Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library
1-329 Cumberland Avenue R3C1S6 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Winter wind or summer storms: both are no match for handmade Inuit kamiks! Kamiks are a traditional Inuit style of footwear which effectively protect the wearer from cold and wet conditions. Seal skin is often used for water resistant kamiks and caribou skin and hair provide excellent insultation. These summer kamiks are a beautiful example of the tunnel stitch (ilujjiniq), an Inuit technique for making waterproof soles. The delicate puckers are sewn with two lines of stitch...ing which each go through one layer and part way through the other. This ensures that there are no holes directly to the exterior. Technique: Leatherwork Materials: Sheep’s wool, Sealskin Dimensions: 17 cm (l) x 8 cm (h) #Manitoba150Monday #Manitoba150 #mb150 #exploremb #winnipeg

Guest Post by Hannah Medley, Young Canada Works Intern Since I began working with the Manitoba Craft Museum and Library I’ve learned a lot about different craft traditions from all over the world. Working with our collection has introduced me to the fabric dyeing tradition known as Batik which is wonderfully demonstrated in this sample. Using dye resistant materials like wax, vegetable paste, and mud, Batik artists draw a design. The artist dyes the fabric, and then removes t...he wax with boiling water to create a multi-colored design, repeating these steps as many times as necessary to include as many different colors and shades as desired. This process is beautifully laid out by this sample, with each quarter representing a different stage. Featuring an intricate floral paisley design, this sample is a beautiful example of the fabric dyeing tradition in India. However, Batik is not a solely Indian tradition. Batik is an ancient art form, so old that scholars can’t agree on when or where exactly it originates. The process is described in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History so it has been practiced since at least 70 CE, and is likely much older. With such a long history, the technique can be found in a number of cultures in a huge variety of patterns and designs. One thing I’ve learned working here is that the world of craft is vast, varied, and endlessly interesting. What’s an area you’re learning more about? Sources: Inger McCade Elliot, Batik: Fabled Cloth of Java https://books.google.ca/books Indonesian Batik UNESCO https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/indonesian-batik-00170

Here’s another object that was recently photographed as part of our Textile Reorganization Project. This small sampler of smocking stitches was worked by Sheila McEwan Cordner in the late 1950s as a student at the Edinburgh College of Domestic Science. Smocking is a form of embroidery, originally developed in England, which introduces elasticity to a woven fabric. Embroidery on clothing was generally only possible for the wealthy, but this form of stitching also add functi...onality, and so it was commonly found on labourer’s clothing. The smocking sections were usually found on the cuffs, necklines and shoulder sections of garments, all places where elasticity would help with fit and flexibility while working. The fabric is pleated prior to stitching and the embroidery is applied only on the tops of the pleats, which is how the fabric is able to stretch as needed. Here are a few websites about historical smocking: http://www.ottawasmockers.org/smocking.hist.html https://craftatlas.co/crafts/smocking https://heritagecrafts.org.uk/smocking/ Stay Healthy, Andrea Reichert MCML Curator . inspiring engagement with the art of craft. #craftyear

2020 was officially Manitoba's 150 Anniversary. Most celebrations were postponed or cancelled, but you can still deck your tree with a Manitoba themed ornament by Kate Froese Pottery. These are super cute and only $10. https://c2-shop.square.site/shop/holiday-ornaments/11

We may be closed but you cal still check out Craft Narratives from Rural Manitoba currently up in the Heritage Gallery! For inhabitants of rural Manitoba in the twentieth century, handicrafts were not hobbies but solutions to the difficulties of isolated agriculturalism. Craft skills could provide rural families with economic stability and greater self-sufficiency. Programs promoting craft empowered rural women with the knowledge and skills to improve the standard of living i...n their households and communities, and provided an avenue into political engagement. The history of these four organizations in Manitoba, Spin-Well Manufacturing Company, Mary Maxim, the Searle Grain Company Weaving Department, and the Women’s Institutes of Manitoba, illustrates the power of craft to address economic and social issues and illuminates the stories of rural women, to whom craft gave a voice and a community. Find the Manitoba Crafts Museum and Library online Website: https://c2centreforcraft.ca/about-mcml/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ManitobaCraf... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/manitobacra... Donate to MCML: https://c2centreforcraft.ca/about-mcm...

The recent Craft and Critters Auction raised $450 for MCML exhibits, programming and collections care. Although this did fall short of our goal, in these difficult Covid-19 times any achievement in fundraising is a success. These funds are much appreciated to assist MCML to further our goals and engage with our audience. We could not have done this without the generous donations by the artists and without all those who purchased the work.

