Sew and Save VII

Still a source of inspiration, but back in 1941 a necessary item; the piece-bag with small left-overs. I always have ribbons, small pieces of fabric, threads, buttons etc. Just can't throw them away....
This is what Joanna wrote:

ACCESSORIES FROM YOUR PIECE-BAG
Never throw away any odd pieces of material, as some kind of decorative or useful purpose can always be found for them. A well-ordered piece-bag will save you many odd pence from time to time, and will do much to relieve the monotony of a rationed wardrobe. 
It is better to store pieces in a large square  cardboard (hat)box than in a bag. If you put pieces of material, lengths of ribbon, buttons and buckles into a large bag they will get crumpled and 'mussed', the buckles are likely to tear delicate fabrics, the buttons drop to the bottom of the bag and get lost, and the bits of material become really dishearteningly crumpled. So find a large box, and get your bits and pieces in order.
Isn't this a lovely way to describe such a handy item.....

Sew and Save VI

Here's about another skill that we are loosing: darning.
Back in 1941 it was a common thing to do; clothes had to be kept as long as possible. I reckon we will need some time to practice this skill......

A DARN THAT LOOKS LIKE KNITTING
It may be that your most attractive jumper has a moth hole in it where it shows most. In this case you will have to mend it by grafting so that it won't show. Thread a needle with a length of matching wool and run it along the garment just before the place where the stitches have gone. Put it through two stitches at the lower part of the hole, draw it through, and pick up another tow stitches at the top of the the hole, then down again into the lower stitches. Draw up tightly enough to fill the gap, but not so tightly as to put any strain on the main section of the garment. Grafting forms a line of imitation knitting that is non-detectable. 
As long as a garment is not too far gone, neat efficient mending will give it a new lease of life. Repair where you can, and renovate where you can't.

                                                        Norfolk fisherman's jumper museum Sheringham 2011

Sew and Save V

Together with Sew and Save there's another great book from the forties in Britain: Make Do and Mend. This collection has reproductions from instruction leaflets. On clothes, fuel, household keeping etc.
Austerity out of need made everyone a hero in reinforcements and good care in those days. Here's on laundry:

YOUR HOUSEHOLD LINEN HAS GOT TO LAST!
Washing hints:
Mend all tears before washing- whether they are done at home or in the laundry. If you haven't time to do a proper darn catch tears together. Laundries are working under difficulties these days and a stitch in time will be appreciated.

Never let clothes or household linens get really dirty; several light washes are less harmful than one hard one and use soft water- rain water is best.

Dry out of doors when possible - the whites in the sun and the coloureds in the shade.

And indeed, there's nothing better than laundry freshly dried outdoors......

Sew and Save IV

And this is what Joanna Chase wrote in 1941 about bed time:

A BED-TIME ROUTINE FOR CLOTHES
Your three great allies in clothes care are heat, steam and a good, stiff brush. Always brush your clothes when you take them off at night, as dust left on overnight works its way into the material and is responsible for that grey 'bloom' on clothes. Buy several twopenny wooden hangers, so that when you hang your clothes up they fall into their natural folds and retain their shape. Be sure to get the hangers wide enough, so that the shoulders of clothes do not sag over the ends. Never hang a garment on a hook by its neck. If you do that, you simply ask for bulging neck-lines and sagging hems.

Come to think of it; it would maybe make us sleep better after this. Away from daily business, problems and thoughts in our minds. Just hang, brush properly and then sleep well...

Sew and save III

From 1941:
PRECAUTIONS IN PUTTING CLOTHES AWAY:
When you are storing clothes, remember that all shoes should be wrapped in newspaper, and all dark and heavy garments folded with sheets of newspaper between them. The printers' ink is disliked by moths. Mothballs, of course, are an elementary precaution.
Summer clothes should be stored in white paper so that they do not get soiled; hats put down crown downwards into large boxes, one crown into the next. If you are storing silk lingerie, or silk stockings that are new, do not wash them, but put them into an air-tight jar and seal the top. In tis way they will keep without perishing.

If you read this; we completely lost the skill of storing! The fight against moths is still going on today, and the newspaper method is worth doing, not harmful and very easy. I also have eco-bags with herbs that they don't like which I buy in my local organic shop.

