{"title":"Selvedge Magazine","description":"\u003cp\u003ePolly Leonard launched Selvedge in 2004 to celebrate their cerebral and sensual addiction to cloth while promoting skillfully made and carefully considered textiles. The magazine tells the stories and lives of the talented makers that are featured. Their stories acknowledge the significance of textiles as a part of everyone’s life.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-106","title":"Selvedge Issue 106: Cloth \u0026 Identity","description":"\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eWith war once again in Europe a reality, it seems timely for Selvedge to examine flags: their importance, heritage, and meaning. Ostensibly, a flag is a piece of cloth onto which meaning is projected. They can mean different things to different people: a symbol of both love and hate, and both freedom and oppression. Flags can unite, divide, and even terrorize. In this issue, we explore how a piece of cloth has been transformed into one of the most powerful symbols in our cultural repertoire. In her article, You Can't Eat a Flag, Dr Catherine Harper examines how artists across the world have used flags to subvert and question our society.  \u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\" style=\"color: #4d5156; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #4d5156; font-family: arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px;\"\u003eJohann Wolfgang Goethe\u003c\/span\u003e, the German writer, proclaimed that “a country starts with a name and a flag and then becomes them.” Flags unquestionably stir loyalty: citizens pledge allegiance to, and use the desecration of, flags as a protest or way to express political dissent. Generations of the military have lived and died for a flag on the battlefield. In military funerals, the flag is draped over the coffin, eventually with reverence these colors are laid up in churches, the length and breadth of England turned to dust. When we celebrate Her Majesty the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in June, the sales of flags and bunting will boom. During the celebrations, spare a thought for the power of the flag.  Of course, it is not just flags that communicate identity. Other textiles have been used to brand a nation, such as Israel’s fashion diplomacy in the postwar years, and as a symbol of cultural identity, communicated through the Romanian blouse. We dive deep into this cultural icon and invite you to make your own no-waste blouse in our workshop. When cultural identity is threatened it is often textiles that artists turn to express their descent, as we see in the delicate powerful stitched work of Belarusian Rufina Bazlova and the Sami artist, Britta Marakatt-Labba.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePolly Leonard, Founder \u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u0026amp; Editor of Selvedge Magazine\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42737199317247,"sku":"9771742254051 106","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/products\/cover106-04_d5270bff-fe2f-402a-bc93-c6e2e5f2ba12.jpg?v=1651334124"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-107-high-summer","title":"Selvedge Issue 107: High Summer","description":"\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eHIGH SUMMER: Keeping Cool in Linen and Lace\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLinen is one of the oldest and most environmentally sustainable fibres. It has undoubted ethical and aesthetic appeal. Derived from the flax plant, the second-most productive fibre crop, it is surpassed only by hemp.  Linen flourishes organically, and in contrast to cotton, needs only rainwater to thrive, which fortunately is in abundance in the swath of land that stretches along the coast from Brittany in France through Flanders to Friesland in the Netherlands, where the crop is cultivated today. The processing of linen is also simple and can be undertaken domestically, as is demonstrated by several projects, described in Dr John Ennis’ article ‘The Good Seed on the Land’, that have successfully reintroduced linen cultivation across Europe.   We are watching the weather with anticipation for just the right moment for the harvest to begin at the Linen Project in the Netherlands which will be live-streamed as a Slow TV experience. See the Selvedge website for updates.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLinen has strong hollow fibres with almost no elasticity. Its ability to absorb 20% of its weight in moisture makes it an ideal summer fabric, but when this moisture evaporates, the fibres are prone to crease. This is a quality that has been exploited through the centuries by lacemakers in Flanders and the coiffes of Brittany, as well as contemporary artists like Mercedes Vincente, who relies on linen’s ability to hold a fold in her shell-inspired sculpture.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eLinen lost favour in the late 20th century partly due to the perception that it was a high-maintenance fibre; yet, once formality was abandoned in favour of a more casual look, linen took off again. In this issue, we explore the work of makers who employ the relaxed quality of linen to great effect: recently deceased Alison Morton, who wove extraordinary-ordinary textiles, and Jackie Parsons is inspired by the Dutch masters’ uber-comfortable, informal domestic bliss.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eThe lustre and softness of linen make it an obvious choice for printers, seen in the contemporary stencilled work of Pauline Greuell in the Netherlands, as well as, in a tiny town near Italy’s northeastern coast, where the unique art of handmade, rust-printed textiles is still alive thanks to a piece of living history: a massive stone-and-wood mangle designed, in part, by Leonardo da Vinci.