fiber arts and handicrafts

[Alatar]

What the hell is the backstory here?

[elengil]

What the hell is the backstory here?

It's a somewhat-famous-in-some-circles piece of marginalia from medieval manuscripts. There is a lot of that kind of art in them, and there are differing opinions on why and what it might 'really' represent.

[Inanna]

It’s like India’s ancient temples. *So much* of the stone carving on their exteriors is pornographic.

An example:

[Frelga]

Check out the Stonehenge tea light holder this artist crocheted

FqMx_iLWAAIIwz0.png (466.44 KiB) Viewed 2983 times

[Maria]

My latest project made it onto my daughter's listing photos for her house:

[Maria]

I wouldn't have picked those colors, but that's what she wanted.

[RoseMorninStar]

What a lovely home. It is staged just beautifully. The afghan adds just the right touch. Are they moving? Is this the daughter who lives nearby?

[Frelga]

It's a beautiful house, and the afghan is perfect for that soft homely touch.

[Maria]

Yes, this is my older daughter who lives nearby. They are giving up on the hobby farm and moving to town.
It is a lovely house now, after all the renovations we've helped her with. They just can't keep up with all the work needed for the outside stuff and are moving to a smaller place in a nice subdivision.

Here's the link to the listing, if anyone is interested: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/1553 ... 0509_zpid/

[Inanna]

I love the touches of blue all through the house!

[Jude]

What is that over the door in the top left? It looks nice.

[RoseMorninStar]

Jude, are you referring to (what I think is) a metal wall scroll/decor above the archway? I recently bought something like that. Mine is a vine with silver leaves.

[Jude]

Yes, that's what I was looking at.

[RoseMorninStar]

You can find similar items in an online search for metal wall decor/art/scroll/vine, Large/over the door metal wall art/decor/scroll. Also, many home goods stores carry similar items. Ex. online stores like Wayfair or Amazon.

[RoseMorninStar]

A page ago there was a discussion about the amazing arts & crafts that could be done with straw. This beautifully appliquéd dress is from 1865.. appliquéd with straw.
.
.
So I wasn't able to embed this so I'll quote & post photos.

This is a very rare survivor. Made in 1865, the very end of the Great Inflation, this is a ball gown of cream colored silk with a cotton gauze over-skirt and bodice detail. What makes this such a rarity is the material used in the embroidery. Straw. Yes, straw.
To do the work, the straw is first soaked to make it as pliable as possible then it is used in just the same way as the pink silk floss that accents the design. Straw has a natural sheen to it so it has a unique golden glow not reproducible with other materials. It is also quite lightweight so it would not compress the sheer gauze base, but allow it to move easily.
This must have been very carefully stored to preserve the straw so well.
Collection of the Weinmuseum, Italy.

[Maria]

Wow, that's really pretty! But how do you wash it???

[RoseMorninStar]

Wow, that's really pretty! But how do you wash it???

Carefully?
Spot cleaning?

Perhaps it was intended to be only worn once for a special event. Obviously the straw can get wet because they had to soak it to render it pliable for sewing, but I don't know how it getting wet post application would affect it. My thought was.. this is the type of thing people had time to do before TV/internet.

[Inanna]

It looks like the Indian Lehangas or silk embroidered sarees. You don’t wash them, they are dry cleaned.

[RoseMorninStar]

It looks like the Indian Lehangas or silk embroidered sarees. You don’t wash them, they are dry cleaned.

I would think this is true today, but after seeing your comment I was curious as to how long dry cleaning has been around. Modern dry cleaning was invented in 1821, but other dry cleaning methods have been around since ancient times. Who knew? (not me). I guess I should not be surprised.

[Frelga]

I think these gowns were spot cleaned. The undergarments went between the gown and the skin to absorb sweat, etc., and those would be washed.

That said, I wonder if once processed, these would be like any other natural fiber.