TAFA, The Textile and Fiber Art List is a rousing success by any measure. TAFA is the promotional  and networking site for member working artists and textile businesses who represent fiber in all forms. The site was conceived and created by Rachel Biel and launched in early 2010, and now boasts 145 members plus to date.

And how do we measure “success”? There are many websites for artists, seeking members, some glitzy, some selling and more. But really, artists want a site that helps them get broader exposure and recognition. TAFA’s members each have space on the site and provide terrific content, good visuals too of their work that brings readers and potential clients back to see what is new on the site. Members also promote the site  through their own social networking and on their own sites.

"Moments" by Christine Predd

Since the launch of TAFA in  February 2010, its presence on the web has grown. Here’s a few stats…

• Half of the members are active on Facebook.
• Almost half are Etsy sellers
• Our biggest following is on our TAFA fan page on Facebook.  We now have over 850 fans there.
• 97 blogger followers
• 69 subscribers via Feedburner
• 1463 unique visitors in just the last month  (55% new)
• Our three largest mediums are art quilts, surface design (dyers) and weaving so far.

A good start!  Members are quite pleased with the boost that TAFA has given them. Members also tell us that they read new member bios as they are posted, network with each other and are definitely inspired. TAFA will continue to expand its web presence and to capture good publicity.  In fact, the fabulous international magazine, “Hand/Eye” is doing a feature story on TAFA in its September 2nd edition. The TAFA community will benefit greatly from such publicity.

Linda Marcille in her studio.

So what is the membership criteria? The general criteria for membership is having a well developed web presence which showcases a mature body of work or product line. Working artists and textile businesses need to present themselves professionally, showing their intent of making a living with their art or product, unless they have a purely educational focus.  Good photography of work is essential – again a professional look. Cost of membership is $25 per year…..but will be increasing in September to $48.00.  Now is a good time to make application for membership!

Visit the TAFA Membership page for more guidelines on the membership.

TAFA seeks to grow as an international organization representing all media within the fiber art/textile mediums.  One of the most exciting angles that TAFA brings to this community is having contemporary, traditional and cultural textiles/mediums share the same platform.  Normally, these categories have strict boundaries and exclude each other, yet many of us are passionately influenced by all three and inform our choices and designs by the other.  On TAFA a Moroccan rug shares the same importance as an art quilt, a knitted sock or an embroidered doily.  The common denominators of excellence of technique, originality and excellence bring them together.  TAFA does not distinguish between “craft” and “art”, however, it does distinguish between mature and novice.  TAFA members love what they do and are in it for the long run.  As innovators, shakers, teachers, writers, and vessels of the muse, they are deeply committed to their work.  Visit TAFA.  Join us in promoting our members and in helping them make a living at what they do best: keeping traditional textile traditions alive while pushing them into new directions!

Part 2:
TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles imports fairly traded, naturally dyed, handcrafted textiles directly from the artisan groups that create them. TAMMACHAT, which mean ‘natural’ in Thai, was established in 2007 by Alleson Kase and Ellen Agger. Alleson and Ellen love textiles and had been involved with both fiber and empowering women for decades. Last week’s post on TAMMACHAT told of the inspiration for and founding of this fair trade enterprise. This week, in Part II, Alleson and Ellen tells us about the women who create these beautiful, natural textiles.

The Artisans behind TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles

By Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase
Photos © Ellen Agger 2009

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles works with rural communities in Thailand and Laos where women have long been recognized as valuable and equal members of their families and communities. These artisans:

•    transform barks, berries, leaves, seeds and silk cocoons into gorgeous weavings
•    create traditional and contemporary designs using traditional floor looms
•    develop and use natural dyeing techniques that support their health and the environment

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles is building trading relationships – based on fair trade principles – with a growing number of weaving groups and non-governmental organizations in Thailand and Laos that work with village groups. We want to introduce you to a few of these groups.

Panmai Group has 250 members living in 3 provinces in Northeast Thailand in both Khmer and Laotian villages, who draw on these traditions in their designs. These women are very skilled in sericulture (the entire cycle of silk production) and are proud to weave only organic, village-reeled and naturally dyed silk yarns.
They are expert and widely respected for their dyeing skills using natural materials, protecting both their own health and that of their environment.

Prae Pan Group has 200 members in 7 villages in Khon Kaen province in Northeast Thailand. They are highly skilled at supplementary weft weaving and the natural dyeing of cotton, although they weave silk as well. Prae Pan, like Panmai, has been operating for 20 years and is proud to be entirely villager-run and self-sufficient.
During a recent visit, women from both groups told us that this work allows them to stay in their villages where they can live with their families, grow rice and practice their foremothers’ art – while preserving it for their heirs.