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAs the mercury rises, our attention turns to the sun and we look at ‘The New Sun’, a body of work by Caroline McQuarrie, that explores what life might have been like for the women living with or alongside the miners in early-colonial Aotearoa New Zealand.  \u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eFinally, representations of ‘Solar Worship \u0026amp; Symbolism’ amongst Indian and Mexican communities by Sophie Vent show us the importance of the warmth of the sun in all our lives. If you are doing a little sun- worshiping yourself, pop a copy of Selvedge in your beach bag! Happy reading!\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003ePolly Leonard\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42976100548863,"sku":"9771742254051 107","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/products\/107CoverDigitalNEW.jpg?v=1656518460"},{"product_id":"copy-of-selvedge-issue-112-wonder","title":"Selvedge Issue 112: Wonder","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOn my return flight from Kochi, I reflect on a wonderful month spent in the company of a group of engaging Selvedge readers, with whom I shared many experiences and became fast friends. One of my lasting impressions from this Selvedge tour of India is how inspiring it is to see a country embracing a new epoch that, with government support, has shaken off the shackles of the past. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis attitude is reflected worldwide in communities previously oppressed by colonial powers, who suffered the barbaric practice of enslavement, cruel segregationist policies and institutionalised racism but are now emancipated, self-confident, and taking centre stage. These makers previously excluded from the European canon are embracing ancestral knowledge, regional materials, and craft practices, transforming them into sustainable practices born out of a desire for a future based on social justice. In this issue, Annebella Pollen describes Sonya Clark’s unravelling of the Confederate Battle flag as a symbolic dismantling of white supremacy. African fashion designers Daniel Olantunji and Imane Ayissi reimagine local materials and ancestral techniques to fashion garments that demonstrate craft skills long dismissed in Europe. Their energy and creativity are driving global society.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe tourism industry in India acknowledges a comprehensive view of culture, free from the class constraints that limit our vision in the UK. Unlike the UK, India has ratified the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, a point Jane Audas underlines in her review of Making Mischief at Compton Verney. This convention encourages a broader view of cultural heritage, including, as we enjoyed on our trip, a Kathakali dance performance in Kerala and the Amber Fort in Jaipur. Just imagine if Visit England promoted the work of willow basketmakers with the same vigour as Blenheim Palace: we would deliver a more diverse visitor experience and generate much-needed income for the crafts sector.\u003cspan class=\"Apple-converted-space\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":43963006845183,"sku":"9771742254051-112","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/SV112coverPLKCV2.jpg?v=1682525455"},{"product_id":"copy-of-selvedge-issue-113-raw","title":"Selvedge Issue 113: Raw","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAt our recent event Pattern Play, Kirk Brown shared his passion for mid-century modern printed textiles with the Selvedge audience – the recording is available if you missed the live event. Similar cheerful patterns can be seen in the textile designs of Andy Warhol displayed at the Fashion and Textile Museum, London, until 10 September: they capture the optimistic mood of the postwar recovery when fabric was scarce, and consumers were looking for cheap and cheerful prints.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eTextiles always reflect the times in which they are made, and now sustainability is at the forefront of our consciousness, ancient fabrics are at the vanguard. We see plain woven structures constructed from undyed yarn used to create textured surfaces. Materials that demonstrate our desire for a connection to the earth, reject the digital age and acknowledge a simpler life are our focus. In this issue, Rachel Baker finds respite from failing health by relocating to the Luberon, France, where she forages for plants to use to dye vintage linens in a regenerative practice. Marjolein Hessels takes a scientific approach to dye her threads with the same plants she chooses to represent in stitch. Regular contributor Magali An Berthon introduces us to artists working at the intersection of hard and soft materials.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIlama in Argentina and Llanatura in Mallorca exploit the beauty of undyed fibre to form sustainable businesses. At the same time, Karen Selik explains why wild sericulture in central and eastern India exemplifies Gandhian principles written into the Indian constitution in 1950. Designers in Mexico take on the legacy of the once-global sisal industry to find new applications for the fibre of the agave cactus. Closer to home, in a Herculean endeavour, Allan Brown undertakes to weave a dress from foraged nettle. We follow his seven summers of nettle and seven winters of spinning in Dylan Howitt’s documentary, The Nettle Dress, on 28 June – part of our summer screenings season. See the website for details.