Spirit of Tivaevae

Documenting the making of my first Cook Islands tivaevae quilt

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  • What is tivaevae?
  • My First Tivaevae
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  • About
  • What is tivaevae?
  • My First Tivaevae
  • Supporters
  • Contact
  • My Tivaevae

    Progress > Pretty

    By Melodie Turori / August 14, 2019

    I wanted to set up my camera with good light and take a pretty photo because that’s what ya do for the gram, right? 🤷🏽‍♀️ But also, who has time for that?! Not I! At least, not…

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  • My Tivaevae

    Habits of creation

    By Melodie Turori / July 30, 2019

    This is how I’ve been spending a couple nights a week since mid-June. Stitching away and watching The Americans (just started season 4!). When I picked sewing back up last month I set a goal to have…

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  • Film Update

    Live from the Mangere Arts Centre

    By Melodie Turori / November 27, 2018

    Kia Orana! I am freshly home from a wonderful trip to Auckland, New Zealand. During the trip I was fortunate to squeeze in a trip to the Mangere Arts Center (Ngā Tohu o Uenuku) for their tivaevae…

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  • My Tivaevae

    Blocks of time for better stitches

    By Melodie Turori / August 26, 2018

    When you’ve been sewing for hours and can’t see straight anymore you gotta get close to your stitches. 😂 I’m kidding of course – I didn’t really sew like this. A couple weekends ago I had the…

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  • My Tivaevae

    Live from Heritage of Aloha 2018

    By Melodie Turori / May 21, 2018

    I popped on to Facebook Live video to share a look at my sewing progress while doing a tivaevae demonstration at the Heritage of Aloha festival in Los Angeles. The tacking is done and now comes the…

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  • My Tivaevae

    Designing a pattern

    By Melodie Turori / October 25, 2017

    I got a little ahead of myself last week. Before picking colors or fabric, step 1 was: What is this tivaevae going to be about? I wanted a design that connected the Cook Islands (my father’s birthplace),…

    read more
  • My Tivaevae

    We’re back and picking out colors!

    By Melodie Turori / October 18, 2017

    Kia Orana! I’m super excited to be back working on this film project AND… a tivaevae!! 😊 Yep, it’s true. I finally designed and got started on my very own twin-sized tivaevae and I’ll be sharing the…

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  • Film Update

    Follow our production adventures

    By Melodie Turori / July 19, 2015

    The beginning of production is almost upon us! In about 12 hours, I will be boarding a plane bound for Rarotonga. There will be weekly posts from the road here on the blog. However, if you want…

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  • Culture

    Stitched with Love

    By Melodie Turori / July 19, 2015

    Enjoy this lovely video posted by Te Papa Museum! “It’s my grandma, she presented me with a tivaevae and said, ‘You remember this. I sew it with my hands and all the stitches that I have done,…

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  • Film Update

    KNX Radio Feature

    By Melodie Turori / June 13, 2015

    Guess what?! We’re on the radio this weekend! KNX 1070 reporter Ron Kilgore did a feature on our Seed&Spark campaign and the piece will be airing throughout the weekend. Listen online here to see if you can…

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  • I wanted to set up my camera with good light and take a pretty photo because that’s what ya do for the gram, right? 🤷🏽‍♀️ . But also, who has time for that?! Not I! At least, not right now. Right now my life is teaching prep and writing a survey for work and editing wedding videos and showing up for my family+friends and my community and and and and... . Tivaevae is a handful of high value minutes to step away from the computer. An invitation to try to remember how to breath. To get out of the ephemeral digital spaces, the mind palace, and return myself back here in time and space. Getting grounded with my needle. . No pretty photos today. Just a quick snap I wanted to share with a cousin, and now you. ✌🏽 . . #tivaevae #pasifika #pacificart #pacificislanders #handmadewithlove #textilesart #textiledesign #fiberart #handembroidery #slowstitching #handstitched #handmade #quiltingfun #quilting #quiltsofinstagram #pacificislanders #tivaevaetuesday
  • This is how I’ve been spending a couple nights a week since mid-June. Stitching away and watching The Americans (just started season 4!). When I picked sewing back up last month I set a goal to have this piece finished by September 19th. I started this tivaevae (my first) almost two years ago but had only finished about a quarter of it - I was ready to be done already and move on to something else. These quiet sewing nights have been a gift. I’m re-learning a lesson that I forget too quickly: making art isn’t about the finished piece. Art is in the process; showing up regularly and doing the thing. It’s building a habit of creation instead of waiting for inspiration. Some nights I only thread the needle once. Other nights I’ve sewn through two hours without noticing the time. I’m closing in on halfway done. My deadline is only 7 weeks away. I don’t know if I’ll hit that goal but I think my chances are high if I can remember to keep showing up one thread at a time. #tivaevaefilm #tivaivai #cookislands
  • This tivaevae gown is a collaboration from Mama Tukua Turia and Karen Walker. It went to London Fashion Week at the beginning of the year, now it’s back in Auckland, en route to Te Papa in Wellington. . It was so cool to have an up close look at the dress in person after seeing the pictures online. The stitching is just beautiful! . And the singing and dancing by the mamas? Such a treat!! . #tivaevaefilm #tivaivai #tivaevae #cookislands #pacificislanders #pasifika #pasifikafashion
  • Attention Auckland friends: . I’ll be in town next month (November) and I would love to talk with you about tivaevae! If you or someone you know (maybe even a group of ladies?) would be open to chatting, shoot me a message and we can set something up. :) . Last year I was lucky to meet and do a little workshop with Mama Mii Tupangaia from Wellington. She helped me sort out a stitch I was struggling with and how to hold my hands to sew without an embroidery hoop. 🙌🏽 #tivaevae #tivaivai #auckland
  • When you’ve been sewing for hours and can’t see straight anymore you gotta get close to your stitches. 😂 . Shared a little from the stage and demonstrated tivaevae/tifaifai sewing at the Heiva SD village a couple weekends ago. Meitaki @heivasandiego2018 for having me! . #tivaevaefilm #tifaifai
  • I got a little ahead of myself last week. 😏 Before picking colors or fabric, step 1 was: "What is this tivaevae going to be about??" . I wanted a design that connected the Cook Islands (my father's birthplace), New Zealand (my birthplace), and San Diego (home). My personal pacific triangle, if you will. . I also wanted the pattern to be simple and relatively easy to sew. There's a good chance I'd end up taking an extended break if the sewing became too frustrating. (Know thyself!) . Palm trees linked by the ocean are an elegant, tidy solution to both points! #TivaevaeTuesday
  • Kia Orana! I'm super excited to be back working on this film project AND... my Tivaevae!! 😊 . Yep, it's true. I finally started my own Tivaevae and I'll be sharing the process as I go. . Surprisingly, the most paralyzing part of the process so far has been picking the fabric. I walked into the store with a color scheme...and then I was a puddle of anxiety in front of way too many fabric bolts. . I love neutrals and moody shades, but Tivaevae are traditionally bright. Do I pick this beautiful navy and dark purple? Ooh, or this gray/black combo? Or do I try this orange which is way outside my comfort zone? 😓 . In the end, I think I came up with a good compromise that satisfied both my personal taste and tradition.
  • The pile of postcards we mailed to our awesome contributors. 💜 #TivaevaeFilm
  • One of many Cook Islands flowers that are translated from nature into Tivaevae patterns. #tivaevaefilm #Aitutaki #latergram

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