Cook Islands

Back from a holiday in Rarotonga - the largest island in the Cook Islands group. This is a picture taken at the market which is held every Saturday. The lady in the stall makes and sells tivaivais. She also designs and cuts them ready for sewing... I purchased the small tivaivai hanging at the front of her shop - the one with two orange flowers on the right of the booth.

I also came home with some of the fabric that is traditionally used to make tivaivai - it is call Azlan and has a slightly looser weave than homespun.

There is was some pretty amazing fabric works at the market. There were lots of pareu - (like a sarong) Many were commercially printed fabric but there were hand dyed and individually printed ones which I would be inclined to mount or back and hang - glorious colours and bold design

I found a fantastic book called "Tiviavai The Social Fabric of the Cook Islands ' (Susanne Kuchler & Andrea Eimke) It is not a project book but contains a short history of patchwork in the South Pacific, many wonderful photos and interviews.

I was very fortunate to meet Mrs Vereara Mavea (President of the Cook Islands Tivaivai Association) who talked to me about tivaivai and showed me some of her work. If you click here you will find some examples of her work.