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI will leave you with the thought Rachel Baker lives by: “Don’t take more than you need,” aptly illustrated in an advertisement by Tate Steel, available on YouTube. If you are out and about, we hope to see you at the Selvedge Fair, The American Museum, Cleverton, Bath, on 9 September 2023.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44115666206975,"sku":"9771742254051-113","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/SV113_COVERcopy.jpg?v=1687366767"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-114-regeneration","title":"Selvedge Issue 114: Regeneration","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe industrial revolution transformed the quiet rural backwater of East Lancashire into an engine of textile production at the epicentre of a web that stretched across the globe, commandeering human and environmental resources across continents in a cycle of labour, manufacture, and trade, which we now know is unsustainable. We trace the routes of fibres and fabrics across centuries to and from the north of England, from the so-called “slave cloth,” spun and woven by hand on the Pennine moors, to the bales of used fast fashion that make their way from British High Streets to the markets and toxic mountains of waste in West Africa.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn this issue, we discover that all roads lead to Lancashire, such as the streets of Ahmedabad in Gujarat, India, known as the “Manchester of the East,” and where Mahatma Gandhi found support for his freedom struggle from Indigenous mill owners. Gandhi visited Darwin in 1931 to apologize to the local mill workers affected by his boycott of British goods. Gandhi, in turn, was inspired by the work of Ethel Mairet, who had found inspiration in the handweaving she observed when visiting (Ceylon) Sri Lanka. She, in turn, supported the Bauhaus designer Otti Berger to find work at Helios in Bolton when she fled Nazi Germany in 1936.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Lancashire landscape and its inhabitants are shaped by the industry that grew over two centuries and has now all but disappeared, leaving an indelible mark on people and places. Using the sites and spaces left by the textile industry, including the Cotton Exchange in Blackburn, as inspiration, context, and venue, we might ask: can making textiles be regenerative? In response, artists from around the world present sustainable relationships between the land, the people who live on it, and the textiles that come from it, investigating pre-industrial models from homegrown, handspun flax in Blackburn to cotton production in Benin.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44216830787839,"sku":"9771742254051-114","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/cover114.webp?v=1692285043"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-115-pioneers","title":"Selvedge Issue 115: Pioneers","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you can’t see it, you can’t be it. The importance of role models can’t be overestimated, especially for emerging makers. As a new graduate over thirty years ago, I was fortunate to benefit from talented teachers and advocates whose belief in my ability far outstretched my own; Chrissie White and Mary Schoeser are familiar names in the textile world, but our community is peppered with such pioneers whose vision and tenacity have impacted society beyond their immediate circle. In this issue, we spotlight these unsung heroes: Jenny Tiramani, the principal of the School of Historic Dress, whose force of personality galvanised a team of enthusiasts to create a world-leading institution. Dan Driscoll, the founder of The Anou, developed a computer system based on pictograms to give illiterate artisans in Morocco agency over selling their work to a global audience. The founders of NGOs in Kutch, India, who have worked tirelessly for decades to elevate and preserve the region’s unique crafts and eliminate exploitation. Others, such as Her Majesty Queen Azizh of Malaysia’s Royal Pahang Weaving prison project, use their privileged platform to benefit others. We celebrate these individuals whose tenacity has turned their passion to good use. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOver the last decade, we have seen entrepreneurs and influencers take centre stage as the monetising of crafts has come to represent success in our community. Some early adopters have garnered a large following, as described by Beth Wingarder in her article Historic Clothing Come Back and we thank them for enriching our lives. It is a seductive ideology that declares anyone and everyone can achieve work-life balance by pumping their passion for profit. The trend exacerbated by the cost of living crisis, accessibility of platforms such as Etsy and Folksy, the romanticised version of the life of craftspeople portrayed on Instagram and the minimal financial outlay needed to initiate textile crafts. This is only part of the story. The labour innate to many textile crafts conflicts with the profit motive, killing the joy and leaving makers working long hours to fulfill orders for little remuneration. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI am inspired by Dr. Christine Millar, who states that sewing as a hobby allows her to engage in art on her terms. The idea that something beautiful only has value once sold makes me question the value our society places on making. I leave you with some food for thought – can textile crafts have value solely because they give us pleasure, define our identity, and make us feel fulfilled, or do we have to register a domain name every time we start a new knitting project? With this issue, I grant our readers permission to potter.