Just arrived are a bundle of 100% handwoven cotton and hemp fabrics. These natural textiles are hand produced and hand-dyed, using natural plant dyes. Some of these have been washed in a rice water solution to starch them.

These will be available in the store to be purchased by 25cm lengths for smaller projects and also available by the metre. There is a variety of plain colours such as white, beige, black and blue. Look out for these in store this week. We will be using these for some of our projects too.

I have received a special parcel of beautiful textiles, embroidered, cross-stitched and woven. All these have been sourced from the Kachin State, an ethnic group, situated in the North of Myanmar. These demonstrate that the tradition of making textiles and the importance of them in Kachin culture and society are still alive and well. These textiles are similar to those found in the hilltribes of Savannakhet, Salavan and Paxay, in southern Laos.

This large cross-stitched piece is backed with a black cotton and edged with red cotton. It is a heavy piece that would have taken months to complete. It is used as a bed throw or a table cloth.

We have a selection of thickly woven cotton throws which can be draped over couches or used as floor mats. They are intricately woven with motifs.

All of these textiles are one-off pieces and will be available in the store.

Happy New Year! Well, 2009 was certainly an eventful year. It was great to have met so many wonderful people with the same passions for textiles, art, architecture and life. 2010 will be a busy one for us, as I am sure it will be for everybody! I have been busily planning our Architecture & Textiles Exhibition for 2010, which is an exciting culmination of my disciplines of architecture, art and textiles. This is tremendous, yet rewarding work and I can’t wait to share it with you.

We have had many orders from Australia and the U.S for our tailor-made linen storage bags (which are free with any scarf or shawl purchased in our store). This batch of linen bags is currently  in transit to Houston, Texas. They were requested for the safe storage of heirloom table linens. Contact us for a quotation of specific sizes.

We have a new range of textiles to add to the store that include, silk ikats, cotton ikats and cotton/silk ikats. We will also be adding plain, naturally dyed, hand-woven cottons. These will all be in the store, available to be purchased by 25cm lengths for special projects (25cm x 4 for 1m lengths).

This week we will be adding ikat, handwoven, hand-dyed, indigo, cotton throws (which I just love!). These are large and have intricate designs and are perfect for luxurious throws over a lounge, bed or chair. Great for those cool summer nights.

Below is another gorgeous piece of Lao cotton IKAT or MUTMEE, carefully handwoven into a smooth fine cotton textile. These textiles use resistance dyeing methods, similar to tie-dying, where the threads of the fabric are resist dyed before being woven to allow a pattern to appear. These threads are hand dyed, many numerous times , to achieve the desired colour. This type of textile is a weft Ikat weave where the warp threads are a solid, plain colour. This method of resist dying and Ikat weaving is similar to the Japanese Kasuri  (the Japanese word for ikat) method of the weft ikat. The weft ikat is more complex than the warp ikat method, where the overall pattern is pre-laid in the resist dyed warp threads and the weft threads are solid colours. Ikat is an intricate art, requiring a skilled weaver to plan in advance, to know precisely where the pattern will fall on the textile, to produce a pattern that is culturally relevant or visually appealing.

Silk weft – tying the threads for resist dyeing before weaving.
(image courtesy of BTS Adventures)

I have paired this with a light aquamarine 100% silk dupion to highlight the sea blue hues of the cotton. These beautiful reversible cushions will instantly transform your room and will be 35×60cm pillows or lumbar cushions, taking advantage of the width and pattern of the textile.  We have also listed limited edition fabrics to our  online store. These may be purchased in 25cm lengths for your convenience.

Handwoven IKAT fabrics in store now!

100% handwoven Silk Ikat Scarves also in store!

Sorry to disappoint, there aren’t any flamingos  but there is pink flamingo coloured silk!

I have held tightly on to this piece of intricately piece of 100% hand-woven cotton piece for a while now and it’s time to let go. Although it is difficult to photograph silks and capture the sheen of the finely woven cotton, you can get the general vibe of the piece.  The colours of pink, yellow and muted white work wonderfully together to contrast beautifully against the fine black cotton. I have paired this with a pink 100% silk dupion to bring out the pink colour contrasting. These cushions will form part of the new summer range and will become decadent cushion covers with invisible zip and fluffy, high-loft, duck feather inserts.  Stay tuned to see how these turn out!

Recently listed into our store are these beautiful 100% cotton table runners. Like our scarves and many of our textiles, these table runners are sourced directly from village co-ops and so, by purchasing these, you will be contributing to the sustainability of entire communities. The cotton itself is hand-grown, hand-harvested  in the North of Laos and these fabrics are hand-dyed. The intricate diamond pattern that you see in these are woven into the cotton and are not applied to the flat surface of the textile as one might think. These runners are available in the SHOP – but be quick, there are limited numbers.

