Calisto’s rugs are made from 100 per cent New Zealand wool, feature bright colours and geometric shapes, and range from doormat size to five-by-six-foot area rugs. They are made on an upright wooden frame holding fabric, stretched tight like a canvas, that eventually becomes the back of the rug. From two spools of identically coloured wool, she threads her tufting gun and punches through the canvas, creating colourful patterns, often from a stencil or drawing, and sometimes creating the design as she goes along.
Cabiri’s path to rug making
Balancing practicality and artistry has been a theme throughout Calisto’s life—even in her first job, at age 14. She wore roller skates to deliver newspapers so she could hit front porches in the shortest time possible in Courtenay’s Old Orchard neighbourhood, where she grew up. Later she moved to New York to work in fashion, working for a British designer who gave her a coveted chance to design haute couture for New York Fashion Week.
“I like being cozy. My house was cold growing up. I think having a good-quality rug that ties the room together is a nice thing to have in a West Coast home”
Eventually she felt the need to pursue “something more meaningful than selling clothes to Barney’s [department store],” and shifted her energy towards becoming a Montessori teacher. She moved to Toronto and enrolled in teaching training, first teaching at a sewing camp, where children aged seven to 12 picked out their own fabrics and designs, then spent the week creating outfits on sewing machines. “The kids would have these crazy, crooked seams, and they’d be okay with that,” Calisto remembers. “I loved it.”
Back to the Comox Valley
She found her way back to the Comox Valley in 2021 and started Merville Montessori School, where students as young as three begin to learn simple sewing skills by attaching buttons onto colourful fabrics. Last spring, after stepping back from some of the school’s day-to-day operations, she had time to explore creative projects. Her inclination was to make one-of-a-kind useful objects, inspired by our coastal, damp climate and her own childhood. “I like being cozy,” she says. “My house was cold growing up. I think having a good-quality rug that ties the room together is a nice thing to have in a West Coast home.” She threw herself into learning the art of hand-tufting.
Calisto estimates that about 50 hours go into making one of her bigger rugs, but hours of time are required even for smaller pieces. She currently has four rugs for sale, retailing between $300 and $1,000. “I think well made things are worth the money,” she says. One recent piece, “Flight,” features dusty rose flowers, yellow stars, turquoise leaves, and a periwinkle bird in mid-flight against a plush white background. Other works, including “Neon Dreams” and “Popsicle” (a set of accent pillows) showcase her love of unexpected colour combinations and playful shapes. “It is hard work, physically,” she says. “But I love it. I love creating from beginning to end.”
Craftsmanship runs in Cabiri Calisto’s family history
Craftsmanship runs deep in her family history: her mother was a seamstress and her father built furniture out of driftwood. Her Dutch great-grandparents were artists, too. In the early 1900s, her grandfather worked in the same artistic circles as Picasso, and her grandmother embroidered and made intricate toys and puzzles. Her ancestors’ commitment to making beautiful things carefully, and making them to last, is apparent in Calisto’s rugs.
CARPET CARE
Vacuum (no beater bar).
Spot-clean with damp cloth and mild soap.
Professional cleaning is recommended
for a heavily soiled piece.
Not suitable for machine wash.