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44429090226431,"sku":"9771742254051-115","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/Issue115Cover.jpg?v=1697901142"},{"product_id":"copy-of-selvedge-issue-117-irresistible","title":"Selvedge Issue 117: Irresistible","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFor Mira Gupta, as she writes in her article “Lessons in Chemistry,” “There’s something thrilling about resist dyeing. You control the dye but not the result. It’s like controlled chaos, a surprise party in every vat.” Such a boldly colourful assertion prompted me to question what it is it about resist dyeing that makes it irresistible.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eWhen Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama brought vibrant hand-painted palampores back from India in 1498, Europeans, used to humble wool, linen, and hemp, were mesmerised. This was the beginning\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eof a violent trade that climaxed 100 years later with the establishment of various “East India Companies” and the peaking of the “calico craze,” in the late 17th century. So, is it the spectrum available via\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003ea mordant-and-resist sequence that makes resist dyeing irresistible?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eRemember, indigo is a pigment dye, impossible to apply to the surface of cloth using a brush or a block. So, to achieve a blue and white design, it is necessary to create a mechanical or chemical resist and submerge the cloth in a dye bath. In her article “True Blue,” Liz Hoggard uncovers contemporary brands mastering the techniques to produce slow fashion favourites. Is it an abundance of the world’s favourite colour combinations that makes resist dye irresistible?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eHuman beings are hard-wired to find patterns everywhere. Patterns created through resist dyeing are found all over the world, and from intricate multi-coloured ikat in Uzbekistan and the 16-stage process used to create Ajrak in Gujarat. Is it the place it holds in much of humanity’s intangible cultural heritage that makes resist dyeing irresistible?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003e2024 is the International Year of Batik, see batikinternational.com for details, and in this issue, collector Rudolf Smend explains why he is drawn to the apex of the craft practices in Indonesia. Yet this one technique has many forms of expression, from the Arabic-inspired designs of Nazek Hamdi to the precise patterns achieved in Miao batik from China. Is it its versatility that makes resist dying irresistible?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eI would love to learn what makes resist dyeing irresistible for you. Post an image of a special textile on Instagram and tag us with the hashtag #IrresistibleResist.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44869705072895,"sku":"9771742254051-117","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/SV117_COVER_600x600_348ad30e-76e5-428a-af57-61dc6cefcb55.webp?v=1709387472"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-118-hand-in-hand","title":"Selvedge Issue 118: Hand in Hand","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eMay \/ June 2024   \u003c\/em\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThis issue goes to press hot on the heels of my return from the Selvedge Textile Tour of India. I want to take this opportunity to thank my team for going above and beyond in putting the magazine together in my absence, to Katerina, Catherine, Florencia, Kate, and Ella – without your dedication; this issue simply would not have been possible. I also want to thank Param Pandya and Ravi Ramswami in India and all of the hundreds of artisans, designers, and curators from Ladakh to Kerala who invited us into their homes and hearts – your warmth and hospitality will stay with us forever.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeading a tour has highlighted the importance of teamwork, and in this issue, we focus on working hand-in-hand with others. For instance, the special relationship between teacher and student is explored in Nicola Miles’s article about her teacher and mentor, Lou Taylor. In this article, Taylor describes the pleasure of watching students encounter historic garments for the first time. In another story, we discover how Nike Davies-Okundaye balances the pleasure of solitary work and what she gains from sharing her skills by burning the midnight oil!\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSuccessful collaborations come in many forms and involve different levels of cooperation. Madrid-based Milliners Maleza joined forces with Claudy Jongstra in her LOADS project – the resulting hats were the outcome of discrete contributions from both designers. Similarly, when designer Odette Blum invited 27 artists to respond to a theme, she gave them a free hand – the project culminated in a book that celebrates their different visions. As Elizabeth King, Head of Costume Production at the Royal Opera House in London, explains, collaborations with more rigid external parameters require more skilled negotiations. Yet, when costume designer Sandy Powell realised a director’s vision, ultimate insight, intuition, and even greater communication were needed.