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On the Road With TAMMACHAT: Sweatshop-free Clothing

For years we’ve been looking for a tailoring group in Thailand – one that could make clothing with the handwoven cotton and silk cloth that we buy from weaving groups in Northern and Northeast Thailand. At the end of last year’s trip, at a special juried craft fair, we met Kumpor, whose name means “sufficiency.”

We loved their unique, “fusion” designs, so we bought a few pieces and found these sold quickly in Canada at our Fair Trade Textile events.

More here: blog post on our new clothing.

On the Road With TAMMACHAT: Spinning Understanding -- More About Silk

A recent newspaper in the UK ranted about the "slaughtering" of silkworms to produce silk. This inspired the following blog post, as we travel in Thailand and Laos visiting women's weaving groups, many of them producing their own silk organically.

Occasionally people ask us whether silkworms are killed to produce silk. Our answer is “no, but…”

Killing the worm, which is actually a caterpillar, would defeat the purpose. Caterpillars spin the cocoons that provide the filaments which comprise silk thread. But cocoons contain pupae and, when cocoons are boiled to loosen the gum that holds the filaments together, the pupae are cooked much the same as an egg is boiled. And, just as a boiled egg will never become a chicken, a boiled pupa will never become a moth.

Read this blog entry on TAMMACHAT's blog. And visit TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles to learn more about our passion and work with handwoven, naturally dyed textiles that support rural women in Thailand and Laos through fair trade.

On the Road With TAMMACHAT: Cotton Weaving in Northern Thailand

Bantan weaver at her loom

Junhom Bantan is a Northern Thai weaving group that specializes in eco-friendly, natural dyes and handweaving. They weave with handspun cotton, as well as stronger, unbleached cotton yarns. TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles has been working with this group since 2007, building a fair trade relationship. On Christmas Day, 2011, we began a 2-day visit to the small villages where group members live and work. These cultural traditions are still alive and well, thanks to the efforts of Mai, the woman who acts as the group's manager,and whose mother started the group many years ago. A keen interest in natural fibres and natural dyes in Japan, as well as other countries, continues to provide a market for their eco-textiles.

See our photo essay about Junhom Bantan.

Ellen Agger, TAMMACHAT Natural Textiles