Since 2004, Maiwa Handprints has been bringing together the world's leading textile artisans for an annual meeting of creative minds.
The 2014 Maiwa Textile Symposium kicked off earlier this month and runs until early November. It includes 12 lectures, 46 workshops, two events and three exhibitions that cover all things textile - from weaving and dying to felt-making and rug-hooking. Most events take place at the loft above Maiwa's Granville Island retail store, or at Maiwa East in Vancouver.
Two North Vancouver residents are among the impressive roster of experienced artisans leading hands-on workshops. Bonnie Adie is teaching the sold-out Art of Embroidery course Sept. 23 to 25 and Gaye Hansen is leading two bookbinding workshops, Oct. 27 to 29 and Oct. 30 to Nov. 1, both of them also sold out. Adie, who is involved with the North Shore Needle Arts Guild, has been participating in the Maiwa symposium as a volunteer and instructor for many years.
"I love teaching and I like having people leave the room very excited about learning something new and something they can use with all kinds of different textiles," she says.
Her always-popular workshop will introduce students to a long list of traditional embroidery stitches that originated in Europe, the Americas and Asia.
"I think more and more textiles are incorporating hand-stitch, and I think it's important to learn good technique, first of all, and then you can take it whichever way you want," Adie says, explaining her approach gives students a jumping off point. "Here is the traditional way of doing these stitches and then you can combine them later or you can increase and decrease size, the kind of threads you stitch with."
Students might use their newly acquired skills to decorate clothing or add texture to a piece of fabric that has already had its surface designed.
"Really there's an unlimited avenue after you've learned the stitches."
Hansen's bookbinding courses also prove extremely popular year after year and appeal to a range of learners who want to make their own books using a variety of binding techniques.
"Many people are travellers and they want to be able to collate the goodies that they find along their travels and have them all in one spot," Hansen says, adding that educators who work with children find the craft useful to teach to youngsters.
"They can do their science projects or their social studies projects in a book format and they can even make their books to begin with."
Many others are drawn to bookbinding because it is such an ancient art.
Hansen, also a master weaver and author of five cookbooks, bound her first book using a kit in 1999 and has been intrigued by the craft ever since.
Both she and Adie plan to attend some of the talks and workshops being offered at this year's symposium.
"It's a unique opportunity, I think, throughout the world. There's nothing like this anywhere," says Adie.
Visit maiwa.com to see a schedule of workshops, lectures and events.