Pattanarak Foundation works to balance development and conservation among disadvantaged communities and stateless peoples along Thailand’s borders. Their products are handmade with an indigenous species of cotton organically grown along the Thai-Lao border on the banks of the Mekong River. After spinning, dyeing and weaving, some products are sewn by projects in the west of Thailand along the Burmese border. This helps forge links and exchange ideas between communities that are experiencing similar challenges. One village group working with Pattanarak specializes in indigo dyeing, always popular for its lively colour – “nature’s true blue.”

Saoban is a Vientiane-based marketing outlet for over a dozen village groups that work with the Participatory Development Training Center (PADETC) in rural Laos. At Saoban’s shop, young entrepreneurs develop business skills while providing much-needed markets for village products that range from bamboo-silk handbags to naturally dyed silk scarves. This is part of PADETC’s vision for Laos: education for sustainable development.

Mulberries is the market brand of the Lao Sericulture Co., a not-for-profit organization that is accredited by the World Fair Trade Organization (formerly IFAT, the International Fair Trade Association). Its goal is to strengthen the position of women in Laos by providing them with dependable incomes and to preserve their sophisticated weaving and natural dyeing techniques. Women are further trained to bring diverse skills and environmental sustainable to the complex cycle of silk production with extraordinary results. Founder Kommaly Chantavong was a nominee for 1000 Women for the Nobel Peace Prize 2005 for her work on this important project that is recognized for its poverty alleviation, cultural preservation and peace building.

Green Net Coop helps Thai organic farmers market their products. One Green Net project brings together grandmothers who grow, spin and weave organic cotton in Ban Kokkabok in Loei province with sewers in Panmai Group in Northeast Thailand, who transform the cloth into children’s sunhats and baby products. Read the story of the Kokkabok Women’s Cotton Group.

Fai Gaem Mai is based in Chiang Mai University and helps community-based production groups in Northern Thailand develop handwoven Eri silk products, one of the textile products that TAMMACHAT carries. The Eri silkworm feeds on the leaves of cassava, rather than mulberry, providing additional income for villagers already growing this high-volume, low-value commodity.

Suan Nguen Mee Ma Company (Garden of Fruition) was founded by Sulak Sivaraksa, who was honoured with the Right Livelihood Award (the “Alternative Nobel Prize”), to explore new markets for indigenous crafts, to publish educational materials and to act as a small-scale, practice-based “think tank.” Among their projects, they support small groups of farmers in Nan, Thailand to revitalize organic cotton growing, spinning and weaving, and to preserve heritage varieties of naturally coloured cotton.

These products are available at TAMMACHAT Natural Textile’s Fair Trade Textile Events. Select products are also available in TAMMACHAT’s Online Shop. Visit www.tammachat.com to learn more.

Voices of the weavers

“You must consider the whole process if you want to support this art. It is difficult to produce by hand. Our work is real women’s group work, handmade art and tradition.”
Mae Samphun Jundaeng
Chairperson, Panmai Group
Northeast Thailand

“I feel in harmony with this work.”
Loek Khonsudee
Member, Panmai Group
Northeast Thailand

“We want to work with natural dyes – it’s better for our health and for the environment. The colours we use in our weavings depend on the plants available around our village. I am told that most people appreciate my work – especially the colours.”
Noi Simpree,
Member, Panmai Group, Northeast Thailand

Part 1:

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles: handwoven beauty • fairly traded

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles imports fairly traded, naturally dyed, handcrafted textiles directly from the artisan groups that create them. TAMMACHAT, which mean natural in Thai, was established in 2007 by Alleson Kase and Ellen Agger. Alleson and Ellen love textiles and had been involved with both fiber and empowering women for decades. While traveling around Thailand, an opportunity presented itself, but I’ll let Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase tell you about TAMMACHAT….

Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase: Why we started TAMMACHAT

Two reasons: First, the more idealistic one, was to realize the sayings that “another world is possible” and “vote with your wallet.” We believe that people impact human rights, communities and the environment with every purchase we make. So, it’s important that people have access to fairly traded and environmentally friendly products.

Second (and this is more serendipitous and more personal), we were in the right place at the right time. A few years ago we were traveling around Thailand, searching out weaving groups, an interest of Alleson’s since 1980 when she first traveled in Guatemala. The women we met at one weaving co-op told us their sales were down, which meant they had to limit membership in the co-op. Right away, we knew we were going to connect their desire to expand their market with our desires to find new and meaningful careers.

What motivates us:
We want to live in a world where:
•    women have choices about and control over their lives within their families and communities;
•    people are fairly and adequately paid for their work; and
•    everyone uses resources wisely and according to their needs, so that communities and the planet are preserved for future generations.

