From Yarn to Garment Fashion Show

Some of you may remember that last year I participated in what I fondly refer to as my textile awakening.

My own personal discovery of the wonderful world of weaving began when I took Betsy Bruce's one month weaving class, From Yarn to Garment-- a class that promised each and every one of its eager students that within a month's time, they would purchase their fiber, design a garment, weave the fabric, cut and sew the material, and finally, put the finishing touches on their very own piece of apparel.

When I was back in Oberlin last week, I stopped by our old stomping-- err, weaving-- grounds at the FAVA gallery just in time to see the students putting the final touches on their hand-woven garments. Unfortunately I missed the fashion show which was held yesterday for a throng of textile enthusiasts. Apparently there were close to 85 people in attendance, including numerous photographers, journalists, students, and community members.

As always, the garments will be on display at the FAVA gallery until Valentine's Day, so head on over to check it out. It truly is remarkable what these novice weavers are able to accomplish in such little time. For those of you that are not in dropping-by-vicinity, check out this slide-show that was published in the Elyria Chronicle Telegram this morning.

My favorite image is displayed above; you can always tell a true textile nut by their inability to keep their hands off of hand-woven products, like this student's beautifully woven jacket.

Kudos to this year's class!

Cleveland Museum of Art Revisited

After an hour long presentation to the Textile Art Alliance at the Cleveland Museum of Art (CMA), I can confidently say that I hope this is just the first in a long series of similar talks and engagements. There were about forty people present including students, rug collectors, CMA staff, and textile enthusiasts. The interest of the audience was palpable and the caliber of their questions during the Q&A made me stop to think numerous times; there are several questions that I hope to respond to in more detail through future blog posts.

During the presentation one of the quotes that I read was by Greg Mortenson, author of the acclaimed book, "Three Cups of Tea." The quote that I read was from a passage in the book that talked about lessons Mortenson learned from working with several indiginous communities in Pakistan. A big step in Mortensen's learning curve was when he discovered that he "had more to learn from the people than [he] could ever hope to teach them."

In some ways after my presentation at the Cleveland Art Museum I felt the same way: despite being the presentor at the podium on Wednesday, I was still able to take away many valuable interactions with my audience from the lunch before the presentation to the Q&A afterwards.

These types of interactions are precisely what fuel Kantara Crafts and as such I hope to engage in more kinds of similar opportunites in the future.

Presentation at the Cleveland Art Museum

I am pleased to announce that I will be presenting at the Cleveland Art Museum this coming Wednesday, February 3rd at 1:30.

The title of the talk will be "Moroccan Rugs; Interwoven Histories. It will analyze different styles of Moroccan rugs, the artisans that make these functional pieces of artwork, and the socio-political situation that exists in this complex society.

When I started this business a year ago, one of my main objectives was to encourage education on both sides of our little pond-- on the one hand, I wanted to support the education and literacy initiatives of the women artisans in Morocco, and on the other hand, I wanted to spread awareness in the United States for the situation of Moroccan artisans who compete in a global marketplace. I have managed to achieve the first goal by establishing the Kantara Crafts Education Fund. The second goal I am working on by conducting presentations like the one I will give this Wednesday at the Cleveland Art Museum.

While I have done presentations like this before, this is the first time I will be at a place as reputable as the CMA, and in keeping with Kantara's original educational goals, I hope it will not be the last.

Weaving the Moroccan Rugs

And no wool preparation is complete without what comes afterward: the actual weaving process. In this video we see how artisans from Ait Hamza work on a piece, night and day, eventually turning it into a masterpiece of a Moroccan rug.

To the artisans it doesn't matter how many weavers it takes to complete the rug nor at which point of the day or night they work on the task at hand. To them, the work is clear, and oftentimes they sit and weave in silence, knowing- subconsciously it seems- where to put the yarn next.

Are the designs hardwired into their collective memory and passed down from generations of their mothers and grandmothers before them? Or are they just so in tune with each other that they can silently, collaboratively produce these beauties of Moroccan Rugs?

Preparing the Wool for Moroccan Rugs

Oh the joys of technology! I just dabbled a bit in some of my computer software and came out with this simple video showing how the artisans of Ait Hamza card, spin, and dye the wool that they later use to make their Moroccan carpets.

Take a look:

Ordering Moroccan Rugs

After several weeks of correspondence, back and forth, back and forth, I have finally placed my first order, au distance, for a batch of Moroccan rugs from Ain Leuh.

The estimated arrival date for these beautiful, high-quality kilims is this Friday (so soon!) and suffice it to say that I await their arrival with bated breath.

