Inspired by Kaija Sanelma Harris, the Art & Design store worked with local weaver Amanda Brown, Scarlett Dahlia Artistry to produce items that speak to the impact on contemporary artists working in the medium today. 

This colour way was Inspired by Summer Gardens- "memories of summer days spent with my Great-Grandma Lyyli Dorma at her Tantallon cottage in the New Finland district of south-eastern Saskatchewan. She always had a row of hollyhocks along her front windows. Misty fresh greens, rose, cream, and pollen. Mood: watching the bees in the flowers, drinking coffee, and doing word searches. " - Amanda Brown, Scarlett Dahlia Artistry

The size of these medium weavings are approximately 50x50cm and are ready to hang or can be laid flat. - "With the larger format of the medium square I wanted to do something that is more inline with my style of modern krokbragd weaving. In late 2022/early 2023 I did a series of rugs with either a bargello/flame pattern or ombre stripes. The flame pattern is very similar to a number of graphic woven motifs in Kaija’s work, and her use of colour gradients to create dimension was inspirational. Different textures and lustres of fibre can be combined with colour and pattern to add dimensionality to the otherwise flat image.
To achieve this mix, yarns will be custom handspun on a spinning wheel using either 1) 70% Saskatchewan alpaca/30% saskatchewan wool blend (Alpaca Naturally, Dinsmore, SK); 2) 50% merino/50% tencel blend (imported fibres sold by a Canadian supplier). Colours will be nuanced and have tonal shades within the yarn. " - Amanda Brown, Scarlett Dahlia Artistry.

Krokbragd is a weft-faced weaving technique originating from the nordic countries - mostnotable for its popularity in Sweden and Norway. It produces a thicker fabric suitable for rugs, table mats, and wall hangings. Patterned motifs are built up in columns of coloured squares. All of Scarlett Dahlia's krokbragd items can either be used on a flat surface or wall mounted.

Amanda Brown is a sustainable textile artist from Saskatoon, SK. Originally a fashion designer using commercial textiles, in 2020, she transitioned into making her items from her own hand-made fabrics. Having the flexibility to customize every aspect of the textile design is what makes dyeing, spinning, and weaving fibres so appealing to Amanda. Her studio practice operates using zero-waste principles – all fibre scrapes are repurposed, recycled into new yarn, or composted depending on the quality and fibre content; all product packaging is recyclable and/or compostable.