Step 9 : Design and weave the upholstery

I initially developed my weaving designs in my sketchbooks before refining them digitally using Procreate on my iPad to ensure accurate colors and faster iterations. Once I locked the designs I shared them with Heirloom Naga, however I had a hiccup there because for the exact shades I needed, I had to dye yarn, for which their minimum quantity was 40kgs. I did expect there would be a minimum quantity because that is how even my father's factory works.

I tried first to see if I could die yarn in my factory however upon research, I understood the boilers used for yarn are different and even the chemicals. I wanted to dye these naturally, however, it seemed impossible to do that in the time frame and also monetarily for just two pieces no dyer who worked with my mom was ready to do it.

However, I was always working very closely with Heirloom Naga's context of colors and in general of Nagaland. So I contacted their coordinator and asked her if they had any surplus of their previously done designs and to my luck, they just had enough to weave my pieces and those were their excess waste. This worked out perfectly for my sustainability target to reduce waste and also I didn't have to buy anything more than I needed.

My weaving started the day my grandmother passed away, so it was really difficult to communicate initially and I had to trust them to follow through with my documents. However, Imti our coordinator is extremely supportive and she effectively communicated and called me now and then when there was confusion. Our conversation through which these textiles were developed is all attached below.