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eDuring my time in India, I came face-to-face with collaborations between artisans and designers where both parties were equally respected. From this position of strength, they could overcome the challenges facing the craft community. The information age has brought new opportunities and the promise of a better quality of life but it also threatens the survival of the intangible cultural heritage of hand work. Thao Phuong shares her account of how artisan Phan Thi Thuan navigates the symbiotic relationship between tourists and craft in Vietnam by contributing to the greater interest in lotus-silk weaving and deftly demonstrating how crafts can survive hand in hand with tourism.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRamesh Menon of Save the Loom warns in Vinita Makhija’s article “Hope for Handloom” about “handmade being positioned on the premise of charity.” He notes, “Most who venture to support continue to play this card, damaging the sector. Handmade is the ultimate luxury and needs to be positioned and marketed in that realm.” Views shared by Madhu Vaishnav of Saheli Women, a co-operative based in Rajasthan. In a round-table conversation, Makhaja’s panel contributed insights into how technology can be used in tandem with the craft sector for mutual benefit. I leave you with the thought that perhaps to save craft; we must collaborate with technology.\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45371472969983,"sku":"9771742254051-118","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/image_327.jpg?v=1714396237"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-120-carpet-magic","title":"Selvedge Issue 120: Carpet Magic","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\" data-mce-style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSolomon’s carpet was reportedly made of green silk with a golden weft, 60 miles long and 60 miles wide. According to the Jewish fable, “when Solomon sat upon the carpet, he was caught up by the wind, and sailed through the air so quickly that he breakfasted at Damascus and supped in Media.” The term magic carpet is believed to have its roots in Persian and Arabian folklore, particularly in the collection of stories known as One Thousand and One Nights. These tales, compiled during the Islamic Golden Age, introduced the concept of a carpet that possessed magical powers to defy the laws of gravity and transport individuals to distant lands, evoking a sense of wonder, freedom, and exploration. Similar mystical carpets exist in Indian, Russian, Tibetan, and Chinese folklore. Their presence invites us to ask: What’s so special about carpets that they have been given magical powers?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe carpet responds to the fundamental human need of enclosure, defining and giving form to living space. It serves as protection against the limitless scales of space and time. It is both a house and temple, a place of shelter and leisure, and a place for prayer. The frame of the carpet cuts and delineates a portion of infinite space, devoting it to human existence, as is demonstrated in primary school classrooms up and down the country. Carpet time is a space where unity, respect for one another, turn-taking and working together towards a shared goal are encouraged.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cem\u003eAs Ginger Gregg Duggan and Judith Hoos Fox, co-editors of this issue, state in their article “Breaking New Ground,” “it is because the carpet is an object of daily use throughout cultures and across societal stratifications [...] that it offers an entry point for artists’ manipulations, reinterpretations, and new creations. It provides the context to merge past with present, serious history with pop culture, and stereotypically Eastern and Western ideologies.” In this issue, we highlight contemporary artists exploring the frugal craft of rag-rug making, digital interpretations, prayer rugs, flat-woven kilims traded across continents, tattie rugs from Shetland, and the prison rugs of Jaipur.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSuspend disbelief and take a ride on our magic carpet as we merge imaginative storytelling, cultural exchange, and timeless human fascination with the extraordinary.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46076785230079,"sku":"9771742254051-120","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/FrontCover120_600x600_484d284c-3146-445a-9cf0-9e5bd6d6bac2.webp?v=1724506797"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-122-winter-white","title":"Selvedge Issue 122: Winter White","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAfter renting my house in London and moving to New York, to fund my daughter’s master's degree, I expected walks in Central Park, bagels at the local deli, and gallery openings in Soho. What I didn’t expect was the climate clock in Union Square, ticking away the seconds before climate change is irreversible. According to the clock at last count, we have 4 years, 288 days, 16 hours, and 27 minutes: one might imagine that this shocking news would stop passers-by in their tracks and prompt immediate action, yet the bustling crowds walk by without a second glance.