There are still lots of great items available at the C2 Shop online, all made by local artists! Reminder we are offering free home door-drops of all items in the C2 Shop to physical addresses within Winnipeg for orders placed from December 9-11. An amazing volunteer will deliver your purchase straight to your door by December 15, 2020. Simply make your online purchase as usual. Under "how to get it" just select "store pick-up." All customers who make purchases between Decembe...r 9-11 will be contacted by email to arrange your at home drop-off. We'll ask for your address and arrange a convenient drop-off time. It's that easy! Visit c2-shop.square.site to shop now!

Perfect for the holidays or just because, "Menagerie" is a collection of handmade greeting cards Each card features a hand-stitched textile collage of a "critter", composed on a Bengal Spice teabag base. By Theresa Shaw... This is the last week of the Crafts & Critters online craft auction - on now until Sunday, November 22! Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library

Our ornament sale has moved online! Visit the link below to shop a great selection of handmade ornaments made by local artists. https://c2-shop.square.site/shop/holiday-ornaments/11

FREE DELIVERY TO WITHIN WINNIPEG We are offering free home door-drops of all items in the C2 Shop to physical addresses within Winnipeg for orders placed from December 9-11. An amazing volunteer will deliver your purchase straight to your door by December 15, 2020. Simply make your online purchase as usual. Under "how to get it" just select "store pick-up." All customers who make purchases between December 9-11 will be contacted by email to arrange your at home drop-off. We'l...l ask for your address and arrange a convenient drop-off time. It's that easy! Visit www.c2-shop.square.site

Just a few more days of the Crafts & Critters Online Craft Auction! Check out this wall hanging by Theresa Shaw It features Manitoba's official bird, the great gray owl - a beautiful, charming, independent, somewhat mysterious, and a great listener....everything you could want in a partner, er...bird ... This piece was prompted by my taking part in a nocturnal owl count last year. It is collaged and hand stitched using salvaged silk ties and cotton thread on Welsh wool. It measures 8 1/2 x 11 inches and is ready to hang. The Crafts & Critters online craft auction is on now until Sunday, November 22 - Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library

When the Crafts Guild of Manitoba sought to create a design that would set them apart from other craft organizations in Canada they naturally chose the quintessential Manitoba cropwheat! The Wheat Design was first stitched by Frances Lount and was updated by Eric Bergman. Items such as place mats, napkins and table runners were decorated with the elegant design by trained embroiderers. The Canadian government even purchased pieces embroidered with the Wheat Design to presen...t to visiting foreign leaders! Technique: Embroidery, Drawn thread hem stitching Craftsperson: Val Oakley Materials: Cotton Dimensions: 31.3 cm (w) x 44.1 cm (l) Date: 1970s #Manitoba150Monday #Manitoba150 #mb150 #exploremb #winnipeg #manitobamade #madeinmanitoba #embroidery

You may miss it at first glance, but this piece boasts an array of intricate surface embroidery. This style of needlework, in which white stitching is done on a white background, is called whitework. This whitework picture was worked by Dot From, a stitcher who also conducted extensive research for the Crafts Guild of Manitoba in the 1980s and 90s. Technique: Whitework surface embroidery Craftsperson: Dot From Materials: Cotton... Dimensions: 14 cm (h) x 19 cm (w) Date: Late 20th century #Manitoba150Monday #Manitoba150 #mb150 #exploremb #winnipeg #manitobamade #madeinmanitoba #whitework #embroidery

Is your pooch in need of a stylish jacket for walks in the snow? This adorable pea jacket has adjustable sizing with velcro closures, and a hole for a leash attachment. Fits medium sized dogs By Patty Sauder The Crafts & Critters online craft auction is on now until Sunday, November 22 - Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library

Today is the last day to bid in the Crafts & Critters online craft auction which closes today, Sunday, November 22! Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library

For National Button Day, here is a smock made with attention to detail right down to the buttons! The embroidered acorn design on the pockets and sleeves is complimented by wooden acorn-shaped buttons. This is an example of the smocks which were made for members of the Crafts Guild of Manitoba, who wore them in the retail store or during workshops. Technique: Counted cross stitch... Materials: Linen #Manitoba150Monday #Manitoba150 #mb150 #exploremb #winnipeg #manitobamade #madeinmanitoba

Cover up safely at school with these fun animal masks. They fit children aged 8-12, and have adjustable ear loops. By Andrea Reichert There's one more day to place your bids for the Crafts & Critters online craft auction - closing tomorrow, Sunday, November 22!... Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library See more

Looking for a unique calendar to record all your (physically distanced) appointments and outings for 2021? This off-the-shelf calendar with Manitoba scenes was customized with original decoupage animals inserted on each page - by Robert Shaw The Crafts & Critters online craft auction is on now until November 22 - Head to www.32auctions.com/craftandcritters and sign up to start bidding! In support of Manitoba Crafts Museum And Library