It is suspected that the earliest silk fibers were obtained from the fine gossamers on the surface of certain leaves during the height of the Roman Empire.  The Chinese propularized silk, but also kept the process a guarded secret to fuel the allure of the expensive material.  The Chinese used a very painstaking method of extracting silk fibers from Silkworms.

• An incubator is kept at stable and consistent temperature at 65 degreesF and then gradually raised to 77 degreesF at which point the eggs hatch. The worms are left to feed on mulberry leaves until they essentially, fatten up.
• The silkworms are so sensitive that they must be protected from strong smells and noises.  Once they have obtained enough energy, they will begin making a cacoon.  The most difficult part of the entire process involves killing the silkworm, and harvesting the fibers of the cacoon. 
• The fibers were made from a jelly like substance in the silkworms silk glands.  This substance hardens on contact witht he air, similar to glue from a glue gun. After being dipped in water, the cacoons are unwound (generally by hand) to produce a single filament that can but up to 800 meters long.  Several of these are wound tegether to make thread.

There are several types of silk producing larvae that can be used for obtaining silk.

The Atlas Moth

South African Luna

Polyphemus Moth

You can see why the textiles from this painstaking process were reserved only for Chinese Emporers.  There is a lot to be said for how history carried out itself, however.  The fact that almost anyone can afford some type of silk garment is a huge transition from silk’s earliest years.  In modern times, silk is still used to make garments (particulary for women) but it also become popular to carry on the tradition of painting on silk panels in the process of “silk screening” or in freehand painting directly onto the material.  Artisan silks can be very costly.

 India is another country where silk is heavily produced.  Muga silk is used in sarees and traditional Assamese attire, ‘mekhla chaddar’. Assam’s golden silk is from a caterpillar, Antheraea assama.  Designs on the silk are inspired from nature and surrouding objects such as architecture.    South Indian silk, mainly made into sarees, is unique in texture and design.  Andhra Pradesh is famous for the ‘pochampally’ silk sarees with geometrical designs, not often seen on silk materials.  Silk appears in such tropical hot climates because of its ability to regulate temperature.

Perhaps you will think twice before you bulk at the price of a silk dress when you consider how much energy is expended by the organisms involved in the sericulture process!

 http://livingskiesgallery.com/store/images/Blue-Irises-on-Rust-scarf.jpg

http://www.silk-road.com/artl/silkhistory.shtml

www.australianartelo.com.au

tdserver1.fnal.gov

What exactly is the method behind this wild looking pattern and where did it come from? What does its recent appearance in malls and runways alike have to say about the fashion industry today? 

Interestingly, the Ikat method of dying and decorating is used in numerous countries all around the world.  Quite a few sources speculate that the art of Ikat originated in Central Asia namely, Thailand.  The method of dying involves resist dying threads with individual colors by affixing tiny plastic pieces that prevent dying the thread in specific areas.  Ikat is very similar to tye dye and Batik in this way. Thailand and India have also used Ikat to produce traditional tribal and ceremonial attire.

• African Ikat:   This is a poular type of resist dying in Africa.  The land has a good source of indigo, a deep blue purple dye, so ikat is commonly seen in this color.  The picture to your left is an Igara Ikat wrap hand woven by Nigerian women.

Thai Ikat: The term for Ikat in Thailand is Mudmee. Thai textiles often have a broader and brighter range of dye colors and their unique patters were the original inspiration for today’s Ikat fashion. For a comparison, take a look at the shape of the abstracted diamond pattern in this picture, and the more refined pattern of the runways Ikat.

Indian Ikat: These include the satin weave of South India, the double-ikat silk patola of Gujarat, and cotton saris from Orissa and Tamil Nadu. Gujarat is considered the heartland of ikat because it is the source of the ‘patola’-the most sought after Ikat. There are also the simpler ikats of the Deccan and South India. The picture to the left is a combination of both Ikat and brocade, a type of embroidery embellishment.