Sew and Save II

If what you buy is precious to you, you will take care. Regarding clothes, that's what we've lost a bit. So read what Joanna said in 1941:

TAKE CARE OF YOUR CLOTHES
Clothes, like everything else in the world, respond to care and kindness in your treatment of them. If you look after them, they'll not only last you much longer but will retain indefinitely the speckless appearance they have when you bought them, thus giving you a well-groomed air which is more than half-way to being a well-dressed woman. The secret of looking after clothes is to make a regular job of it, just like washing up or sweeping the drawing-room carpet. Allot a few hours one day each week to going over your wardrobe for cleaning and repairing.
A few ours each week...but that must have been meant for the wardrobe of the whole family, or?

photo taken at the archetype exhibition in MMKA 2011

Sew and Save

I found a most inspiring small book published in Britain in 1941: 'Sew and Save' by Joanna Chase. It's a manual to assist women getting themselves and their families through war and crisis in decent clothes. The way she describes how to handle clothes when new, how to maintain them and  how to take special care; we can learn a lot from it in these days. In 1941 clothes were on coupons and money was poor. Nobody had too many clothes; however sustainability was not an issue back then. We in our times are struggling with our consciousness regarding the circumstances in the clothing industry, poor quality of cheap clothes an an ongoing fashion merry-go-round of 2 collections each year. In those days you had clothes that were produced in your own country, of good quality and were relatively expensive to buy. So taking care was important. Reading the book made me think how useful the descriptions and ideas are for us now. So here's the first:

TO PLAN YOUR WARDROBE
Every woman wants to be well dressed. At any time, but especially in war-time and now that clothes are rationed, this is a matter of planning rather than of plenty. So find five minutes to sit down with a piece of paper and pencil and plan your wardrobe carefully to fit in with the money you have to spend and the type of life you lead. Go over your existing clothes and make a list of what is still wearable, what will have to be replaced, and your next necessary and important 'buys'.
When you've done that decide on a colour scheme and stick to it, otherwise you'll find you have odd frocks that don't match your overcoat, or a sweater without a matching skirt, and not enough coupons to remedy these difficulties.

Social Design III

I'm off to Malawi tomorrow, to continue working with the women on the craft project. With them I've set up a structure, and we'll make an analysis of what worked and what not. Improvement is the aim, along their wishes and possibilities. I've made a business model of how a social design project can work. The book Material Change by Eve Blossom has been helpful, as well as other research and my previous experience. It's important to aim at individuals as well as the community for both development and poverty alleviation are among the targets. I'm also looking forward to meet them again, exchange and work hard. Each step, however small is a step forward......

NEW COLLECTION 2013

From tomorrow on my new collection 2013 HAND KNITTED VASES will be on sale at museum Boijmans van Beuningen in Rotterdam. A new exhibition will be openened: handmade. The value of crafts and craftmanship are central themes so I'm happy my collection was selected for the shop.

photo: Jeroen Dietz

Selvedge | the textiles of your life

And here's the review I wrote about this fabulous magazine. A very respectable age..... this is issue 50!
It's all about worldly textiles, rooted in tradition but with a bright vision for the future!
Hurray on it's way to issue 100..

Material Change III

I have almost finished this really good book by Eve Blossom. In the continuation of her interesting story of building Lulan Artisans she comes with some very important steps which I endorse:
Listen
Seems logic, but should not be forgotten; what do people want, need, which skills do they have? That takes time; in Malawi most of my work is to listen to the women and village leaders and discuss with them
Structure business around culture
If for instance agriculture is the main source of income, the crafts have to fit in. It cannot be the other way round; not realistic...
Build the company around people
It's important to get to know the people; some women might be shy but very skilled, others may be quite good leaders for the project.
Make meaningful products
That's a big issue; many so-called fair trade design is built around products that are not meaningful. Unsustainable decoration, things we don't need, or just for the Western market without any roots in the local culture rather than the skills.
Bring value
The project can add value to the community; it's important to stress that. Often women have a low position in the community, and are not used to be in the front. So step by step everybody in the community has to get used to the idea that the crafts are part of the way out of poverty.
Embrace community as your partner
The Malawian society is very traditional and has many rules. You have to respect those rules and work on getting everybody 'on board'. The Chief has to approve, for instance.
Incubate your future partners
Not specifically suitable for the craft projects I'm doing in Malawi, for they have their own local market, but it's all about endorsing any initiative.....

