Who Makes your clothes? - part 1
Have you ever wondered who makes your clothes?
Fair Trade Products
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Meet Our Artisans
We source and manufacture Fair Trade textiles from India and the surrounding regions.
Our priority is to support community and family life in areas where craft is under pressure or in decline whilst maintaining the highest ethics and quality possible.
Our artisans are our family, click through to meet #WhoMadeYourClothes
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Plus Sizes for Curvy women
Enjoy plus sized clothing for the more curvaceous woman.
The Indigo Blues.
If you love Indigo - this is the process of how it creates that amazing blue...
Yabba Dabu Doo!
One of my favourite forms of Hand Block printing is Dabu. This is the ancient art of using Mud as a resist to 'block out' or 'resist' the dye when printing.
wooden blocks (usually teak wood) are carved into your design which are then dipped into a bowl of the prepared mud and then placed gently onto the fabric and given a light thump to imprint the design.
The beauty of Dabu is the Mud! Its viscous nature makes the whole printing process so much more fun and the end results more fluid.
This is repeated over the whole fabric in a pattern repeat. Sawdust is used to sprinkle on top of the mud to hold it in place when dyeing the fabric. the fabric is then placed in the sun to dry.
Once dry the fabric is ready for its first dip into the indigo pit. This is where the magic happens as the fabric comes out of the dye a beautiful green colour and as it hits the air starts to oxidise and turn blue as the indigo bonds with the fibres. It is then left out in the sun to dry ready for the final washing stage.
Once the mud is finally washed out of the your printed fabric your Dabu resist print is revealed in all its glory....
Cuddles With An Elephant
When travelling to Rajasthan in India, one the must do travel experiences is to go for a ride on an elephant. The small elephant village outside of Jaipur near to the Amber fort in Amer, is where you can meet some of the most affectionate and well-loved elephants you could want to meet.
The dusty road that leads to the elephants takes you off track where the road opens up in to a beautiful dry river bed. You hear the throaty calls of the elephants before you see them. Grinning broadly, you are ushered into meet your ride for the afternoon. Anushka nudges me as I go in for a hug and a photo, she is the mother of the herd and you can feel her affectionate mothering instincts as she patiently waits for you to finish.
Ones dignity goes flying out the window as you attempt to mount your ride and get adjusted to the view from your new height.
It’s one of those joyful experiences that India has to offer, as you gain a beautiful insight into these gentle giants’ mischievous personalities and warm character. I will always remember my first cuddle with an elephant…
The dusty road that leads to the elephants takes you off track where the road opens up in to a beautiful dry river bed. You hear the throaty calls of the elephants before you see them. Grinning broadly, you are ushered into meet your ride for the afternoon. Anushka nudges me as I go in for a hug and a photo, she is the mother of the herd and you can feel her affectionate mothering instincts as she patiently waits for you to finish.
Ones dignity goes flying out the window as you attempt to mount your ride and get adjusted to the view from your new height.
It’s one of those joyful experiences that India has to offer, as you gain a beautiful insight into these gentle giants’ mischievous personalities and warm character. I will always remember my first cuddle with an elephant…