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKate Fletcher, a regular contributor to Selvedge since issue 9 in 2005, recently posted on LinkedIn reflecting on her 25-year career promoting sustainability: she commented that 25 years ago, sustainability was such a new field that she could read everything on the subject; now, this would be impossible. Despite a quarter of a century in which the world has been abuzz with theories about sustainability, the supply chain’s “innovations”, and government legislation, nothing has changed. Back then, we thought that if people knew the hidden truth behind fast fashion, sales would drop, and the problem would be resolved. All we had to do was get the message out. Undoubtedly, we were naive, and sustainability has now become a marketing gimmick to sell even more clothes. In her post, Fletcher quotes Frederic Jameson, who said, “It is now easier to imagine the end of the world than an end to capitalism.” \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eClearly,  new approach is needed, because it is impossible to stop the fast fashion juggernaut. If we can’t stop consumerism, we must educate and encourage consumers to make more informed choices, which brings us to this issue’s theme. We take a deep dive into compostable fibre: the overwhelming majority of wool, linen, cotton, and silk, in its unprocessed state, is a neutral shade, from white through grey, to black. More often associated with summer, white fibre has long been prized with the wool trade as the backbone of the mediaeval English economy, as explored by Juliet Drummer. Bringing us up to date, Brinda Gill visits the Government Cocoon Market in Ramanagara, India, to see how trade is conducted today. Artist Shradha Kochar uses raw khadi cotton as her material of choice in her expressive works that explore familial connection. While challenging to achieve and maintain, as described by Sophie Vent in her article on bleaching, white has been the symbol of status and wealth for millennia, from Royal India to rural Ireland. \u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAccording to the United Nations Environment Program, textile dye is the second-largest global water polluter and the fashion industry’s biggest offender. If you are weary of greenwashing, confused by the options available, and looking for a way to minimise the environmental impact of your wardrobe, consider the quiet luxury of winter white. In the words of Kate Fletcher, “We can start to do this in many and plural ways, acting to shift things deeply, locally, lightly, beautifully, simply.”\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46422971613439,"sku":"9771742254051-22","price":28.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/WhatsAppImage2024-10-31at15.54.28_600x600_657a316c-26ef-4b76-befb-86613c8d62c3.webp?v=1734793792"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-129","title":"Selvedge Issue 129: Repeat","description":"\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn the opening episode of \u003ci\u003eGame of Wool\u003c\/i\u003e, Di Gilpin, one of the judges, is caught on camera saying that “every stitch counts.” Anyone who practices a handicraft will understand this sentiment and how a moment’s inattention can be glaringly obvious to a trained eye. The overwhelming majority of textile techniques are built on the repetition of small gestures: stitches, loops, picks, and marks. When we concentrate on each one, something remarkable happens. Our minds are quiet, and our everyday troubles are set aside. We are absorbed in the rhythm of the process for a while, and the craft becomes a form of meditation. Like music, it is not only the gestures themselves that matter but also the spaces between them. In print, this becomes negative space; in knitting, it is tension. It is the subtle interplay of movement and pause, gesture and spacing, that gives a handmade object its vitality, something industrial manufacture can never truly replicate. In her article, Celia Pym lists a number of reasons why we should emphasize craft education: creative problem solving, resilience and self-discipline, connection to cultural heritage, increased self-esteem, and the mental-health benefits of making. She also emphasizes the simple \u003ci\u003ejoy\u003c\/i\u003e of it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eIn this issue, we spotlight makers from around the world who focus on the power of repeated gesture, including Dahyeon Yoo from South Korea; London-based Sayan Chanda and Richard McVittie; and Hansika Sharma alongside the duo Doyel Joshi and Neil Ghose Balser of \u003cem\u003eHow Are You Feeling Studio\u003c\/em\u003e. Together, their work embodies the Aristotelian idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The sense that an object can take on a life of its own emerges only when each gesture is given care, attention, and intention, allowing synergy to arise. When gestures are rearranged to form pattern connecting to they speak to our humanity. When a handmade product is undervalued and external pressures of time and economics intrude, this care is disrupted, and the process becomes strained, as depicted in the touring play \u003ci\u003eLacrima\u003c\/i\u003e. So when you turn to your own form of craft meditation, remember the wisdom of Aesop’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare: slow and steady wins the race, and every stitch truly does count.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48183699636479,"sku":"9771742254068","price":32.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/129_Cover.jpg?v=1771511830"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-130-flower","title":"Selvedge Issue 130: Flower","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eSpending time away from home has sharpened my sense of what truly matters, of the small, grounding things that make a place feel lived in and loved. These details take on a heightened importance, perhaps more than they strictly deserve: a log-burning stove, Radio 4, and, most of all, a garden. Every inch of my modest, northeast-facing London terrace works hard.