Silk wrap

This is my favorite wrap. It is 100% silk, and the colors are luscious. It is a tapestry from Thailand. The warp threads are the red/maroon color, and the weave is a tabby weave with the other colors woven through in the patterns you see.



I have a vest that includes the exact same colors as this wrap, so it makes a very nice outfit. It is amazingly warm, and I love to run my fingers over it. If my fingers are rough, they catch on the tiny strands of silk, but if they are smooth I can feel the tooth of the silk threads. The fringe seems to be sort of an afterthought. The fringes are a completely different color, and are attached with a running stitch. It's a good thing the silk thread is so strong!

This was a gift from my former boss when he returned from Thailand. He got one for his house as well.

Pashmina

This is a beautiful, soft shawl in turquoise and black. It feels just wonderful, and when you read the label you can see why. It is made of pashmina and silk, and has a beautiful design woven into it.



The wikipedia article is very interesting, and I (just now) learned a lot from this article about this item. This one is a "wrap" or "stole" size.



I haven't used it too often; I have to find the right outfit for it. I attended a wedding this weekend, and noticed during that time that shawls and wraps are very popular for "dress-up."

Two other people got to dress up for the wedding as well. P was ring bearer. Check out the tux, the boutonniere, the patent leather shoes, and the watch! He loves to dress up!



C loves to dress up too. She was one of the flower girls. This is her with aunt J and me. (Mommy was standing to the side, pinning up C's hair, that is why we are holding her hands, to keep her still. It was so exciting!) Mommy and daddy were beautiful too, but I didn't get any pictures. I'm excited to see the photographer's pictures when they come out.



You could hear a collective "aw, how cute" when they walked down the aisle, and there were smiles on every face (except for a few that had tears!). It was a wonderful day. (The bride and groom were beautiful too, P and C's auntie and new uncle.)

Another Scarf from India

This is another scarf from India. It was part of an entire outfit, tunic, pants and garland, for a man. Most of the interest from this scarf comes from the texture that is woven in. It is machine made and is made out of some kind of man-made fibers. It is interesting to look at, but I have not worn it. It is quite long, reaching past my knees, but only about 14 to 16 inches wide.

Catching up

I got two responses about the label of the shawl, one saw what I see, and one what R. always saw, an elephant. I think it is a graphic of two sheep, a mom and a baby, nuzzling their noses together, and DH saw that as well. So I'm still wondering who is seeing things correctly. It's a fun conversation piece, though.

Leila asked what books I got. I got Pretty Little Pin Cushions and Stumpwork Embroidery and I've been feasting my eyes on them ever since. The PLPC book has the eyeball pin cushions that Marj has been making plus many others.

Tumbleweed recommended that I not dry clean my shawl. So far I have been careful and there are no spots or stains on it. After living in Argentina for several years and taking care of woollens there, my mom and I usually hand wash wool with a mild detergent, however, with this shawl I would worry about the colors running. Hopefully it will not be necessary.

Shawls and wraps

I love to wear shawls and wraps, and I have a very nice collection of them. They fit the theme of this blog, because they come from all over the world.





This wrap is off-white with very fine embroidery on it. The fabric is wool, and it is nice and warm. It is at least 40 inches wide and quite long too. When I got it the ends were unfinished. I knotted the fringes as I was wearing it. This is a close-up of the embroidery:



One of the interesting things about this shawl is the label. I'm so pleased it's "export quality"! I wonder what you think the picture represents? I have had long discussions on this with the person who gave it to me. Please leave a comment as to what you think it represents! I will post later what I think it is.



I just have to mention that I met Spinster Stitcher, her very self, at the House of Stitches in LaPorte yesterday. So nice to meet you! I overheard her talking about "Stewie's" Halloween costume, and I had to introduce myself.

My trip to the shop was very successful. I got the 2 things on my list that I needed (a skein of Silk n' Color, 142, and a Tacky Bob), and I found a couple more things to enjoy as well. The floss and Tacky Bob were put to good use last night in my current project Indian Summer Reflections.

Center Stage Rose

This is "Center Stage" a rose designed by Marc Saastad of the Silver Lining. I stitched it for my "consuegra" as a memorial for George. It is stitched over one, and I do have to say that the frame adds a very nice touch. The white on white trellis in the background adds a lot of depth, as well.



We had an exciting week this week! We went to the Eagle's concert on Wednesday night at the United Center in Chicago with some friends. Three hours of music and singing! I love the harmonies, both in the voices (all tenors), the woodwinds (2 saxes, a trumpet and a baritone sax) and the guitars and bases.





(C.; DH; me; T.)

We had so much fun we are hoping to discover other groups to go to together. (The pictures of the concert were taken w/ DH's phone. I think they are rather fantastic for that!)

Hardanger Etui

I'm sorry I'm slowing down on posts. I have to get my camera out, and take some more pictures. I did find one picture in my files though, that I can talk about.


This is an etui (sewing box). The embroidered bands are to hold packets of needles and other notions, and the circle in the center is a pincushion for pins. The pattern for this etui is in "Fundamentals Made Fancy" by Janice Love. I was fortunate enough to take a Hardanger class with her (after I had made this) through my EGA guild, and I must say the class was more fun than the book, because Janice is very funny!


I was amazed by how little time this took to make. I really enjoyed it, and I think it is because the embroidery pieces are so (relatively) small. A large Hardanger mat or tablecloth can take months or even years, but this is like eating the center of Oreo cookies, you get to do the fun stitches without having to plow through the miles of Kloster blocks. The centers were so much fun! A couple of the names were "Greek Cross" and "Edelweis" and then there were tons of "Dove's eyes" and picots. The lacey edging didn't even take that long.




The instructions were very clear for assembling the box and it turned out beautiful. My biggest regret is that the moire satin has faded badly on the outside, and has turned into a completely different color. I'll get a picture of that, too, when I get my camera out.