Calm Under Tension by Gwen Gyldenege
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Art
    • Artwork
  • Sewing

Crafty Girls Day Out at the Seattle Fabric Show Leads to Discovery of Hand-dyed African Fabrics

10/7/2013

Comments

 
Early in September, Seattle had a Fabric Show where all the reps for fabric vendors like Alexander Henry, Kona Bay, Free Spirit, Michael Miller, Moda, ZPRZ, and so many more all had "booths" or in this case rooms where you could see the latest fabric trends.  This is where industry folk, like shop owners or clothing/quilt designers, could meet and buy for their business needs.  Judy & Sandy of ZPRZ, by the way, gave great samples and also followed up just a couple days after the show. Color me impressed!

How my friend Charity & I attended is that this show happened to also be open to the public and I was fortunate enough to find out about it through Tacoma Sewing and Design School newsletter that Ryliss puts out regularly. 

The show was held at an embassy suites where the rooms all face an inner court yard. Those who have been to Art and Soul in Portland years past, same floor plan. Some vendors were not interested once they learned we were not fabric business folk.  But others were very kind and showed us their many products.  Dan Rimmon had many fabrics that could be purchased in small quantities (2-15 yards).  See the photos of the yummy purple and blue hemp knits, oh swoon!  And he had tons of liberty. Very nice guy. I will definitely be in touch.  
Upon stumbling into the Riley Blake rep, Carrie Strong, I asked her advice on what a budding fabric designer would do to get started. Wow, such a kind, helpful woman. In short, she said, get your body of work together, make it outstanding, then go to one of the major quilt shows (it travels around the US and was in Portland last year), then schedule to meet with the manufacturers.  She knew we were "the public" and still was nice to us and helpful anyway.  Now that is the sign to me of a sales rep who thinks holistically, and cares about all customers at all levels.  One never knows the impact a single person could have even if they are not buying wholesale, they could be a huge influencer.  Treating everyone as though they matter is a gold star sales rep in my book.  
Last, we met Melissa McGill who reps for Alexander Henry and Robert Kauffman, two of my absolute favorite manufacturers. She also had a table of these hand-dyed fabrics that totally caught my eye.  If you read my post Vintage Apron Grows up to Become a Skirt, you know that I am totally infatuated with African fabrics since watching Wild at Heart written by Ashley Pharoh (writer of Bonekickers I might add) see below. 
Because of this African fabric infatuation, I'm working on a few wardrobe pieces and have been looking for just the right fabric. Well, Melissa's pieces turned out to be perfect. I inquired a bit about the history of the fabric. Turns out, her husband started a school in Uganda for the handicapped so they could learn a trade, have a safe place to live and earn their own money.  Melissa visits every 5 years and teaches the women new techniques.  These fabrics were shibori dyed or batiked on a huge scale.  They lay the fabric out on the ground, then they fold or batik it. Folding occurs lengthwise many times over then dyeing.  
Picture
A woman at the Kampala school wears a skirt made of a hand-dyed print very similar to one of the bolt pieces I bought. Image Source & Copyright: Melissa McGill (Facebook: NW Textiles Melissa McGill Fabric Sales Rep. Click picture for link)
The other method they use, because wax is expensive to obtain, is to make a cornmeal paste and cover spots with a broom, let it dry, then dye. Think of it like a resist. How fantastic is that? And the colors are rich and remind me of the beautiful images of African sunsets and landscapes. 
Picture
Kampala School dyers laying out their fabrics to apply resist. Image Source & Copyright: Melissa McGill (Facebook: NW Textiles Melissa McGill Fabric Sales Rep. Click picture for link)
Even better, is knowing that I am directly supporting another crafts-woman and helping her continue creating. Yes, the tears are welling up and my heart warms at this thought. Supporting a fellow artist or crafts-person be it in Africa or be it in your hometown is a valiant and worthy effort.  Every choice is an opportunity to ..."be the change you wish to see in the world" (Gandhi).  How are you creating a better world?

The day with Charity finished by a visit to Phinney Ridge where we stopped into the Fiber Gallery, a lovely shop that had a Rowan book I wanted, followed by lunch at Hummus Cafe and hot chocolate across the street.  
 I must tell you, do not miss trying the eggplant+falafal sandwich at Hummus Cafe  Totally and completely amazing. I haven't found middle eastern cuisine this good since I lived in Detroit. Plus, the service and the owners were wonderful!  Highly recommended.
Comments
    Gwen Gyldenege

    Author: 
    Gwen Gyldenege

    I'm a one woman circus.  
    I'm curvy and athletic.
    ​I am a dancer.
    My last name translates 
    to "Golden Oak". 

    I'm an artist, intuitive, engineer, seamstress 
    and performer.

    RSS Feed

    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Picture
    Sewing in Seattle

    Archives

    December 2018
    June 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    August 2017
    December 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    October 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    April 2009
    December 2008

    Categories

    All
    Activewear
    Adventures
    Art
    Artists
    ArtOfThe20sDress
    Calligraphy
    Cartoons
    Clown
    Comedy
    Costumes
    Creativity
    Crochet
    Dance
    Dancewear
    Dingleballs
    DIY
    Fabric
    Fashion
    Fiber
    Fitting
    Food
    Funkifabrics
    Garden
    Handwriting
    Hiking Gear
    Holiday
    Humor
    Inspiration
    Interviews
    Jalie 2795
    Jalie 2795 Hoodie Sew Along
    Jalie Patterns
    Jewelry
    KiddieAdultsUnite
    Kitchen
    Kits
    Knits
    Knitting Patterns
    Lifted Gifted Higher
    Lingerie
    Littlealters2013
    Mad Men Dress Challenge III
    Marketing
    MMMay14
    Moulage
    Muslin
    Needle & Thread
    Nwcreativespirits
    Outdoor Gear
    Paint
    Paper
    Passthepaper2012
    Pattern Drafting
    Photoaday
    Photography
    Pmc
    Prayer
    Projects
    Sculpt
    Sew
    Sewforvictory
    Sewing Workout Wear
    Sew News
    Shows
    Shrinky Dink
    Sing
    Skillshare
    Social Media
    Spring
    Spring Race Challenge
    Stories
    Tutorials
    Video
    Vintage
    Voiceover
    Wardrobe Architect
    Watercolor
    Yarn

Except for sources otherwise stated beneath images or bottom of the page (Creative Commons), all images and works are copyright Gwen Gyldenege, all rights reserved.  Contact Gwen to request permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from I Robertson, DoNotLick, Gustty, Jayson Emery, Nbepko, Gamma Man, I Robertson, Lars Plougmann, RowdyKittens, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, The Wandering Angel, VasenkaPhotography, quinn.anya, Léa Chvrl, Lost Albatross, Guttorm Flatabø, BEST PHOTO, RowdyKittens, allistair, BozDoz, tanakawho, Navicore, Bilal Kamoon, D-Stanley, Kris Krug, glasseyes view, essers, Richard Masoner / Cyclelicious, Alex Pepperhill, Found Animals, adactio, Office Now