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eA COVID-era newcomer to gardening, I restricted myself to white flowers, partly to make the task manageable, partly because restraint feels familiar. As a weaver, I am instinctively drawn to structure – Italianate order rather than English cottage-garden abandon – and I have taken pleasure in planning for vertical and horizontal interest, considering texture as carefully as form. The architectural spheres of alliums rise above a sea of cosmos; delicate agapanthus punctuate mounds of hydrangea, set against a backdrop of perfumed climbing jasmine. Learning what these plants like and dislike has involved a process of trial and error: moving things around, watching closely, waiting to see what thrives and what quietly fails.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe parallels with textile making are obvious. Gardening, like weaving, demands patience and forethought, a willingness to start over, and an acceptance of the unexpected. Plans are made, systems imposed, yet the final outcome always contains an element of surprise.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eTextile makers’ fascination with plants, of course, is nothing new. For centuries, flowers have provided both subject and substance: from Marie-Jeanne “Rose” Bertin’s floral adornments for Marie Antoinette, to the use of plants as dyes and embellishment, to the countless ways petals, stems, and leaves have been translated into thread. Beyond cloth, floral forms have appeared in ribbon, print, and paint, their shapes endlessly reinterpreted.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn this issue, we explore the enduring relationship between textiles and the botanical world. We visit the Southampton garden of textile designer Jack Lenor Larsen, shaped by Japanese ideas of balance and restraint, and encounter the delicate cut-paper florals of Japanese artist Fumi Imamura. Flowers emerge as a favoured motif for embroidery in Lanto Millington Synge’s collection, donated to the Ulster Museum, while in Corsica, a community of women comes together to celebrate the flora and fauna of their island home through stitch.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cem\u003eElsewhere, haute couture designers draw on botanical imagery at the Palais Galliera in Paris; vintage tablecloths are reworked into shirts with a twist by Christina Garcia; and Aneeth Arora offers a riotous homage to Tana Lawn, Liberty of London’s perennial favourite. Across these diverse practices, plants remain a source of structure and freedom, discipline and abundance – much like a garden itself.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48435087212799,"sku":"9771742254051-30","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/SV130_COVER_600x600_c45b4b19-fdd9-4f98-a237-f847219098df.webp?v=1777144029"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-131-flow","title":"Selvedge Issue 131: Flow","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eA little over a century ago, the notion of abundant clean water flowing from a tap would have been unimaginable to most. Today, it is so seamlessly embedded in daily life that it goes unnoticed. This quiet ubiquity has fostered not only a culture of abundance but also a belief in superabundance – the illusion that natural resources will replenish themselves indefinitely. Nowhere is this more evident than in textiles, where water remains the invisible yet essential ingredient at almost every stage of production.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFrom fibre to finished cloth, water underpins the entire process. Silk cocoons are submerged to soften the sericin that binds their filaments, allowing them to be reeled. Cotton cultivation relies heavily on irrigation; wool is scoured before carding; and bast fibres such as flax, hemp, and jute are retted to break down pectins and release their fibres, which are then wet spun. Cloth is fulled, dyed, washed, worn, and washed again. Each stage draws deeply on water resources, contributing to the textile industry’s position as one of the world’s largest sources of water pollution.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn this issue, we turn to water – the sacred solvent – and explore its profound entanglement with textiles. While 97 percent of the Earth’s water is saline, saltwater presents particular challenges for cloth. Salt, sun, and abrasion accelerate the degradation of fibres, a reality long understood by coastal communities. The fishwives of Newhaven adapted their dress and the gansies they knit for their husbands to withstand these harsh maritime conditions, embedding resilience into every stitch. Though the fishing industry has largely receded, traditions endure. At the annual Clovelly Herring Festival in Devon, England, textile practitioners gather to preserve and reinterpret maritime craft. Along the shoreline, contemporary designers draw inspiration from beachcombed seaweed, captivated by its form, tactility, and latent potential as a material.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWater is not only a medium of making but also a site of contestation. As Robert Macfarlane argues in Is a River Alive?, rivers are not passive resources but living systems deserving of legal and cultural recognition. Freshwater – so scarce in global terms – has historically sustained centres of textile production from Belgium’s linen industry and England’s woollen mills to India’s celebrated cotton-dyeing traditions. Yet these same waterways have borne the burden of industrial waste and ecological neglect. Encouragingly, a new generation of designers and makers is rethinking these relationships. In places such as Baroda and Jaipur, textile printers are implementing rainwater harvesting and greywater filtration systems, demonstrating that sustainable practice can be embedded within tradition.