Fair trade in action
As social entrepreneurs, we want to encourage fair trade and ethical consumption. This means:
•    knowing what goods are made of
•    where they are made
•    how their making impacts the people who make them, their communities and the environment

TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles imports fairly traded, naturally dyed, handcrafted textiles directly from the artisan groups that create them.

Handweaving, one of the world’s oldest arts, continues to be practiced with amazing skill and well-deserved pride in many rural villages in Thailand and Laos. The silks and cottons woven by women in these areas reflect cultural traditions that have endured from earlier times, passing from mothers to daughters.

We select each piece of wearable art, each table cloth and wall hanging, and every length of hand-loomed fabric that we purchase. Every textile chosen displays technical expertise, aesthetic beauty, careful finishing and sustainable production.
We travel extensively in rural Thailand and Laos, visiting weaving villages and artisan groups, to learn firsthand about the textiles we buy and how they are made. After 2 years of trading, we will apply for fair trade accreditation with the World Fair Trade Association.

We support the artisans and communities that create these textiles by:
•    paying fair prices set by individual artisans and artisan groups
•    building long-term trade relationships with artisan groups and non-governmental organizations that work with village groups
•    supporting environmentally and socially sustainable practices, and appropriate technologies used by artisan groups in the creation of their products
•    providing international markets for this work to help preserve this women’s art form and encourage the younger generation to continue these traditions

Natural  fibres,  natural  dyes
Whenever possible, we source organically produced natural fibres. Heritage varieties of silkworms are raised without chemicals in artisans’ homes rather than in factories. The cocoons spun there are painstakingly hand-reeled into yarn, yielding extraordinary beauty and value. Traditional varieties of cotton, in 3 natural colours, are grown organically, most often on the banks of the Mekong River. Unique, nubbly textures result from ginning, fluffing and spinning these fibres by hand.

Before weaving, silk and cotton yarns are hand-dyed in small batches with organic materials that are locally raised or sustainably gathered. Emerging from these village dye pots are colours that range from subtle to intense, in all the rich hues that nature can create. Of course, some yarns are woven in their natural shades of white, cream, butter yellow or tan.

Age-old designs for contemporary life
Many of the pieces that we buy use designs and techniques that have been handed down for generations. Others – especially weavings that are sewn into clothing, bags and cushion covers – combine the beauty of naturally dyed, handwoven fabric with contemporary flare. We work with artisan groups to develop new products, such as the 100% SILK. 100% ART. silk squares for quilters and other fibre artists – developed with the expert colour sense of Panmai Group members and advice from internationally known quilters Valerie Hearder and Laurie Swim in Nova Scotia.

We also buy traditional designs, such as khit (supplementary weft) and mudmee (tie-dyed yarns that produce a design when woven), choosing pieces that will be popular with western consumers.

How we sell these textiles
We sell these handwoven textiles at Fair Trade Textile Events that we organize in communities throughout Atlantic Canada and beyond. We also opened an Online Shop to make select pieces available anywhere in the world. Everywhere that we take these textiles we tell the stories behind them, because this showcases the real value of this beautiful work.
For more information, visit http://www.tammachat.com. Also enjoy the TAMMACHAT travel blog written by Alleson and Ellen at http://tammachat-2008-2009.blogspot.com

By Ellen Agger and Alleson Kase
Photos © Ellen Agger 2009

Part II will post next Monday. Learn about the artisans behind TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles

I would like to pass along a resource for weavers and crafts persons too. I quote from their intro on the website for this organization, “The Center for Craft, Creativity and Design (CCCD) is a regional center of the University of North Carolina with a strong nonprofit support organization. It is located on the fifty-acre UNC Asheville Kellogg Center in Hendersonville, North Carolina. CCCD convenes national meetings, supports research in the area of craft and design, and curates exhibitions for a small gallery space and the sculpture and public art on the property’s one-mile Rudnick Nature Trail. CCCD also manages an adjacent Conference Center, a multimedia rental facility serving area nonprofits, educational and corporate needs.”

The website for CCCD is very informative and weavers interested in textiles and design, as well as the market for same will enjoy visiting at http://www.craftcreativitydesign.org

When animals are shorn, or combed in some cases, the harvested fiber must then be sorted as to micron range, hand, color, and length. Why? Imagine your hair as very coarse on top of your head and fine on the left, but fine and broken on the right. Just what would do with hair like that!!! So if you combined all these variances together, the resulting end product would be frightful to say the least.

Let me give you some definitions:

Micron is the measurement of the diameter of a single strand of hair. The fiber is ‘graded’ for micron range, ie fine, medium, coarse.
Hand refers to the feel of the fiber on the hand. Good sorters assess the fineness and uniformity of the fiber by feel as well as eye.
Color is the hue of the fiber.
Length is the measurement of a strand or bundle of fiber. Fiber is sorted by length, usually about a 1 inch variance. Fiber which has wide variances in length would make for very itchy fiber indeed as the shorter lengths would stick out.