Material Change II

Halfway I am, reading this book by Eve Blossom. It's good; she says some very interesting things about (social) design. I can relate to her practice with Lulan Artisans through the craft projects in Malawi. Even with many differences, for the craft projects in Malawi are focusing on a local market, which is essential in this case. Still, we can learn from all of these projects.
Here's a few issues worth quoting:

Good design is creating enduring values. For good design sustainability and social good are new values. Essential is that local culture is partner in the ownership of a project.
Indeed these things are essential.  Enduring value has to do with beauty, longevity, material sources and social circumstances for production.
Social design and fairtrade don't work if you come in from abroad and push some 'design' into the community. That won't last, and has little to do with local strength.

For a strong development of social design we need disruptive entrepreneurship. 
Entrepreneurship that has a strong vision, that is grassroot, that doesn't wait for official canals to be ready. Indeed we, those with ideas, just have to do it. Make it happen. In Malawi we, the women and me, just started. I brought in the ideas, curated their skills, they were eager to just do it.

Material Change

I've just started reading Material Change, by Eve Blossom. A book in which she tells the story of how Lulan Artisans was established as a sustainable business in Vietnam. Design Thinking and the Social Entrepreneurship Movement - is the subtitle.
It's about design rooted in local culture, sustainability rooted in traditions.
The book has a wonderful poem by Fausto Contreras Lazo as a dedication:

"Our Forefathers"
In our hands they deposited
the tools that interweave our dreams,
what we see, what we feel, what we live.

In the weaving they taught us how
to weave with yarn the rainbow,
colors, with the fragrance of our country
from this, we cultivate and harvest.

They, too, did it this way, like this they flowered,
today we, their children, mark new trails,
together with our greatest teachers.

The photography by Mark Standen is beautiful, inspiring and clarifying.
Later more about the content.

Xmas by April&May

April&May is the wonderful webshop by my former students Jantine & Vivian. They sell the cute little hand knitted sheep from my collection. For Xmas they made these lovely photo's. I'm proud!

Unless You Remove

Last Tuesday I went to the Graduation Show of the Design Academy during Dutch Design Week. Always good to go there, very inspiring. It's great having taught there at the then-called master Man and Humanity, and I might teach there again.
From all the projects I've seen many were good, some were brilliant, some were unnecessary and some keep popping up in my mind. Here's one of the stars.
Luis Gomez Barquin. He graduated from the master Social Design. His project Unless You Remove is poetical, a sign of the times as well as a proof of the past.
Ancient architecture was purely for protection. Against weather, animals or human enemies. It was done by removing soil or excavating rock. Ancient garments were also made by removing. A fleece from a sheep, a bark from a tree. These were remade. All this needed focus and dedication.
Today's dangers and lifestyle are more complex, so products as well as garments are way beyond the ancient pieces. But we lost the skill of removal. We constantly add. That's also metaphoric and reflects our lives which are reigned by consumerism, speed and distraction.
But we can learn, and remove. Focus again, reflect, commit.
That's why Luis designed items that will become ours by removing elements. Objects that ask for an action, he calls them.
I fell in love with the idea, for it's part of the questions we have to ask ourselves: what do we really need, what can go? I fell in love with the objects as well.

the blanket is too thick to wrap yourself comfortably unless....

the chair is uncomfortable to sit on unless..........

Campaign for Wool I

Raised by Prince Charles, spreading over the fashion and design world: the campaign for wool. Wool has a traditional place in our daily lives since centuries. Wool is beautiful, wool is warm, wool is natural and organic, wool is recyclable, wool is fabulous. Wool however is threatened. Farmers hardly get any money for the fleeces they sheared from their flock and often just destroy the wool. Some wool, like merino, is often taken from the sheep in a cruel, painful way. So it's time for a change!
We must emphasize the beauty and heritage of wool. And make a new future for wool. That's why I've joined the campaign for wool.
It's obvious that wool is my favourite material for my handmade designs. On sale at Options, April&May and Royal Tichelaar in The Netherlands, and Deshima in Tokyo.
From 6 till 11 November it's woolweek. Many events, constantly updated via facebook.

