PAST EVENTS

EVENTS

Upcoming Events

The Secrets of Weaving Sumptuous Fabrics
A display of stunning hand woven brocade
by Deborah DeBernard
March 20 to April 10, 2025

Deborah DeBernard’s creative process can be summed up in three words: Ideate, Noodle-ate, and Create. Whether working in wood, glass, leather, silver, or fiber, Deborah brings a unique blend of imagination and artistry to everything she touches.
After a year of focused study on weaving sumptuous fabrics, Deborah has mastered a technique that simplifies the process, making it accessible for weavers of all skill levels. Her fabrics and finished garments illustrate her approach to weaving without the need for a drawloom or Jacquard loom. Sanjo silks from the Silk Weaving Studio bring luminosity to the pieces.
Deborah holds a Masters of Architecture, has completed the Master Weaver’s Program at Olds College, Alberta and is pursuing further textile studies in the Ontario Master Weaver Program.

March 25th from 6:30 to 8:30pm
Deborah will demonstrate how floor and table looms can produce exquisite fabrics - without the need for specialized equipment. In this discussion and hands-on demonstration at the studio, Deborah will share her innovative process for creating beautiful supplementary weft fabrics, using multiple colours across the warp. Both seasoned and beginner weavers will be inspired to take their weaving up to the next level! No registration required for the evening.

Window Gallery Feature September 2024
Marques Hanlei Marzan

Artist Statement
This work is a component of a large collection of work entitled, “Creation: From A Hawaiian Viewpoint” created in 2024 for my MFA thesis exhibition at Emily Carr University of Art and Design. The work is primarily made from Kibiso silk yarn that I acquired at the Silk Weaving Studio last summer. It was truly an exhilarating when I came across this fiber followed by my experimentation with it to produce this aspect of my collection.

Bio
Marques Hanalei Marzan is a Hawaiian fiber artist and cultural practitioner born and raised in Kāne‘ohe, O‘ahu. He is highly experienced in his field and has learned and trained under noted experts in Hawai‘i, including master weavers, Julia Minerva Kaʻawa and Esther Kakalia Westmoreland. Mr. Marzan continues to broaden his knowledge base of indigenous Pacific perspectives on his extensive travels. He has represented Hawai‘i in numerous gatherings of indigenous artists locally, nationally, and internationally. Mr. Marzan is the Cultural Advisor and the Wayne Pitluck and Judith Pyle Curator for Cultural Resilience at Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi, where he is able to provide greater opportunities for cultural practitioners to learn from the treasures of our past. He shares his understanding and
passion of the fiber arts through public presentations, demonstrations, and workshops that restore, in modern culture, the living presence of rare Hawaiian forms, materials, and designs. Drawing upon this foundation of knowledge, Mr. Marzan bridges the traditions of the past with the innovations of the present, creating a dialogue within his work that speaks to the evolutionary continuity of culture.

ERI EXPLORATIONS
MAY 2 - JUNE 16, 2024
OPENING MAY 2 6-8 PM

photo: Karen Selk

13 participants are creating an interesting mix of pieces around the theme of eri silk. Our exhibit will showcase small and large wall hangings, visual art pieces, 3-D work, as well as knitted and woven garments.

Anik Choiniere, Mallory Donen, Leslie Green, Cathy Joyce, Ina Mak, Kim McKenna, Laura Meyers, Anne Montgomery,
Joan Namkoong, Diana Sanderson, Karen Selk, Sarah Steeves, Tamara Voth

In conjunction with our show, Kim McKenna will be presenting a slide show on eri silk and give a spinning demo on May 4. Kim’s presentation can be found here: https://www.silkweavingstudio.com/spinning-and-weaving-lessons--looms.html

Window Gallery Display | October-November 2023

On view in our window gallery featuring garments from Tati House and scarves from Fibre Sauvage. You may not be familiar with the labels but certainly know the makers ...

Tatiana Vasilchikova is the seamstress-designer for the Silk Weaving Studio and owner of Tati House. She creates her own line of garments and offers professional fashion and couture services.

Anik Choinière is one of the Silk Weaving Studio members and the textile artist behind Fibre Sauvage. Her creations are often presented as collaboration and mini-collections at the studio.

