What's inspiring me recently are these gorgeous 100 year old hand embroidered Indian silk sari ribbons. These textiles are AMAZING!! My good friend Kim gave these to me as a thank you and I really want to do them justice.
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My background is in textiles, (I worked in textile conservation at the Cleveland Museum of Art) so I have such an appreciation for the effort and talent that goes into these hand embroidered ribbons. My dilemma is- how do I incorporate these into my work and honor them at the same time?
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Just look at the snowmen and reindeer on this one!! My first thought was to stitch these onto soft leather for cuff bracelets- maybe with some simple beaded detail. I've been researching textile jewelry lately and haven't really been inspired.
Does anyone out there have any ideas? Modern or historical? I would love to do a series of posts with all the ideas and images of my readers- so please email me yours.
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This peacock silk is very tattered, but I can always back it on something to stabilize it. The last image is a cuff I made a few years ago with seed bead detail. It was the first time I ever did anything like that, but looking at it now I don't think the beadwork enhances the textile- rather it covers it up.
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So please send your images (links in the comments) or email them directly.
Hello Gretchen,
ReplyDeleteYour vintage textiles are so pretty. I can see that it would hard to decide how to use them in handmade items. Thanks for sharing.
Smiles, Paula