Weaving Week
A 7-day workshop on ikat, natural dyes and backstrap loom weaving - limited to 6 people.
Sunday 26 November - Saturday 2 December
Total event capacity (residential plus non-residential) is 6 participants. While 6 residential and 6 non-residential places are listed for participants to choose from, ticketing will close once the total sales reach 6 participants.
The ikat, backstrap loom weaving, and natural dye traditions of the Indonesian archipelago date back over 4500 years, and are continued to this day by indigenous weavers for whom the expression of ancestral knowledge is the highest form of artistic and spiritual expression. The Weaving Week workshop offers a brief immersion into this world, during which participants will spend 5 days making a small, weft ikat patterned, natural dye cloth using a traditional backstrap loom that has been modified to accommodate sitting in a chair rather than on the floor. Though the more ancient tradition is warp ikat, weft ikat is employed so that dyeing and loom preparation can be learned in parallel, and all steps in the process can be practiced in a week. Limited to 6 participants.
The workshop offers a residential and a non-residential option:
- The Threads of Life studio and dye garden are at the Umajati Retreat where residential participants will stay in shared rooms. Twin share rooms may be made up with a king size bed for couples; single room supplements are available on request; shared accommodations for a non-participant partner are available on request.
- Non-residential participants staying in the center of Ubud will be provided with morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue.
The workshop will be held at the Threads of Life Dye Studio and Bebali Dye Garden at the Umajati Retreat
Participants will:
- create a weft ikat design and warp a backstrap loom for two days
- dye with indigo blue, tannin browns and morinda red dyes for a day and a half
- weave a textile for a day and a half, with each participant on their own loom.
Jean, William, Komang, Wayan, and Made are the workshop leaders
Workshop Leaders
The workshop is hosted by Threads of Life founders, Jean Howe and William Ingram. Warping and weaving activities will be guided by women from Seraya in east Bali. Ikat and natural dye work will be led by Threads of Life’s dye studio staff Komang Sujata, Wayan Sukadana and Made Maduarta, who together bring 35 years of experience to the teaching of this workshop. Focusing on traditions that have degraded and are being recovered, they document local dye recipes and processes in the field, and test them in the studio before taking suggested refinements back to the communities. In the dye garden, they establish cultivation and harvesting methods to address plant resource scarcity being faced by traditional dyers. In the studio, they lead half-day up to weeklong workshops, both for indigenous weavers and international students. Their approach to natural dyeing seeks plant-sourced dyes by plant-sourced processes and avoids synthetic additives or mordants.
Residential accommodations at the Umajati Retreat
Workshop Schedule
* Starred days include transfers to and from the workshop venue from accommodations in central Ubud
Sunday, 26 November 2017*
PM: Group introduction and program overview | Group Dinner at Umajati
Monday, 27 November 2017*
AM: Create a weft ikat design and warp a backstrap loom
PM: Create a weft ikat design and warp a backstrap loom
Tuesday, 28 November 2017*
AM: Create a weft ikat design and warp a backstrap loom
PM: Create a weft ikat design and warp a backstrap loom
Wednesday, 29 November 2017*
AM: Dye ikat with indigo, tannins and morinda red dyes
PM: Dye ikat with indigo, tannins and morinda red dyes
Thursday, 30 November 2017*
AM: Finish dyed yarns and prepare for weaving
PM: Weave a weft ikat textile on a modified backstrap loom
Friday, 1 December 2017*
AM: Weave a weft ikat textile on a modified backstrap loom
PM: Finishing of weft ikat textile | Group dinner at Moksa Restaurant
Saturday, 2 December 2017
AM: Check-out and departure
Price, Payment, Cancellation and Refund Policy, Group Size
Included for all participants:
5 days of workshop program; arrival and departure airport transfers; 5 lunches, 2 dinners; scheduled local transportation.
Included for residential participants:
6 nights of twin-share accommodations, 6 breakfasts.
Note: twin share rooms may be made up with a king size bed for couples; single room supplements available on request; shared accommodations for a participant’s partner available on request.
Included for non-residential participants:
Morning and afternoon transfers between accommodations in central Ubud and the workshop venue.
Payment
Payment will be made through PayPal via an automatic link in the booking website. You do not need to have a PayPal account to make a payment; PayPal will simply be used to process your credit card payment.
Cancellation and Refunds
Cancellation requests must be made by email to tours@threadsoflife.com. The date of cancellation is the date on which the written cancellation is received in Bali. No refund will be made for failure to attend or if you voluntarily leave the workshop for any reason after it has begun. No refunds will be given for any accommodation, transport, sightseeing, meals or services not used during the workshop. Cancellation may be made at any time and refunds will be reversed directly from PayPal to your PayPal account or credit card with the following conditions:
• A 100% refund will be made within 7 days of booking to allow participants to arrange air tickets and time off from work.
• From 8 days after booking, and if there are still more than 91 days until the workshop, a 90% refund will be made for cancellation.
• From 90 days before the workshop up to 31 days before the workshop, a 50% refund will be made.
• Within 30 days of the workshop, no refund will be made.
Group Size
Maximum group size is 6 participants. Minimum group size for the published itinerary is 3 participants. If the group size is less than 3, the daytime studio program will continue as published but the evening schedule of meals will be cancelled.
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Travel Insurance
Travel insurance is required for all participants. Travel insurance should, at minimum, provide coverage against personal accident, personal liability, medical expenses, and emergency evacuation. (An emergency air medical evacuation to Singapore can cost upwards of USD 30,000.) Medical care facilities in Indonesia are significantly different from the West and medical evacuation is extremely expensive.