For October and November, Tatiana and Anik have combined their work to create a window display that offers warm colourful pieces for the autumnal season. Their creations are on display until the end of November 2023 and available for purchase at the studio.

June 2023 Events

Book Launch - with Karen Selk

Join us for an exclusive evening with author and silk authority, Karen Selk, as she officially launches her definitive book on the wild silks of India, In Search of Wild Silk. The launch will take place in the welcoming setting of O5 Rare Tea Bar.

Be one of an intimate group of silk appreciators at this educational event. Meet Karen Selk, enjoy a cup of matcha or kombucha, and learn about these extraordinary silkworms. Karen will be signing copies of her book, which will be available for purchase at this event. Don’t miss a chance to enjoy the warmth and wisdom that are hallmarks of Karen’s approach.

We have a limited number of tickets available, so don’t delay. Tickets are available on Eventbrite, starting May 11 at 9:00am and are $15, which includes your choice of beverage. Please note that seating is limited; there is also standing room. Please be respectful of people who need to be seated during the event.

WHERE: O5 Rare Tea Bar, 2208 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver
WHEN: Friday, June 2. 6:30pm to approximately 8:00
TICKETS: Eventbrite

Book Review by Cathy Joyce

In Search of Wild Silk-Exploring a Village Industry in the Jungles of India
Schiffer Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-7643-6497-6

Karen Selk’s handsome and colourful book invites the reader to join her journey, undertaken over many years, to explore wild silks and to share in her openness, delight and respect for the creatures themselves, the people who work with them and the extraordinary fibres they produce.

The layout, with text in panels, key ideas highlighted and colourful pictures and charts throughout, is reminiscent of a travel journal making this large book approachable and unintimidating, while the reference elements are clear and thorough.

The narrative is personal, warm and engaging and weaves between the portraits of individuals in the business of producing silk , information about geography and cultivation, and the entomological details of different varieties of ‘wild’ silk moths.

The respect, and fondness, shown for the people in this story, and for their traditions and challenges, makes it clear that these are more than engaging cameos: silk production is a vital, environmentally and socially significant, industry in India and one that is not properly recognised in the west. Examples (such as the help given to have reeling machines brought into a prison rehabilitation facility), as well as detailed portrayals of ages-old artisanal skills, keep the story grounded in a wider society. However, throughout, the beautiful fibres and fabrics produced are illustrated, and explained, in great, and glorious depth.

It is accurate to describe this book as a definitive reference work on the subject of wild silk, but that description is too dry for such an endearingly personal, and entertainingly readable volume.

Cathy Joyce

Past Events

Photos by Janet Dwyer

Past Exhibits

Kathleen Tennock https://www.kathleentennock.com/ Anik Choiniere https://www.silkweavingstudio.com/anik-choiniere.html

Featuring Cathy Joyce and Sophia SoHyun Kim
Mid May until the end of June 2022

When asked about this show with Sophia, Cathy said " I see these pieces as an expression of the textures and colours of Sophia's work in another medium, in this case textiles. I hope that this process is a continuation of the way that she embodies the essence of the birch in her ceramics.
https://sophiaclayart.myshopify.com https://www.silkweavingstudio.com/cathy-joyce.html

Woven Together - May 1 - June 25, 2021
for a sneak preview, see the following videos: the unveiling , exhibition preview

Come share in "Woven Together" at the Silk Weaving Studio on Granville Island. For the last thirty-five years, the Studio has been blessed with a lively collaborative energy stemming from the creative cross-fertilization that takes place between both artists and visitors to the space. All of us at the Studio have been missing that over the past year as we continue to create in a more isolated work environment. The brainchild of Anik Choiniere, the idea behind “Woven Together” is to imbue the space again with some of that connection and collaboration that has always made the studio thrive as a creative space.

Six weavers have come together to weave a piece infused with their shared love and fascination for both silk and weaving, each bringing with them their own ideas and energy as they are each inspired by where the last artist left off. A twenty-four metre piece of fabric created by artists in conversation through weaving, it is composed of a myriad of silks, both mulberry and wild, and silk blends, along with striking highlights of linen, wool, and stainless steel, from extremely fine to chunky handspun.

