generally on a one month duration. I opted for the 7 days package to test the waters.
My first venture to India, I was not sure what to expect. Hearing tales from other travelers with such mixed reviews, I just armed myself with mosquito repellent, Imodium and bottled water. The Imodium was not necessary (thank goodness) but the little critters where everywhere. Our accommodation was basic, clean and very spacious. The meals prepared by the family were delicious and we never would want for anything. Three generous meals and tea breaks with delicious treats made for a very happy Stef.
I arrived the evening of Friday 31st, which basically just meant a cup of chai and bed. The workshop kicked off on Saturday 1st November, with myself and Cate (all the way from the US). We started with a tour of the place, the workshop and the ‘shop’ to see all the textiles created at Tasara. We then started our education with batik. I guess at this point I would explain that I have not done any of the textile arts and crafts that we were shown/ taught. My ‘textile’ art thus far consisted of hand stitching and some machine stitching and hand embroidery.
Our first batik was created by painting with pigments and oil-based binders on to cotton first, then adding the hot wax (mixture of paraffin and beeswax) after drying. This was then rinsed in water and vat dyed.
First batik:
We also got to make our own batik /wax application brushes from bamboo sticks and coconut hair. This allowed for more wax absorption and keeping the flow more steady due to being heated all the way through:
The Sunday, more ladies arrived: Alison, Sandra and Louise from the UK. Keeping them awake, we went straight in to the next batik project. This time, we applied wax before applying the paint to see the difference. I really loved my batik before dyeing, but happy with the result. It was a first again, to try and figure out how long the cloth need to soak in the dye!
I had a bit more time, so I attempted another batik…just a mixture of the two techniques above. I wanted to experiment with creating gradients of colours in the paints and the dyes. I painted the black, red and orange, then waxed in certain areas. I then vat dyed it in yellow, but we later added more brown to the mix to make the edges of the cloth darker. I particularly was amazed at how the colour changes with the oxidation. The yellow dye is at first purple (which gave me a fright!), then reds.. browns.. until it fades to yellow. Spectacular!
The Monday and Tuesday we did felting with merino wool. Monday we made felted handbags. I thought mine was never going to fix to itself. What a mission! I then tie-dyed it in a pot of boiling natural dye. Its not the best attempt but I am happy with it as it was a first (and maybe a last!). I will see what it looks like after I attack it with more threads,beads and sequence!
Tuesday we made nuno felted cloths/ scarfs. It was again a massive process of wetting, soaping, the never ending rubbing and massaging, then rolling and kneading…my word! what a work out! It came out beautifully though. I still need to embellish it a bit more now… I love the colour the others created with what started as purple…
Wednesday it was Cate’s turn to run a workshop in Shibori. It is a Japanese textile resist technique which involves stitching, tying or clamping. We stitched and it was lovely to sit down for two days getting to know each other better, stitching and chatting away… First, we drew designs on our silk scarfs, then hand stitch the designs. You then have to wet and pull all the threads as tight as possible, before soaking in soap water, then clean water… before dyeing in natural dyes.
We also had another participant join us, Veronik from the US via Mexico.
Then, my last day arrived. Even before breakfast Vasu had me start my weaving project. We did not know how I will fare but I did not do too badly! In the few hours of the day, between meals and tea breaks, and the final dyeing projects (yellow batik and the felts and shibori) I managed to complete myself a cute little carpet. I am well proud of this accomplishment. I did have Santha help me with tying it up at the end as I had to go pack my stuff for my trip to the airport.
And so my week ended. I did a lot more work than I expected. I definitely learned a few new techniques, made some amazing new friends and found new inspiration for things to come. I wish I had more time but the Pandora’s box of textiles has now been opened… can’t wait to explore more!
Here are the final images of me trying to wear almost all my creations at once (I even batik and dyed my t-shirt!) and my Tasara family. Thank you to Vasu and Santha especially, and also BalaKrishnan and Chando Spiderman and the rest of the family for being so informative, hospitable and welcoming.
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