Textiles From The Silk Road Part 3

 

This is a hooked rug that graces the wall of the Shaw Island Community Center.

It details the first Shaw homesteaders

This is the final installment of Textiles along the Silk Road. This unusual piece was a woman's garment though no one - including the speaker - understands how is was supposed to have been worn. It is comprised of a long rectangle that is sewn together along the long sides -so that both top and bottom are open. This is quite an old piece and the variety and quality of hand work was very interesting. If you look at the teeny tiny cross stitches below the worked medallions you will notice that it appears that someone just stopped working on the heart shaped cross stitches.

  

  

The center medallian and edging is worked in a fabulous beading technique that is so effective!

I had to take some close ups of how the red and white beads were strung

  

  

Above you can some beautiful design work that was, it appears, spliced together from two differing pieces... both lovely. Looks like natural dyes to me.

Below is an amzing piece that is a woman's headress, All of these soft tassles would hang sown the back. Speculation is that the braids - which are on a wooden harness type of thing - was braided into the woman's hair.

Last, but not least another glorious, richly colored textile that has the most silky soft, amazing fringe work !
This is it for the stroll down the Silk Road. It was another great lecture through our textile guild! Next post - some new ATC's.