We believe that any purchase made in our store is special, therefore all purchases will be thoughtfully gift-wrapped, free of charge. Take advantage of this free gift-wrapping & our complimentary custom-made linen storage bag for Christmas gifts!

Many of you would have already noticed the new collection of 100% silk scarves, wraps and throws in store. These are all handmade in Laos and are all purchased from co-ops around Laos which allow villagers to gain financial independence and work directly from their homes. These villagers set their own prices, conditions of trade and hours of work. Textile Theory only purchase Lao-textiles through human-friendly co-ops that support sustainable community growth and development.

These pieces are either 100% Mulberry silk, with smooth yarns or the rougher woven 100% Eri silk,  derived from the eri silk worm. These eril silk worms feed on castor leaves from the castor oil plant. It is known as non-violent silk due to the fact that the pupae is allowed to develop into adults and only the open ended cocoons are used for turning into silk. These cocoons are uneven and course and cannot be reeled to form silk like the mulberry silk and are therefore hand spun to produce the silk yarn.

ERI SILK DETAIL

“In the old days we used silk for everything, even as diapers for babies. Every household in our village raised silkworms and produced silk. The women produced silk sinh in various mutmee (tie-dye) designs, silk blouses, silk sarongs for men, silk pillowcases, silk cushion covers, and silk cradle cloths.” Grandma Tu, Bak Village, Savannakhet Province.

During our trip to Laos, we purchased from villagers who were part of a large sustainable network of weavers over numerous villages across Laos. These villagers approached PADETC (Participatory Development Training Centre) or startup capital and help with marketing and business development. PADETC is a non-governmental, not for profit organization, which specializes in rural development. It recognized that silk production and weaving could alleviate poverty among poor rural women, and it added silk production and export to its rural development projects.

We have began the process of sorting through our shipment of textiles that followed us home on our journey. These handmade textiles are limited in number and we have scarves, shawls, table runners and we are beginning our custom made interior orders with these new fabrics! Please check back to view our new items.

The other night we had our dinner at a restaurant called Makphet, which means hot chilli pepper. It is a restaurant/cooking school just off Chao Anou Road, Vientiane and is supported by UNICEF, AUSAID and numerous other organizations to help Lao street youth by providing them with hospitality and cooking training so that they may engage in something productive and learning new skills. This will enable them to gain employment elsewhere or become trainers themselves. During our meal, there were many staff and youths in training, all very attentive and keen to learn. The traditional Lao food was delicious and the serves, generous. To make the meal even more enjoyable, 100% of the profits go towards funding training for other youths. It also has a gift shop, which sells local wares made from recycled and sustainable materials. There you will find awesome gifts, bags and jewelery made from recycled paper, plastic and containers. We have stayed near this restaurant twice now but have just discovered it towards the end of our stay. If you make it to Vientiane, Laos, please visit and enjoy a meal here to support a worthwhile cause and to help sustainable community growth. It is worthwhile mentioning that there are also two of these not for profit restaurants set up to help street youth in Phnom Phenh, Cambodia. Please visit www.streetfriends.org for more information.

Tired from a blistering hot day out walking and taking in the sights, we arrive for dinner at Makphet below, greeted by an army of training staff and nasty mosquitoes. Tropical strength repellent with a high percentage of deet is a must! Below is my nephew who came with us from Australia. He has an endless supply of energy and it is tiring being with him from about 5.30pm onwards when all you want to be is – very still (Yes, I was half-asleep here!). Watching him eat in Laos is a funny sight. He has an aversion to foods such as tomatoes and milk, yet has been trying all sorts of things like boiled pig’s blood and marinated, grilled chicken intestines. Want a tomato? Yuck! How about blood and guts? No problem.

I have photographed so much of what we have been eating because I get a thrill out of all the variety and wonderful flavours that Laos has on offer. If you love asian food, you may have seen the dessert below at many asian grocers. It is coconut, corn and sugar, thickened with ground rice, or rice flour and steamed in little banana leaf plates. Yum. These little parcels were 15 cents each and as a consequence, I think I’m packing on the kilos faster than I can sweat them off!

We went for a walk to the Thalat Sao or Morning Market, in Vientiane. When I came here 12 years ago, it was a fairly large market but was modest in its construction. Now it is a triple storey building with a rooftop carpark. There is still a bit of the old part left, which I prefer for its rambling lanes and tightly packed wares. However, the shopkeepers in these old parts would benefit from the air-conditioning of an extension. We walked around the shopping ‘mall’ for a bit and because we were doing it Lao-style, we stopped every 10 minutes or so for a snack or drink. Below is a snap of our refreshments, a fresh young coconut drink, a grass jelly and syrup drink and a black jelly and syrup drink. This little stand at the Thalat Sao also made coconut or corn waffles for 4000kip each (AU60cents) while you wait, delish!

