People in Spotlight - Simple Master Weaver: Millington's

Milton John of Millington's sits outside his workshed weaving, surrounded by a few of his craft pieces.

Remember those mats and rugs your grandmother used to own? The woven rattan or rafia ones that greeted you at the doorway or graced the living room floor? I've noticed that you don't see many of them anymore in Trinidad and Tobago. It seems the amazing artform of weaving grass into exquisite baskets, rugs, seating and furniture has been replaced by imported blends of unnatural, chemical filled rayon and polyester blends of madness. Or on the other hand, when you do find a grass woven product, it was imported. Hmmmph!Why do we seem to prefer imported items to our local riches? There are about 6 people in our country that still practice this art, one such person is Milton John of Millington's.

Saltwhistle Bay Beach, Mayreau, St. Vincent and the Grenadines
(Photo courtesy About.com)

He is an easy-going, industrious Vincentian who learned this technique from his father at an early age while growing up in the tropical island of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG). SVG is made up of 32 island and cays and is well known for their pristine, powder white sand beaches. Milton moved to Trinidad and Tobago when he was about 20 years old and managed to keep his weaving a side gig until the usual construction industry jobs to which he'd grown accustomed, grew scarce. Since then weaving has been his life and livelihood. His workshed is located close to his home along the Lady Young Road. The Lady Young Road meanders through the mountains of the Northern Range and connects the Eastern Main Road in Barataria, in Eastern Trinidad and the Queen's Park Savannah (the world's largest traffic roundabout) in Western Trinidad.

A Partial View of the St. Ann's Valley from Millington's

I met Mellington almost a year ago and commissioned a rug of my own design. At one point I sat with him while he completed the last few turns of my rug and began chatting. That's when I found out about the type of grass (he calls it zettia) and that he had some planted in the back of his workshed. Of course, I had to go explore his backyard and was greeted with the wonderful view of the St. Ann's Valley in Maraval.

 

My commissioned rug

 

Milton stands in the midst of his zettia grass.

The zettia grass must be dried a bit before weaving and this may take a few days after cutting. As the grass dries and ages, the colour changes and the weaving creates additional texture that makes the rug come alive. Shades of green, brown and yellow abound in a freshly woven rug. The dried grass is woven using varied techniques. One of the techniques I observed was to plait the grass as you would hair, using three distinct groups of grass and then weave one long plait into itself, rolling and tacking with 'twine' or rayon thread (for longevity).

Dried grass for weaving stands next to the beginnings of a round,
plaited rug and a completed hat. 

Some completed chair seats flanked by freshly cut bamboo stalks for drying.

I share Milton's belief that the craft is vastly underappreciated. At this point he is struggling to pay his bills and must seek alternative employment. He believes that his craft is an old one that the Trinbagonian populace would rather forget and replace with what they believe to be the newest products on the market. Is this true? For me, I look to the past for a certain beauty and uniqueness that can be only achieved by the perfect imperfections of the handiwork of man.

DIY - Easter Egg Tablescape



 

 

Today is a wonderful day on the sunny islands of Trinidad and Tobago. Since we have only two seasons here: wet and dry, we don't have Spring but that doesn't make it any less fun. We do celebrate Easter and it's just as great! I've been seeing many posts online for Easter decorating ideas but they don't exactly match my style. So I've decided to do one of my own. It's a tablescape idea that can be used on any table or console in your home. Of course, you can amend parts of the design to suit your personal taste, just like I did.

Things you'll need:

• 6 to 1 dozen eggs (dependant on the size of your vase)
• Push pin/thumb tack
• Glue: Sobo, Elmers or fabric glue, any glue that dries clear or white
• Acrylic paint, poster paint or food colouring
• Small paintbrush(es)
• Dried plant vines or dried twigs
• Clear large vase, apothecary jar or cloche

 A.  Eggshell Prep

1.  First, we're going to remove the egg from their shells without cracking them. Gently cup the egg in the palm of your hand with the top or bottom of the egg facing upwards. Press the push pin into the shell and bore/punch a hole. The hole should be about 1/8". Repeat this process on the opposite end of the egg. 
2. Hold the egg over a bowl and turn it upside down with the larger end facing up. Place your mouth over the hole blow out the egg white and yolk into the bowl.
3. Rinse the inside of the eggshell by filling it with water, shaking and draining until the water runs clear. Place shells upside down on a napkin to air-dry.
4. Cover/Fill the two holes with glue and let dry. Squeeze out a bit of glue and let it slightly coagulate before applying to the holes.

B.  Egg Decor Time!



1. Use acrylic or poster paint to paint eggs. You can add a textured look or patterns to the shell. This part is entirely up to you and will determine your style and the style the tablescape will follow. For my 'scape I wanted a more natural, delicate but whimsical look. My overall design inspiration for my living area is the seaside and the accent colours are navy, aqua and rust. So these are the colours I used for my eggs.
2. For marbelized easter eggs using food colouring follow the instructions from Martha Stewart found here http://www.marthastewart.com/921623/how-make-marbleized-easter-eggs 
3. For splatter (my choice): Mix paint to your colour of choice and add enough water so that the colour is very evident and the paint will splatter when the brush is shaken. Cover area with paper towels, newspaper or old magazine pages and place egg ontop. Hold paintbrush over egg and shake. Alternatively, use an old toothbrush dipped in paint and run your thumb briskly over the bristles to splatter paint on eggshell.
4. Allow eggs to dry. Place on bottle caps for easy drying with the least amount of damage. Note: If you are painting the egg then applying a layer of splatter, let the coat of paint dry first before splattering or you'll end up with a mess.

C. Adding the Nest and Eggs...



1. Cut branches/twigs, vines or anything you can find that looks like birds can use it to make their nests.
2. Arrange branches in an overlapping, entwined/woven design in your vase/vessel of choice, until you have a nest like formation, you can add moss ontop the nest or mix it in between the branches for additional colour.
3. Arrange eggs in vase. Here you have many options, you can add a bottle or thin cylindrical vase filled water and a long stemmed flower such as a lily or add additional branches to the center of the 'nest'. Have fun with it!

D. Let the tablescapin begin!

1. If the 'scape is for a dinner table center your Easter egg vase on your table and set your table with coordinating colours. Add party favours for guests and place them in or next to the dinnerware. I added DiDa's own origami butterflies ornament as my personal favour. You can also display additional eggs around the table or add a smaller vase with a similar arrangement.
2. If it's for a console, place the vase closer to one end of the table and add additional decorative items: pile three books together and place candles or Easter egg decor ontop, vary your objects and make an odd number of odd groups e.g. three groups of objects: the first group showcases 3 objects, the second 1 object and finally the last group 5 objects of varied heights but similar colours. Survey your tablescape and rearrange until you're absolutely in love with your handiwork. 

Let me know what you think! Have a great Easter everyone!