“Woven Together” will be on display from May 1st to 25th at the Silk Weaving Studio on Granville Island (1531 Johnston St), right across from the Sandbar seafood restaurant. The exhibition is available for viewing in our window gallery from both outside and within a carefully controlled and COVID-conscious space open daily from 11AM-5PM, with a limit of three visitors inside at a time. The exhibition will be accompanied by an educational component including live silkworms, tracing the trajectory of the piece from cocoon to fabric.

Thoughts from some of the artist:

"In a time that keeps us apart physically, we can still come together, here. Right here. In is this very fabric. This long length of cloth was not woven to turn a profit. It was a place for each of us to weave for the sake of weaving, for the shear joy of the craft, for the pleasure of collaboration with like-minded souls and for me, a place where I would learn more about myself." Kim

" To collaborate meant to be opened to a different way of weaving and approaching the loom. It also led to new discoveries: new colour combinations, new structures, new yarns and the pleasure of weaving with handspun wool and silk." Anik

"When I sit down to weave, my own contribution to the project nibbles at the edges of what came before me. It feels a lot like the reality of living in the time of pandemic-people are so near and yet so untouchable. The cloth in front of me becomes a memory of the maker." Darlene

Participating artists: Anik Choiniere, Cathy Joyce, Kim McKenna, Darlene Ochotta, Lucia Piazzo, Diana Sanderson, Tamara Voth

videos: the unveiling , exhibition preview

Yoko and Kazuho Kano from Studio Hinoki
Noren is the name given to traditional Japanese cloth dividers that hang in doorways and windows. The works in this exhibit will feature both traditional and contemporary designs. Yoko is assisted by her daughter Kazuho. Please join us for the opening Thurs Nov 7 6-8pm
Exhibition runs Thursday Nov 7- Sunday Nov 24

three card draw
A DESIGN GAME

group invitational show at Silk Weaving Studio opening on
Thursday, May 23, 2019, 6-8 pm. The show will run through June 21, 2019.

Based on Ann Sutton's Design Game, published in "Ideas in Weaving."
Participating artists drew a card in each of the three categories - colour, yarn and weave structure. Their resulting textiles were inspired by these random selections, pushing the artists in directions they might not otherwise explore.

PARTICIPATING ARTISTS
Bridget Catchpole
Anik Choiniere
Carly Hulse
Ruth Jones
Cathy Joyce
Laura Meyers
Darlene Ochotta
Lucia Piazzo
Morija Reeb
Diana Sanderson
Jo Skinner
Amanda Wood

PAST EVENTS

A group invitational show in conjunction with the
Textile Society of America Conference being held in Vancouver, Sept 19-23, 2018.

Featuring the work of :
Kate Barber, Carly Hulse, Cathy Joyce, Ellen Kocher, Laura Meyers, Darlene Ochotta, Julie Pongrac,
Amy Putansu, Morija Reeb, Diana Sanderson and Jo Skinner

opening Friday Sept 21, 6-9pm continuing until October 12

PENDENT-
SCULPTURAL TEXTILES OF MO KELMAN
Opening Friday Sept 8 2017 6-8pm
Exhibition runs until Sept 22

Mo Kelman’s work sits at the juncture of architecture and engineering: in a place where sculpture and textiles meet. Lashing together frameworks with wire and fibre, Mo creates skeletons that she covers with skins of handmade paper, shibori patterned cloth, or mesh.
Her works are both engineered and organic, as if she were laying bare the design principles for new forms of life. Architectural tensions resolve in new and remarkable forms, all built with a sensitivity to materials and textures.

BURGEONING BRAIDS
Kumihimo of Makiko Tada
Opening Thurs October 12, 2017 6-8pm - informal artists talk at 6:30
Exhibition runs until Oct 26

Makiko Tada has been researching and teaching kumihimo braiding for five decades. This distinguished designer combines her engineering expertise and her passion for braiding to create innovative accessories and wearables.