Textile Design

At the moment I'm experimenting with combinations of different knitting techniques and different types of wool. Hand- and machine knitting, linen and wool, yarn sizes etc. Some things work, some don't. As usual, with experimenting! years ago I took knitting classes in Ireland, on the Aran islands. Besides wonderful days, I gained so much knowledge about how stitches actually work. Aran knitting is complicated, but also quite systematic. The teacher was strict; when it wasn't really perfect, she would undo all these stitches and you would have to start again. It was funny to see our behaviour in the class; we wanted to hide the mistakes from her, even while we were there as professionals to learn. And of course in the end we were glad she was so strict. I became much more confident and fluent in the process. So after this experience I'm able to design with knitting, rather than just be a good knitter. I'm sure there are many much better knitters than myself. But to understand the process, that's important for design.

Inspiration

Inspiration is an ongoing process. Everything can be useful as a source. For design, for a concept, for cooperation, for a process itself. Images, exhibitions, packages, books, articles, objects, samples. It's a great part of work to collect, organise and display. Here are some examples.

Fashion in the Countryside

Fashion in rural Malawi consists of a few elements: tradition, evolution and market. Traditionally women in Malawi wear a chitenji, like many women all over the African continent. A simple piece of fabric with colourful patterns which is tied around the waist. When pregnant they tie it around their chest, above the breasts. Most of the women still do. Sometimes the pattern is a message; from a women's organisation, the Catholic Church or an agriculture association. And more and more you see young women just wearing skirts, and they become shorter. Traditionally it was not allowed to see anything above the ankle, nowadays some skirts are just over the knee. The same for shirts; traditionally they were always with sleeves, but sleeveless or even just a vest becomes more common. That's the evolution.  And the market comes in as well. The second-hand clothes market in countries such as Malawi are booming. The crocs that Europe is bored of are widely seen here. Also the fake D&G's, the postmen-uniforms and the marketing. Besides the main load of shirts, trousers and jackets. So the colourful mixture also becomes a style mixture. For men it's slightly different. They roll their trousers, wear polo's, checkered shirts and uniforms. But there's nothing better than a man in a plain white shirt.

Social Design II

Local markets serve the community better than export I dare say. Except for products that are best made in those countries. From materials we don’t have here. Or techniques we don’t have. Trade is best if you trade each other’s quality products. That’s true fair trade.

Besides that these small businesses can improve more if they make useful products rather than decorative. Decoration has an end, neccessary products will always remain. Ther’s no ban on decoration, but then the 3 questions raised above should be answered first.

Do we really need this? Does it add to the quality of our daily lives and how? What is the footprint and can we reduce it?

I do believe it’s important to train people in developing countries in market opportunities, but why not locally? Is it the vanity of the designers here who like to get the credits for doing good? It’s easier to show you’re doing good when fancy products lie on shelves here.  And of course some products are wonderful and clever, such as the recycled car tyre baskets, or the bamboo textiles sold by Yumeko through Fair+Fair and others. Many, maybe most lorries and vans end up in developing countries so at the end of the line it’s good to make something useful out of the tyres. Bamboo doesn’t grow here and is more sustainable than cotton, so it’s wonderful to use it for textiles all over the world. Hurray for those products. And of course some products are symbolic such as bracelets to raise awareness. But garlands or small boxes? What about recycled glasses? Why don’t we support makers in developing countries to sell recycled glass locally? And recycle local glass here to make these products? Less transport, and a challenge for a much larger market for the makers there.

So every designer must look in the mirror, and then to the outer world. How social is the design you’re doing? I believe design can play a key role in development if the aim is to be useful and to optimise the opportunities for people involved.

With the projects I’m doing with women in Malawi we’ve also made the choice to develop the local market. They make hand-knitted products as well as baskets. I could take them with me and sell them here in a fancy shop. But now the women work locally, buy or harvest their material locally, trade themselves locally, and the money flows directly into their own pockets. The only role I play is to develop the concepts with them and accelarate their skills. A very satisfying role I must say. I think that’s more useful in the long term. For they become more independent.  Stronger. And a role model for others. Like this a small project can be the pebble in the water, the seed in fertile soil. Growth is what's developed by people themselves.