Later on that day, we went roaming the streets of Vientiane after being given cooling relief from the blistering hot sun, by the storm the previous night. We end up again at Phimpone mini-mart, a French-run convenience store that stocks everything that you would ever need during your stay in Laos, steaks, salmon, antipasto, gourmet yogurt, ice-creams, you name it. We go there almost every day for an espresso and their delicious home-made icecreams. We sit outside, our chairs facing the street and watch the world go by. When we came here the day before, I was startled by a man who was begging. He appeared before my unobservant eyes and presented us with mangled stumps where his hands used to be. He was clearly a victim of land mines. I was very shocked by this as I am from an area quite close to the city and to be honest, I have never seen a person without limbs.

Yet another cafe in Vientiane. I couldn’t tell you where it is because for some reason I walk around and remember my way via people, landmarks and street stalls and don’t even notice the street signs that say Rue Whatever. However, Vientiane is a very small city and you will easily find it. This French cafe has fantastic pastries and great coffee. Coffee is about AU$1.20. We like it here because you can sit here all day with a book, not move and you won’t be bothered.

We are currently enjoying our breakfast on the ground floor of our hotel. I just had a ‘light european breakfast’, consisting of a croissant (which today, was stale), natural yogurt and honey (which today had no honey) a fresh fruit platter and a lao coffee. The hotel is lovely, the staff are great, but at times infuriating as the Lao ‘PleaseDon’tRush’ charm quickly wears off when you actually need something – like immediately. Am I speaking the truth or just being a spoilt expat? Let me know when you get here!

The hotel has wonderful pre-war photographs from the national archives which we haven’t yet visited. We tried to visit in January but they were closed for a period of time over the Christmas and New year period. I especially like the photograph below of the woman with the beaming smile, harvesting poppies. It was during this period of time that the cultivation of poppies was a more lucrative business than the time-consuming art of weaving.

(Lao children embroidering textiles)

For those of you who tweet, you probably already know that I am in Laos. We have been wandering around the streets of Vientiane on this lazy Sunday and for a city that is already pretty laid back and chilled out, it’s a very lazy Sunday. We find ourselves walking in the middle of the road and crossing at inappropriate times, as there is very little traffic and we have discovered that this is the only way to do it as there is a ‘look and avoid’ policy on the roads and if we don’t cross, we would never be able to – ever. The road below is in the Chao Anou district in Vientiane which I would recommend as a place to stay. The road I am standing on, leads directly to the Mekong. It is a very small city so you can get around by foot to most places of interest, or hire a bike. This area is close to the  Marais of Vientiane, French food, Jazz bars, lots of interesting people that you can stop and chat to.

Halfway through our morning walk we stop for an espresso to which I add a spoon of ice-cream to have myself an affogato! This supermarket is french-owned and run. I think that the owner is married to a Lao person. Every time we come here we see them hanging out outside with a coffee and cigarette, chatting to the locals. What a great life. You can find frozen steaks, fish, western foods and supplies. It has everything that you would need and crave when staying in Laos. They also have motorbike hires here.

On the way back to our hotel, we walked past our favourite bar called ‘Jazzy Brick’ and as the name inplies, it is a Jazz bar. They have a wonderful atmosphere and it has a relaxing ambience. We spent last New years here and had front row seats to the fireworks that appeared t0 be put on for us but of course weren’t. I have a suspicion that these people are Lao-born Australians and they also run a Lao restaurant adjacent to this bar, off the dusty lane which we had our first dinner at. Brilliant Lao food that is a bit more expensive that the rest of the place but gorgeous setting and the food is great.

As you have probably heard by now, we are all pretty thrilled with this Lao Cultural centre in Laos that we are working on in conjunction with the UNESCO observatory and The University of Melbourne. Architect-turned illustrator, Peter Edgeley has done this wonderful sketch based on the designs of Sam Sempill Architects who are working in conjunction with Textile Theory in the design of this facility. The project will cover a range of activities from cooking to weaving and will also house a library and architecture/fine arts facility. We are uploading the details of this fantastic project onto our website soon and will let you know the status of the project. If you are wanting to become involved in any kind of capacity, please email us or Map Architects for a chat, we would love to hear from you.