Featuring
Kate Barber, Kayo Benson, Anik Choiniere, Stu Coleman, Jackie Frioud, Carly Hulse, Cathy Joyce, Ellen Kocher,
Amanda Langerak of forage&BLOOM, Chris Montgomery, Darlene Ochotta, Ed Pretty, Morija Reeb, Diana Sanderson, Jo Skinner, Ana Sousa, Hiroko Takayo and Amanda Wood

SHIMA- Amy Putansu
Oct 6-19, 2016

Using a rare hand weaving technique called ondulé, Amy Putansu maneuvers threads out of the strict grid and into wave-like patterns and lines. The resulting contemplative fields of woven work uphold a minimalist aesthetic, with high regard for restraint. The elegant simplicity of a stripe (shima) is natural to weaving, yet textiles of this type were solely imports into Japan for centuries. Eventually home-weaving gave way to the development of uniquely Japanese striped patterns. Considered folk textiles, these patterns became representative of families and were passed among generations. The textiles in this exhibit are inspired by striped cottons from Japan, and Amy reinterprets these patterns in silk, using her signature textile techniques to create one-of-a-kind scarves and shawls. Stripes now emerge as waves within woven inerlacement, or become textural as well as visual elements in organza.

October 6 -19, 2016

Setsuko Torii
"Zoom on Knit Texture"
October 20-November 3, 2016

Setsuko Torii
“Zoom on Knit Texture"

Internationally renowned for her design of yarns, garments and knit structures, Setsuko Torii has brought a new creativity to every level of the knitting world. Setusko has designed garments using some of the world's most avant-garde yarns such as silk/stainless steel.Her designs can be found in cutting-edge collections such as Habu Textiles and they stretch the very idea of what yarn can be. The exhibition will feature these yarns knitted into exquisite garments and accessories. It is a rare opportunity to see these ingenious constructions in all their three dimensional beauty. She will exhibit her colourful and delicate collection made in her workshop atelier in Kyoto.

Collections

Handweaving + Display

June 6-July 3 2013

The Silk Weaving Studio presents Collections, an exhibition of artistic display.

Collections features the work of the 8 pairs of artists, each consisting of a handweaver, and an artist of another medium. They created art pieces by combining handwoven collections with imaginative display vehicles..

What sparked this exhibition? A desire to suggest using beautiful collections of handwovens as displayed art. And to provide an opportunity for the magic of artistic collaboration.

In November, 2012 the Silk Weaving Studio participated in the fabulous Circle Craft Christmas Market. What a beautiful way to kick off the holiday season, meet with lots of old friends, and showcase our work.

In Sept. 2012 we hosted an exhibition of woven works by 2 Japanese weavers, Misao Iwamura and Chisako Hisamatsu.

In Sept. 2012 our studio was graced with the beautiful noren of Yoko Kano, a Japanese shibori artist.

TEXTiles – June 7-July 4, 2012

The Silk Weaving Studio presents TEXTiles, a show that connects fibre art with the beauty of text.

“Text” – the words in a written work

“Textiles” – from the Latin textere, meaning to weave

TEXTiles features the work of the Silk Weaving Studio weavers, along with some very distinguished textile artists and jewelers. The show will be launched with one of Diana Sanderson’s legendary show openings on Thursday, June 7th from 6-8pm. The show runs from June 7th to July 4th 2012.

Why text? Because it’s beautiful. It’s provocative. It can be haltingly cerebral or tantalizingly ethereal. And it can be interpreted in so many unique ways.

Featured guest artists include Shannon Wardroper, Erin Dolman, Jan Smith, Katherine Soucie, and Ruth Scheuing. Come and see the mysterious ways that each artist has worked with the written word.

Warm Biz

Warm Biz: Jorie Johnson Felt - an exhibition Oct 14-Nov 15, 2011

The Silk Weaving Studio on Granville Island is excited to present the inspiring creations of Jorie Johnson. Jorie has developed her own innovative approach to the 8,000-year-old central-Asian technique of feltmaking. By working various materials such as silk, rayon, and mohair into the felt product, Jorie obtains painterly textures that are never static. Rich colours complement the fibre variations resulting in a cloth that speaks with a voice of lightness and strength.

