Handspun+ Eri silk + back strap loom + sashiko-boro stitches + Myrobalan + Lac + Cow dung + Indigo

I chose to name this shawl Thien as a celebration of the many layers of Thien.

• First, cow dung and myrobalan-dyed Eri silk yarn were carried from Kamrup district, Assam, to the remote regions of Nagaland to be woven on the backstrap loom. The intention was to achieve the same texture that only a backstrap loom can create, but remove from it the stiff sturdiness and replace it with gentle malleability.
• In Nagaland, two separate eri panels were then woven that were then joined together by Gurmel Singh in Punjab.
• Simultaneously, a separate Lac-dyed Eri silk panel was being created over weeks or perhaps months. This was the second piece Param practised Sashiko like Kantha stitches on. The stitches reveal the growth in her learning, the lines taking more consistent and sparse forms. This maroon rectangle panel harmonises well with the longer olive green and charcoal hues of Eri silk.
• Now, the final stroke of balancing the intended length while creating the right heft for a perfect gravity of the shawl. For that, cow dung dyed eri silk was woven with the undyed one to create a striped texture and colour blend. Weaving on the back strap loom lends a unique slub texture to Eri silk. To achieve that texture, hand-spun Eri had to be laced with rice starch and then warped onto back strap looms. We played with loose and tight weave styles to explore possibilities. The diversity of textures it brought out was a technical breakthrough for us. These have become the hanging panels of the shawl that are held together by a sashiko stitch at the edges. The edges are kept intentionally raw. Without my mother’s technical mastery, this joinery was going to be absurd.
• Thien was then given eri silk tassels on all four gentle corners.
• Thien is worn by Thien.

Thien makes me see beyond the eyes and the tangible. Thien obeys the process life reveals, with grace and humility. Thien is the Mother energy. She cooks to feed, not for feedback. Hearty, hardy meals for her two beautiful children. When I asked Thien what her name meant, she said, “Thien has so many variants in Vietnamese. People usually think my name is Heaven and Sky, which is the same spelling but a different accent. My true name with the proper accent is thiện, which is goodwill/compassion/kindness etc. Don’t tell Tony this, he’ll just scoff and laugh.”

Tony is Toan, who brings together Mora’s visual energy through photographs and the website design. It was Toan’s friendships that connected me to Thien. Thien is one of seven ICU academy qualified teachers in the whole of Australia. Her profile is profound and evokes wonders. She teaches children between the ages of 4-12 to attempt to grow their untapped faculties and begin to see beyond seeing. At the outset, there is scepticism. At the core, there is faith. I choose faith.

Thien is a one-of-a-kind textile designed to highlight a unique coming together of various techniques and creativity of handcraft. This design will not be recreated.