We’re heading to Lao in a few weeks and will be stopping by Thailand for a stickybeak for a few days on the way back. We have been religiously searching for green-friendly places to stay and have found a fantastic selection. We will be travelling all over the place, avoiding the tourist markets, in an effort to find exquisite handwoven textiles and hear stories from their makers. We will be sourcing organic silks and cottons in delicious summer colours to add to our upcoming summer/christmas range. On our travels we hope to encounter some home weavers such as this lady below, with whom we spoke with on our last visit to Lao. She ran a snooker hall off a dusty road on Highway 13 in Laos. After playing snooker around some chooks and a family dog, we went to pay and found her weaving. She said that she rarely buys her clothes, preferring to spend the time making her own because apparently, in Lao PDR, there is alot of time to spend. This piece is actually a flag that she is making as a donation to the local temple. She is weaving green, flat bamboo pieces in the yellow fibres, creating a temple design in the exposed pieces.

We will also be taking along donations of clothes, books and stationary to make to a local school which we do each time we head back overseas. Keep in touch to see our latest adventures, updated in our photo gallery.

You have probably seen these materials featured in the blog over the past couple of weeks. The custom, hand-made, quilted throw is complete, please check out the photo gallery.

The throw is a custom size to work as a larger-than-usual bed runner. It is made with natural materials, a 100% watermelon coloured silk backed with a bold black and off-white 100% cotton. The 100% wool wadding gives it a luxurious weight. It is minimally quilted to allow the inherent sheen of the silk to work its magic. Packed with acid free tissues, a lavender pack and into a custom-made linen storage bag, it will keep safe for years.

I just thought that I’d share this custom quilt design that I am currently working on in the studio. It was a well thought out process that, I suppose, was much like a client liason with my architecture projects. Having this architecture background helps immensely with the design of interior products and it makes for a speedy and efficient design and delivery process. I like to reference all aspects of my diverse design background and having a varied skillset keeps me going! Communication was via email and we worked together to narrow down colours and fabrics to the chosen two below. The tw0-sided quilt is to go in a room with very dark, almost black, chocolate brown walls and it will be folded to reveal both sides, resting at the foot of the bed against crisp white/cream sheets. I think that this will look fabulous against the dark wall and modern french provincial interior. It is 100% watermelon silk on one side and 100% limited edition cotton print from The Alexander Henry collection. The 100% australian wool wadding adds weight and warmth. This quilt will be added to an upcoming featured custom items gallery, so please visit!

We are heading to Laos again next month. We are meeting with some women’s collectives, some private and some government-run iniatives that are established to maintain the Lao weaving and culture. In conjunction with Map Architects Melbourne, the Unesco observatory and Melbourne University, we are proudly involved with probono work which includes setting up weaving workshops and collectives in Laos for women. We hope to establish a weaving centre, where women may learn about skills and culture and have an arena in which to gain financial independance. We will also be taking school and stationary supplies, both bought and donated. We welcome any items or money to donate, please contact us. We will mention your organisation (unless requested not to) in Australia and in Laos to give thanks for the gift and 100% of your donations go towards the purchase of fundamental items in Lao. We thank you in advance.

We have also sourced sustainable, locally made, handwoven textiles that are organic and naturally dyed and produced. These are worthwhile staying tuned for. They are lovely, durable, natural fibres for the warmer months.

What do you think of this combination? Caramel gold 100% silk with a 100% Lao handloomed cotton front. I like the way the silk picks up the caramel in the cotton pattern. The dark, deep colours are also complemented by the caramel silk. It’s a gorgeous tactile combination that looks and feels luxurious.

…and voila, here it is!. . .

You can find this in the shop, amongst the boutique cushions. There are limited numbers of these due to the handmade nature of the Lao textile and the limited run of the caramel silk. I love to work with limited edition fabrics to make special pieces.

We custom design and hand-make all of our quilts such as this one which you can find in the store. This one has 100% Australian cotton wadding and is made with 100% silks and cottons. Its a modern patchwork design, incorporating a handwoven, patterned, Lao textile. It is beautiful in any interior as it can be folded in multiple ways to reveal different fabrics, thereby creating different looks. We also make quilts with 100% Australian wool wadding, bed runners and throws. Drop us an email and we’d be happy to assist with your custom quilt.

Hi everybody! We haven’t blogged for a while as it has been a very busy period in out studio. We are busy making orders for bright custom throws and cushions and it is has been a pleasure meeting new and inspiring people. We listen to customers and what they envision in their home and create custom schedules for them to select from. This process is narrowed down, until the perfect cushion or throw is selected. This process ensures that the item is a one-off item and is designed by the customer! Our pieces are unique and only made with natural quality fabrics such as pure linens, sustainable cottons and silks, without the hefty price tag. Contact us today for a free consultation and quote! Don’t forget to subscribe to our free e-newsletter for the latest news.