Mindful Textile Journeys

31/03/2024

22/08/2023

I was fortunate to sit next to Sonam on the plane to Leh, although at the time I had no idea who he was… he took great interest in my love of the local Nambu cloth that I have come here to buy.

22/08/2023

Visiting one of the last tie dyers in Ladakh today… Thickma on Nambu.

03/08/2023

Back strap Weaver from Nagaland…

08/07/2023

Rain in Delhi…

15/05/2023

Always love a chai stop…

06/05/2023

A lovely article about a place we, at In The Wool Shed, hold dearly in our heart. if you would like to visit India’s northernmost territory with us please take a peek at our trips through Mindful Textile Tours via our website.

28/04/2023

Supporting Women to Spin and Weave in the Himalayas 🧶

100% natural wool with a blend of yak and camel. Handspun and handwoven.

Emma is currently taking bookings to journey to Ladakh and the Pashmina Nomads. Get off the tour bus and experience the real India and it’s people. Suitable for single travellers in small groups. Please visit or mindfultextilejourneys.co.uk for more details.

01/12/2022

Ladakh has to be my favourite place to be… it demands an attention of mindfulness, it reminds me to slow down, to accept the things I can’t control… to just be. Breathe work to acclimatise… sitting still. I long to return… join me in 2024.

07/03/2022

05/01/2022

Iron rust + jaggery + pomegranate skin = amazing black

14/11/2021

Zero waste never looked so good!?

Our first batch of 'scrap bundles' sold out in a couple of days so we're busy putting together another collection.

We're super happy that this approach to our business is working. It's really important to us to minimise waste - and small pieces of our hand crafted block print cloth is just so perfect for creative crafts!

Do sign up to our newsletter to find out when the next batch will be on the shop.

12/11/2021

This week's Friday favourite is extra special and comes with a story! This sublime Khadi cloth is produced by an amazing rural social enterprise we're working with who's mission it is to equip women in rural communities in India with the skills to live sustainable, fulfilling and dignified lives. In addition to providing craft skills training, organisational & design assistance, 'Womenweave' connects the communities of women weavers with selling opportunities & market connections both within India and internationally.
We took our small collection of specially commissioned cloth from Womenweave with us to the Knitting & Stitching Show and were blown away by the interest and support from so many lovely customers for this initiative.
These relationships are at the core of what Cloth Atelier is all about & your responses spur us on to continue our journey (there are certainly easier & cheaper ways to sell fabric...😉). You'll find our first Womenweave collection of handspun & handwoven cloth on our shop now and we'll definitely be ordering more in the coming months.

25/10/2021

Head over to our Sale Collection (link in bio) to save £4 per metre on all our block printed cloth!
Until end of October only.

04/10/2021

This Gandhi Jayanti we celebrate Mahatma Gandhi who recognized the spinning of Khadi™ as a symbol of hope and freedom.

In his words,
“The spinning wheel represents to me the hope of the masses. The masses lost their freedom, such as it was, with the loss of the charkha. The charkha supplemented the agriculture of the villagers and gave it dignity.”

To know about more Khadi™ (Handspun and Handwoven) fabric used in Upasana clothing DM us or Connect with us on WhatsApp 9442982957
Visit upasana.in

27/08/2021

Ejaz came to SBT in 2012 as a young boy. Today, he has been accepted in the US Department of States’ Community College Initiative (CCI) Program with full scholarship. He will study Graphic Design at Snow College, Utah. All the best and well done, Ejaz!

11/08/2021

10/07/2021

The second woman to leave her mark on Maheshwar's history is Sally Holkar. Deeply inspired by her family legacy, Sally has been on a contemporary mission to revive the dwindling weaving economy of Maheshwar since the 1980’s.

In 2003, Sally founded WomenWeave – an organisation that strives to empower a community of ‘hidden’ female weavers. In doing so, Sally connected the threads of Maheshwar’s history and intangible cultural heritage with sustainable employment for local women today. From there on, the initiative has grown into a permanent physical structure in Maheshwar town called The Handloom School.

Pictured here is the indomitable Sally Holkar and the WomenWeave community.

Image courtesy The Handloom School

31/05/2021

Maheshwar is a beautiful riverside town in Madhya Pradesh, which has a significant spot in history. From here, Ahilyabai Holkar ruled the state of Indore in ...

14/05/2021

The second wave of the pandemic is affecting many street children and their families. You can donate via GiveIndia to help us provide medical support and ration kits to 5000 families in need - https://bit.ly/3uH6as1

28/04/2021

Cloth Atelier is inextricably linked to India. Emma fell in love with this truly amazing country and it's people over 30 years ago and this is the first time for very many years that she's not spent several months with those who are now family to her and Harry her son. It's so hard to see the struggle they are now facing and certainly throws a different light on what's important. It's only a very, very small gesture but we thought we'd donate £1 from every metre of cloth we sell during May to the - a charity for street children that Emma has been connected with from their very early days when she met them on the platform at New Delhi station. It seems particularly important right now not to forget these children at risk, living and working on the streets of India.

25/03/2021

Nearly 200 years ago, Dhaka muslin was the most valuable fabric on the planet. Then it was lost altogether. How did this happen? And can we bring it back?

20/03/2021

This International Day of Happiness, support children and help bring a smile to their faces for them to lead a happy and safe life.

Donate here - https://www.salaambaalaktrust.com/donations.php

08/03/2021

Many women domestic workers travel every day from faraway stations on the fringes of the Sundarbans to south Kolkata. The crush of the long train journey adds to the demands of their ceaseless workdays

30/03/2020

16/03/2020

August 2020 visit the Pashmina nomads in Ladakh... we will take you on a breath taking journey into the Himalayas meeting local people, and even getting a chance to sit at a back-strap loom and be taught by the nomad weavers... small groups, with the upmost respect for local people their environment and culture.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/in-pictures-51708991

Photographer Adrian Newey has documented the lives of the Changpa nomads and the threat to Cashmere wool.

15/03/2020

And here’s what Ann, a ‘veteran of Mindful Textile Journeys trips, has to say .....

15/03/2020

We’re just about to leave India after what has been a truly memorable trip in every way. Here’s what Jean says about the trip, whilst sitting on the rooftop at the Jyoti Mahal hotel in Delhi .....