Jorie Johnson is recognized internationally as a leader in the area of hand-feltmaking and has exhibited her work in numerous solo and group exhibitions. Born into a Boston wool merchant’s household, she studied at the Rhode Island School of Design and KOTO in Finland, where she also interned with Marimekko. The English translation of her popular book, Feltmaking and Wool Magic (Japan: Seigensha, 1999), was published by Quarry Books in 2006. Johnson’s work has been featured in textile periodicals and publications worldwide, including Fiberarts Design Books II and VI (Lark Books, 1983; Sterling, 1999); Fiberarts Book of Wearable Art (Lark Books, 2003); Shuttle, Spindle, and Dyepot; and the Surface Design Journal, and is held in numerous collections, including those of the Victoria & Albert Museum, Bank of America, Nuno Corporation, and Kawashima Textile Studio. An instructor at Kyoto University of Art and Design, Johnson has lectured and taught workshops at universities and conferences in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Her Kyoto-based design studio, Joi Rae Textiles, produces limited-edition body wear, accessories, and interiors. For more information, visit www.JoiRae.com.

Silk and Silver - 25 years at Silk Weaving Studio June 2011

In June 2011, the Silk Weaving Studio will celebrated a very special anniversary: 25 years in this lovely and inspiring location. To mark the occasion we held a show called Silk and Silver featuring these two irresistible materials.

Ocelot-Itajime Clothing – Bold and Timeless June 3 - 30, 2010

The month of June 2010 promised much stimulation in Vancouver. Angelina DeAntonis came to town to show her dynamic, distinctive clothing line, Ocelot, and share the secrets of its creation. DeAntonis’ signature graphic style is based on the Japanese itajime technique, which clamps folded fabric with flat pieces of wood or similar material to create areas of resist when dyeing. The result is unique clothing that has been compared to architecture for its bold simplicity.

The Silk Weaving Studio and Maiwa (Granville Island, Vancouver) are proud be collaborating kicking off the month long Itajime event with a fashion show and lunch. Then, for the month of June, the Ocelot line of clothing will be featured in an exhibit at the Silk Weaving Studio. Sharing the spotlight with Ocelot will be BC jeweler Jan Smith.

After 13 years, DeAntonis continues to dye and make her clothing by hand, largely using natural dyes, and shaping garments to her exacting specifications. She will be divulging the mysteries of itajime in a 3-day workshop sponsored by Maiwa.

Chisako Hisamatsu

March 12-31, 2010 A limited collection of current work

Buttons, Buckles and Beads - June 2009

Little garment add-ons. They provide closure or embellishment, often both. Buttons. Buckles. Beads. These little things can seem so mundane, and yet they have inherent beauty, particularly in the hands of artists.

Buttons, Buckles and Beads featured both the innovative use of buttons, buckles and beads, and artistry in the creation of these items. Diana Sanderson, artist and owner of the Silk Weaving Studio, and the other weaver-artists have created garments, scarves and shawls incorporating beads and buttons. The results are a shimmering, striking, stunning array of intriguing pieces. Visiting Gera Scott Chandler and Lisa Cherneff are hand-making buttons and beads into tiny works of art.

Guest artist, internationally renowned Angelika Werth, will be showcasing her latest work – lavish Baroque-esque dresses made from recycled canvas tents, featuring buttons, buckles and zippers used as closures and decorative details. If you haven’t seen Angelika’s work, treat yourself to a visual feast at the Buttons, Buckles and Beads show.

In the category of “Astounding Bead Artists” Sharmini Wirasekara, whose work has appeared in the beading who’s who book, 500 Beaded Objects (Lark Books, 2002) will be showing some of her delicate and intricate woven bead pieces.

During the month long Beads, Buckles and Buttons show, Colleen Miller of the newly-reopened Button Button shop in Gastown, will be speaking about the history, mystery and appeal of the humble button. Plan to come for this informative and entertaining presentation on Thursday June 11 at 7:30.

The show’s opening was on Thursday, June 4 from 6-8pm.

Mulberry Paper Textiles August 2009

In August 2009, Vancouver played host to a contingent of Korean fabric artists who have expressed their creativity using hanji, a mulberry paper yarn. Vancouver fabric artists have risen to the challenge to create our own unique expressions in this yarn. The Silk Weaving Studio is proudly participating in this event by staging a show featuring paper art, both woven and non-woven. Guest artist Judy Nakagawa filled our display window with her handmade paper sculpture ”Gone”.

Further information:
BC-Jeonju Hanji Cultural Festival
Fibre, Naturally
Paper Like You Have Never Seen Before Aug 11-16, 2009