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Textile Arts Council
In support of the Textile Department
of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
We are a support group of the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco with the goal of advancing the appreciation of the Museums' textile and costume collections.
A Bay Area forum that provides lecturers, workshops, events and travel opportunities for artists, designers, aficionados and collectors of ethnic textiles, rugs, tapestries, Western costume, and contemporary fiber art.
All Power To The People
(after Man with Afro, San Francisco, California by Leon A. Borensztein, 1984)
2023 Bisa Butler
Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco
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Calendar
Lectures, Tours and Workshops
Workshop
Saturday, April 12th, 2025
Traditional Sashiko Workshop
By Toshie and Marico Chigyo
Saturday, April 12th, 2025 10:00am-2:00pm
de Young Museum - Kimball Gallery
Sashiko translates as "little stabs" in Japanese and is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching originally used to reinforce points of wear or to repair tears with patches. White or colored cotton thread on the traditional indigo blue cloth gives Sashiko its distinctive appearance. It is used today for its unique aesthetic on clothing, wall hangings, tableware and bedding.
Join us in the Kimball Gallery of the de Young Museum and learn the ornamental applications of this traditional Japanese stitching method from experts Toshie and Marico Chigyo.
Please click on the button below for further information regarding the class as well as needed materials.
About the Instructors:
Toshie and Marico Chigyo were born in Osaka in 1957 and 1959, respectively. They grew up with their aunt, Fukiko, who inspired them to create handmade clothing and other necessities for their daily life. Living in the U.S. since 1979, they have dedicated their lives to creating art and educating people about Sashiko.
They create authentic garments, accessories, and non-wearable art. Their work ranges from smocks and jackets to handbags, pillows, and quilts. The unique creations were showcased at the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington D.C., and the Philadelphia Craft Show in Pennsylvania, the American Craft Council (ACC) show in San Francisco, and group shows in Boston and New York.
Lecture
Saturday, April 26th, 2025
The Stories Dyes Tell: Textile Colors and the Seasons in Early Modern South Asia
By Sylvia Houghteling
Associate Professor of History of Art
Bryn Mawr College
Saturday, April 26th, 2025, 10:00am
Via Zoom
This talk brings together poetry, dye recipes, textiles, and their representations in painting to explore the vivid but quickly fading pink and yellow dyestuffs that were used in seasonal celebrations in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century South Asia.
A dye is something that imparts color to fibers by chemically binding to the material. Safflower, turmeric and saffron were treasured materials even if they were fleeting. In tracing the usages of dye materials that doubled as cooking ingredients, this study engages taste alongside the tactile, visual and olfactory senses.
Sylvia Houghteling published The Art of Cloth in Mughal India in 2022, Princeton U Press.
Lady Alone at Holi Festival
Opaque watercolor and gold on paper
c. 1780
Himachal Pradesh, Kangra, India
Harvard Art Museums
Tour
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
Explore the Intimate Details of Corset Making
Autumn Adamme's Tour of
DARK Garden Corsetry Store and Workroom
​By Autumn Adamme​
Saturday, May 17th, 2025
10:00am PST
Dark Garden (321 Linden St., San Francisco)
Fee: $30 Members or $35 Non-members
(Maximum 12 participants)​
Join us for an insider’s look at the lavish and saucy corsets Autumn Adamme creates for her Hayes Valley boutique DARK Garden store.
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The tour begins in the colorful retail space with a brief history and introduction to modern corsetry, followed by a look behind the curtain into the sewing studio where corsets are made to order.
This is a unique opportunity to peek into the creative process of corsetry in one of San Francisco’s finest bespoke studios.
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