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn the brackish backwaters of Kerala, where lagoons and canals run parallel to the Arabian Sea, water sustains both ecology and craft. Here, the lotus – sacred to Hindu and Buddhist traditions – carries symbolic meaning while also serving as a literal source of fibre. Among these waterways, men loiter, dressed in fluid, undyed cotton lungis, their movements echoing the rhythms of the water itself.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eFluidity in textiles extends beyond material process into the realm of expression. Fabrics cut on the bias move with the body, resisting rigidity and binary definition. They suggest a way of being that is adaptive, responsive, and open. In this convergence of self-care, health, and well-being, hand-dyed cloth becomes both medium and metaphor: a tactile articulation of identity, transition, and continuity.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAnd so, as the heat of summer rises and you reach instinctively for a cloth to cool your skin, spare a thought for the water it holds within its fibres – the unseen resource that has shaped its journey, and continues to shape our world.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48650133569791,"sku":"9771742254051-31","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/TEMPLATECOVERS_JULY3.webp?v=1781038414"},{"product_id":"selvedge-issue-132-legacy","title":"Selvedge Issue 132: Legacy","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000;\"\u003eFrom Polly Leonard, Founder of Selvedge Magazine:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI recently gate-crashed my daughter’s research trip to Nantucket, a delightful island off the Massachusetts coast and once the centre of the whaling industry. She is researching scrimshaw, a form of folk art produced by sailors during long sea voyages in the 18th and 19th centuries. Whalebone was the plastic of the 1800s, fashioned into all manner of objects, from umbrella swifts to busks worn inside corsets and resting between the breasts of loved ones left behind to pace the widow’s walks that crowned 19th-century homes. Alongside lightship baskets, these intricately carved objects fill the galleries of what is now a rather bougie resort town.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eScrimshaw is undoubtedly a valuable part of the island’s intangible cultural heritage. Yet whales are now a protected species and, as with ivory, the buying and selling of whalebone is heavily restricted. What, then, becomes of the livelihood of the last remaining scrimshander? The world has changed. Products once made from whale have been replaced by petroleum-based alternatives, while contemporary tastes have largely turned away from displaying teeth and bone in the home. If scrimshanders are to survive, they must adapt to the cultural context in which their work is produced. Their meticulous draftsmanship and monochrome hatching techniques could be translated into objects that appeal to today’s tourists hunting for meaningful souvenirs. For crafts to survive, they must evolve in lockstep with the changing world around them.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIn this issue, we explore legacy: the things we inherit that shape who we are and help us understand our place in the world. Objects matter, yet legacy can be a burden as well as a blessing. The Bayeux Tapestry will be on display in London for the first time in 900 years, as humanity finds itself at a crossroads amid the looming presence of artificial intelligence. We examine how museums shoulder the responsibility of caring for the objects that document our shared history; how value is assigned to objects; the politics of authenticity; and how objects move from a utilitarian domain to the museum.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eKim Winter explores the journey of willow baskets from the domestic sphere to the Design Fair, with Eddie Glew. Laura Ayala, Karen Selk, and Liz McLellan reject the trappings of modernity and look to nature for more human-centred alternatives, while Sonia Ashmore paints a nuanced picture of the lives of handloom artisans in Bengal. John Alexander Skelton re-examines the legacy of the Huguenot weavers of Spitalfields through the lens of contemporary fashion in his collection XXI.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eI leave you with a question: What will you leave behind for the next generation to inherit?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eIf you are in London this month, I hope to see you at one of the many textile-related events taking place across the capital. Once again, I am inspired by the enthusiasm, generosity, and spirit of the textile community. Thank you all for your hard work in conceiving and hosting such an interesting roster of events.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Selvedge Magazine","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49135497773311,"sku":"9771742254051-32","price":34.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0406\/8413\/files\/Coverissue132alternativecover.jpg?v=1788354539"}],"url":"https:\/\/gatherhereonline.sbs\/collections\/selvedge-magazine.oembed","provider":"gather here","version":"1.0","type":"link"}