Back to some Textiles

I purchased some trimmings. Not sure what I am going to do with them but they are lovely. These we got in Ahmedabad.

I don't usually buy touristy type stuff but I succumbed to one piece... it is hand made and it was cheap and it really epitomizes what people expect. I bought it on the street in Mumbai. It is just this side of tacky but I will put it somewhere.  You will notice that some of the pictures are against my lavender shag carpeting. I do not have another area in my house big enough to spread out some of these and I did not want to deal with shadows.


I bought 2 vintage silk quilts. They are made from old sari silk and all hand stitched. One has been given as a gift. They are over 50 years old.
They are about queen size.

I love shawls and throws and I love Pashmina. Pashmina wool comes from the pashmina goat which is indigenous to the high altitudes around the Himalayas. They are hand spun, woven and embroidered traditionally in Kashmir and made from fine cashmere fiber. Pure Pashmina is very gauzy and fragile so now it is blended with 30% silk. Some are 50% silk but I did not get those.  Because of all the unrest in the Kashmir area, many of these craftsman have moved elsewhere and are part of cooperatives. We visited the showroom of one of them.. and I went a bit nuts.  I bought 3 king size throws and some shawls. By Indian standards these were very expensive. By our standards they were cheap.... and I know where to get more. We had most of this stuff shipped home. Some of the big name international designers have been contracting for these throws. They are ordering 80 in each design and colorway. It takes a weaver 2 months to make one so extras are made in case something goes wrong. Each weaver has his own "hand" so someone else could never fill in and finish it up. Each is slightly different from the others. The extras are sold for a fraction of the price the branded ones. I bought 2 designs by Etro and one who I have now forgotten. I love paisley.

The third one looks like the style of Klimpt who I also love. I had to stand on a ladder to photograph most of these!

Next were some shawls. I had a very hard time choosing. One was more gorgeous than the next. At least when I need my next fix I know where to get them. They will photograph and ship!

This next one I really splurged on. It is made from Vicuna and was designed by the store proprietor. It is sooooo soft.











I did of course by some inexpensive silk and cotton blend scarves to give as gifts.

And of course some silk yardage.

To be continued!