Winter of Wool and Biodynamic Textiles

Raw sheep’s wool reigns in the realm of the senses and has been instrumental in creating connections between nature and culture throughout the ancient history of textiles. Wool’s characteristics of malleability, density, rich textures, strong earthy scent, a greasiness to the touch and raw materiality speaks clearly to its origins in agriculture. Wool is currently at the centre of conversations around sustainable materials, regenerative farming practices, the climate beneficial wool cycle, local fibersheds and slow fashion. In the tradition of Arte Povera, making work that blurs the distinction between art, craft and life, I am engaged with reimagining slow textile futures and weaving a local, biodynamic textile using raw, unspun wool. Throughout the next few months I’ll be visiting local wool producers, sourcing local raw wool, and continuing my design work with weaving raw wool into plain weave structures and felting into dense, textural textiles.

Jannis Kounellis
(1936, Grèce - 2017, Italie)

Sans titre

1968

(Photo taken at Centre Pompidou, Paris in 2019)

CLOTH TONE for CLAYOQUOT WILDERNESS LODGE : SERIES II

Throughout the fall/winter of 2021, Cloth Tone was immersed in the production of a new series of custom, handwoven cushions in organic linen and cotton for the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge on Vancouver Island. This new series, ‘Tabis’ and ‘Parallèlle’ in an olive and natural join Cloth Tone’s previous series of wool cushions created for the redesign in 2020. This project was an opportunity for Cloth Tone to mentor two new weavers from the local community in anticipation of similar projects to come! Thank you so much to Forest @tomatodailyhalfacre and Janet @janetsteinjewelry for their contributions to the textile studio this winter. The work looks amazing and is definitely the largest commission we’ve completed to date!

xo Larissa

CLOTH TONE for CLAYOQUOT WILDERNESS LODGE : SERIES I

CLOTH TONE was excited and honoured to be invited to design and weave a series of interior cushions for the Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge redesign on Vancouver Island. Using wool sourced from small fibre farms on Vancouver Island, Cloth Tone created a series of cushions inspired by the local west coast landscape. All of the work was woven and sewn by Lindsay, our assistant Amy and myself in our lakeside and ranch studios throughout the winter and spring of 2021.

Now, already late into 2021, I am completing a second commission for a new series of interior textiles in cotton and organic linen to launch in April 2022.

Image: Clayoquot Wilderness Lodge, 2021

CLOTH TONE at the Toque Craft Fair Dec 1-6

TOQUE CRAFT FAIR (ONLINE) - DEC 1-6 Presented by Western Front

VISIT THE SALE

SLOW CLOTH FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING

CLOTH TONE is excited to be participating in the annual TOQUE CRAFT FAIR for our third year in a row!

We are weaving up several small series of cloth in cotton, merino, linen and wool to satisfy all of your textile cravings! All of our cloth is designed and woven in our Okanagan-based studios!

SLOW CLOTH FOR SUSTAINABLE LIVING.

CLOTH TONE will be donating 20% of all sales to support Western Front’s artistic programs.

AD HOC COLLABORATION

It’s been so much fun working with AD HOC, especially when we’ve got to model some of our favourite designers with CLOTH TONE textiles. AD HOC represents the work of independent women designers and the collection is amazing. We particularly love Atelier Delphine, Ilana Kohn, Micaela Greg, Priory and Rachel Comey! Photos courtesy of Stephanie Kedda at AD HOC.