If these Moroccan rugs are anything like the last batch of them we're in for a real treat. In honor of the artisans at Ain Leuh, here are some close up pictures of Drissia and Khadouj and their wares.

The Education Fund and the Giving Season

While Kantara Crafts is mainly focused upon importing finely crafted Moroccan carpets into the United States, it is also committed to promoting education and capacity building projects amongst the artisans in Morocco.

As such, Kantara Crafts' Education Fund grants are available in small amounts to already established cooperatives, associations, and clubs within Morocco. Past projects that were funded included silk-screening classes in Boujaad, technology classes in Timhadite (and now Rabat el Kheir), and school supply shipments to Talouste.

The official grant is available here and I encourage all to apply for funding of their various projects.

Kantara Crafts Grant Guidelines

Computer Literacy Project in Rabat el Kheir

Last month on the heels of my New York launch, I announced the first recipient of Kantara Craft's Education Fund. The recipients in question are the women in the Taeawniya Adwal Weaving Cooperative located in Rabat El Kheir, a mid-sized town located in the Eastern Middle Atlas Mountains.

Their project involves sending the two women pictured, Ferida and Nora, to computer literacy classes for four hours a week over the course of four months with the end goal that these women will have the skills to take pictures, upload pictures, send emails, and operate basic computer programs.

This type of education rarely stops with those being formally educated. As most things are shared in communities like these, the expectation is that Ferida and Nora will complete the class four months from now with not only a broad knowledge base, but also a tall order to impart their newfound knowledge amongst the other artisans in the cooperative.

Until recently the artisans in Rabat El Kheir struggled with marketing their woven products which range from flat weave kilims to hand knotted Moroccan carpets made on both horizontal and vertical looms. One of the many challenges for these women was in devising a way to market their goods despite the fact that they are located in an area that is decidedly off of the well-trodden tourist path.

A few months ago the CEO of WaresDinner, a fair trade company based out of Seattle, contacted me looking for a Moroccan weaving cooperative with whom to partner. The result of many emails was a fruitful and burgeoning connection. Now, thanks to the collaboration of Peace Corps Volunteer Lynn Dines, WaresDinner, and the women at Taeawniya Adwal, these artisans now produce table runners for WaresDinner.

Hopefully the support of the Kantara Crafts Education Fund will only help the women promote their products even more!

Fair Trade Holiday Sale

Thanksgiving has come and gone and it's once again, that time of year again (where did the time fly???)!

This Saturday, join Kantara Crafts and other New York fair trade businesses as they showcase their wares at the New York Fair Trade Coalition's annual holiday fair.

It will be This Saturday, December 5th from 11am until 4pm at Judson Memorial Church on 239 Thompson Street in the village.


View Larger Map

In addition to jewelry, textiles, food and drink, you'll also be privy to the Fair Trade Coalition's raffle of which each vendor is providing a small prize.

For more information, check out the Fair Trade Coalition's website.

Familiar Faces; Anzal Weavers reach the Global Post

Last week's Global Post article entitled, "Moroccan Carpet Confidential; Rural Women Weavers Struggle to Earn a Fair Price for their Intricate Rugs," revealed a familiar sight: Moroccan artisans deftly knotting pile-weave rugs through dim lighting in rural desert settings.

A closer look reveals even more familiarity, a deja-vu, a glimpse of something oddly reminiscent... With a start, I realize that of all the cooperatives to be featured in this article, the journalist, Erik German has focused on the Association Tifawine-- one of the ones that I work with in the south-eastern desert town of Anzal.

In fact, it was one of the Anzal women's rugs that I raffled off at my launch last month in honor of Fair Trade Month and Kantara's new beginning in New York City.

The article did an excellent job of describing the inequal system of wealth distribution in Morocco's carpet trade.

The rug stores are as commont o Moroccan cities as bright lights on broadway, and the haggling done inside is a visitor's rite of passage. Hours can pass with merchants sipping tea, trading fibs with tourists about what the final price will be. Overpayment is the norm.

Yet middlemen ensure that little of that money finds it way back to the villages.

It was precisely this conundrum that led me to start Kantara Crafts, a fair trade venture that pays a living wage directly to the weavers as opposed to supporting an old boy's network of shady middlemen.

For more information about these women's struggle, check out Global Post's video. It's extremely information not to mention it features the eloquent and beautiful weavers of Association Tifawine in Anzal.



One thing I can be thankful for this season, is seeing these women's faces standing up for themselves and making themselves heard in the international media!