I am so happy to feature my friend from far away, Kelly Moe - Rossetto on Handmadetalks today. Kelly and I virtually met via Instagram, and have formed bonds of friendship that transcend miles and distance. We share a passion for ikat textiles, good chai and a common goal of sustainable living. I requested Kelly to share a little about her venture Cardamom Collective, ikats and the inspiration behind her work. For everyone who nurtures a dream of starting their own venture, but can't find that spark, will find Kelly's story especially inspiring.
Read along...
You
never know the change a tiny packet from India will bring to your life.
Last October, I was on the brink of realizing my first line of block printed textiles,
a collection that had been in progress since I’d visited India the spring
before and the completion of which I could hardly wait for. It was a year of
transitions and I wasn’t sure exactly when I was headed next. It was a month
before a planned trip to Peru, and my job, home and career were entering into
what would be a year- long process of growth and change. As excited as I was
for these scarves to debut, I wasn’t sure which path to take next. One a day
especially gray and windy, a tiny package arrived from India. Out came a simple
but beautiful indigo stole of handloom ikat. Small traditional movements across
the fabric made it rhythmic and wearable. Fine Indian cotton with enough of a shimmer
to to save for something special but washable, practical and carry -on
stuffable! A travel essential. Something lit up in me and I saw then a new path
had appeared.
I’ve
always been a seeker of art and knowledge and for the year or so leading up to
that day it had centered on primarily Indian textiles as I’d been working at a
beautiful museum like store full of them called Khazana in Minneapolis. I was familiar with ikat and had begun
recognizing it’s painterly patterns in different places. I’d even had the honor
of wearing my boss and friend Anju’s Patola sari and come to love all those
that were woven in the ikat pattern. Still, I didn’t quite realize the presence
ikat held in the world of textile history. In the months following the indigo
ikats arrival it became a talisman for me, a constant at my side through
interviews and large events, lectures at colleges, and international airports.
Its traveled each trip with me since and serves as a reminder of the ephemeral
nature of discouragement.
It
has also attracted other blue ikats from all over the world into my life, the
first breadcrumb along what I like to call the ikat trail. I received that
package almost exactly a year ago and in the time since traveled to Peru, New York,
Italy, France and Montana. Through books and dreams of textile encounters I’ve spanned
the globe, always with my eyes wide open for that next glimpse of ikat. Interestingly
enough, though ikat has been found around the world (the earliest piece I have
seen with my own eyes was a 10th century scrap found in Yemen) the
United States does not seem to have a history of it in our weaving traditions,
at least that I have come across. In countries like India, Japan, and Guatemala
it remains a mainstay in the current folk arts, and others like France and
Scandinavia where it is now found largely in museums, private collections (and
the odd thrift store remnant if you’re lucky!)
Each part of the world has
it’s own place name for ikat, though “ikat” a Malay word meaning tie or bind,
is widely recognized as a universal term. Curious what word to use in the
markets and museums around the world when seeking this magnificent resist dyed
weave? Here’s a list of the terms I’ve found so far! The Uzbek word for an ikat
“abrband” may be my favorite as it describes the weaver as “one who ties the
clouds”
Uzbekistan: Abrband
Guatemala: Jaspe
Thailand: Mutmee
Japan: Kasuri
France: Provence Flamme
Cambodia: Khmer Hol.
My
favorite thing about ikat is how it continues to reveal it self, in old scraps
of fabric or in scarves I’ve had for years but am only now just seeing the
familiar brushstroke weave. There is such joy in discovering images or
fragments of ikat in a place where I had missed it before, a bit like a
treasure hunt. Recently I was sorting through old photos and found one I’d
taken years before of a traditional Swedish folk costume that hangs in the
American Swedish Institute in my hometown. Sure enough, running through the
apron over woolen layers and skirts were tiny indigo and white rivers of ikat.
A conversation with a Swedish friend and textile historian confirmed these
weavings had once flowed across traditional dress there.
Perhaps most importantly,
ikat serves as a talisman and a temptress for me, keep seeking and keep pushing
forward into the world of adventure and knowledge. Victoria and Albert curator
and textile historian Rosemary Crill shares in the Maiwa Textiles podcast
Voices on Cloth that the bits of Patola ikats in Indonesia were sometimes burned
and the ashes smeared as protective blessings and remedies for those
experiencing serious illness. It’s hard to imagine anyone doing that now as
Patolas have become some of the most expensive and sought after textiles in
India and I believe the world, but wearing one is still seen as something saved
for special and sacred occasions.
Although
I do not yet own a Patola, in the past year blue ikats from Cambodia, Thailand,
Japan and Guatemala, and France have come in to my life and I treasure each one
for its story and the journey it took to find me. Still, my simple indigo ikat
remains my favorite and has become symbolic not only of a moment of change but
the friendship that grew out of it, between me and dear Kriti over the oceans!
This roller coaster of a year in life and business has been supported and
enhanced by her presence and for that I am forever grateful to her and my
little blue ikat. A few weeks ago I began a new job, a new career really, as an
elementary school art teacher. It’s a position that will be rewarding but
certainly very challenging, and my first day of school filled my stomach with
butterflies and even a bit of doubt. Can you guess what I wrapped around myself
as I stepped through the door of my classroom?
Thank you Kelly!
Share your thoughts :