Another factor to consider is “tensile strength” which is simply the actual strength of the fiber. Animals who have been ill, had poor diets or suffered stress will likely have weakened and broken fiber. Even if it could withstand the processing, it would be weak yarn and frustrating to work with.

The objective in sorting and grading shorn fiber is to combine like fibers to then be processed into a particular type of yarn for an appropriate end use. Will the yarn be used for fine textiles or lingerie, knitting sweaters with bulk or drape, will it be suitable for weaving rugs or scarves? As noted in a recent post here, “What Makes Good Fiber,” transforming fiber from the alpaca, sheep, goat or rabbit into sensational, beautiful yarn takes knowledge and skill. You as the consumer, can feel and see the difference.

Coming up: What are micron ranges for sorting?, Characteristics of Alpaca Fiber, Fiber Weights and Best Uses and much more!

Connie Rose, Constance Rose Textiles, has written an excellent post on her blog about silk. Well done, informative – you’ll want to read Modern Day Miracle Fiber, save it and refer back to it as you incorporate silk in its many forms into your fiber creations.

Connie Rose is a textile artist — weaver, spinner, dyer, surface designer, knitter — working largely with silk. She is an accomplished artist in many mediums and her long experience and knowledge of fiber is reflected in her beautiful, inspiring work. Thanks to Connie Rose for this posting on silk.

1000 Markets is a great new online marketplace that showcases talented entrepeneurs, many in fiberarts. I am very pleased to announce the opening of my shop at 1000Markets.com and invite you to visit me and this innovative marketplace. More on this topic next week.

http://bonniesamueldesigns.1000markets.com

Baby alpaca, "Oz"

Imagine yourself in a pen with several alpacas. You are asked to evaluate the fiber on these alpacas by grading the fleece in terms of micron, uniformity of micron and color and density. After doing so, you now are to instruct the shearer how to properly shear the alpaca. After the fleece is shorn in sections as per your instructions, you finish the sort and clean the fiber, keeping detailed records on weight, staple length, color, micron, uniformity and density…..Greek to you? No doubt. But definitely essential to you, the end user.

For the fiber artisan, the quality of the fiber used will definitely affect the quality of one’s weaving, knitting, textile, any fiber art. For example, imagine a handwoven piece made with natural alpaca, well prepared and processed. The result is a smooth handwoven, soft, catches the light beautifully and is uniform through the entire piece (we assume a good weaver here). If you were to use yarn that was made with fiber not sorted for micron range (size of hair shaft) or length, then processed as sent, the results will be quite inferior. With the same pattern and weaver using this inferior yarn, the finished piece will be scratchy (the shorter lengths of fiber will stick out), uneven and dull in appearance because various lengths and fiber sizes were used to make the yarn. Stability would also be questionable due to the inconsistencies throughout the finished piece.

There are many variances in the natural fiber yarns found in the market today. The better yarns come from growers and processors who have the knowledge to make a superior product. Over the years as an alpaca breeder, I have seen untrained breeders simply put all the sheared fleece from an animal or several into the same containers and send it off the processor. So this poor quality yarn then reflects on their herd, when in fact, if sorted and graded, processed well, the yarn would have made a much better impression of the breeder’s fiber producers….and his/her business!

So…artist beware! Select your fiber materials well as that choice will affect your end product too.

More on this topic…coming soon.

Here’s a good news piece about Lonesome Dove Alpacas owned by Julia and Dave Swickard of Stillwell, KS. There’s also a great picture with the alpaca of “Santa Fe Sushi,” who is my alpaca boarding at Lonesome Dove Alpacas. Here’s the link:
http://www.kmbc.com/money/17741606/detail.html?taf=kc1”

I raised alpacas for over 10 years, attracted to the business because of the beautiful fiber. Through those wonderful years, my knowledge of fiber and skills in fiber arts grew. Last year I transitioned from farm to my studio in town to focus solely on my fiber business. I still own a few of my alpaca livestock and board them with knowledgeable caretakers, like the Swickards.

With many thousands of alpacas now in the United States, it is a livestock that is here to stay. Those raising and breeding alpaca livestock with knowledgeable husbandry and an viable end product as goal, the future is bright. The alpaca is a ruminant, clean, and environmentally friendly. Quality alpacas produce fiber comparable to cashmere in properties.

As interest in fiber arts and the trend in cottage industry has grown, the demand for all natural fibers has increased dramatically. Fiber artists and entrepenauners wanting small, manageable businesses have found raising alpacas, various breeds of sheep, angora goats and other fiber producers to provide a renewable source of good fiber. More and more “fiber shows and festivals” are appearing on the calendar and growing.

Coming up this week: The Fiber Materials You Use…