It is evident from the progression of fashion in the new millenium, that trends have been geared more and more towards an exotic, foreign look.  When you take, for example, the advent of the “peasant” attire in the early 2000′s and how that transitioned into the more tribal “Bohemian” look, you can easily see how Ikat found it’s way into the fashion market of Western cultures.  But why such a foreign influence to begin with?  The lifestyle behind the peasant and bohemian movements is one of globetrotting and a free spirited outlook.  Travelling is seen as a cultured and intellectual activity, and these movements also mimic the popularity of the hippie movement of the 60′s.  No doubt, the original countries who used Ikat had no idea that their traditional method of resist dying would one day garner the leaders of the fashion industry so much money!

http://www.adire.clara.net/nigerianwomensgallery.htm

http://shefindshttp://www.marlamallett.com/W-4519DD-Ikat-Side.jpg.com/blog/index.php/weblog/link/trend_alert_the_ikat_print_invades_2008/

http://www.bangkok-thailand.com/mudmee-navy-blue-purple-orange-violet-thai-silk.htm

We arrive at a heated debate.  Few would go so far as to say that because there is no definitive reason to create art (in all its irrationality and romanticism) that humans should cease to create art.  This is because art has and always will be in human nature.  The reasons behind this are many but vague.  One might create because it eases the mind, soul, conscience.  Art might be simply a mimicry of reality.  Art might be sheer vanity.

  Textile creation is an example of an early folk art. In general, it has always remained a folk art  save for a few exceptions such as the “fine textiles” mass produced for the most renowned runway fashion designers or esteemed mavricks of interior design.   Frida Kahlo, a famous hispanic folk artist,  had her own reasons for creating folk art.       “The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to…,” are some of Frida Kahlo’s famous words.  I believe these words, from a master in the field of folk art, proves there can be no explanation as to why humans create whatever brand of art they may.  The same applies to the metamorphasis of textiles.   

One of my favorite Frida Kahlo still lifes.

Without the human drive to create and express, there would be little to discuss about the visual aspects of textiles.  The nature of the fibers and the methods of creation might be touched upon but certainly these topics arn’t nearly as interesting as the patters, colors, and symbolism behind the textiles that are native to the cultures they represent.  The human need for expression has led to such a wide variety of textiles for countless generations to admire.

http://thinkexist.com/quotes/frida_kahlo/

http://www.slimcoincidence.com/images/kahlo_still_life.jpg

At first glance, this ink drawing by M.P. Hough in 1902 of Dutch Fisher-Girls in the Netherlands appears drab and solemn. I certainly woudn’t argue that there is a certain “morbid-pilgrimesque” air about this piece. In fact,  there seems to be a mental trend amongst most people that early  european cultures lacked the same primal festiveness and vibrancy of design that countries such as say, Indonesia and Thailand were known for.   While you can’t argue that this is true in many cases, it certainly wasn’t the case for the early Dutch textiles, particularly in the Hindeloopen area. Take a closer look at this illustration and you’ll realize that intermixed with the stately and solemn fabrics these Frisian girls wear, are rich, floral yokes and subtle intricate details.

 The Hindeloopen Folk Art and Costume originated in an old harbor city in northern Netherlands known as Hindeloopen (as surprising as that may be).  If you’ve ever been to a festival held by a Dutch community, their festive costumes were most likely in the spirit of Hindeloopen textiles.  Hindeloopen culture originated as a visual art form typically as ornamentation on wood furniture.  This soon transcended itself in the textiles of the Hindeloopen people.  The product of such a mixture was the use chintz (colorful cotton embellished with floral accents) in the early 19th century.   The use of such Chintz could indicate the marital status of a woman, but was also left strictly for formal occasions. The Dutch Chintz designs differ obviously from victorian damask and other floral textiles in their original color schemes.  There is also a certain quality of line unique to the Dutch and an apparent lack of realistic representation. 

Here we have an example of Dutch Chintz reproduction:

Nothing boring about that, is there?  One can easily see similarities between this method of ornamentation and the style of representation during the medieval ages. You might argue that this return to a more primitive state of representation is a step backwards in the evolution of design, but I see it as a testament to the quirkiness of Folk art.  The picture below  is of the tradtional folk crafts done in Hindeloopen (or at least in the spirit of Hindeloopen) to better understand the visual elements of the two:

The structure of the color scheme and the composition of the flowers is quite similar but keep in mind that these examples are giving you a very limited taste of Hindeloopen art.  The actual volume of styles and variations mimics the complexity of the design itself!  Yes, a Dutch woman’s everyday clothing might have paled in comparison to the elaborate Hindeloopen costumes, the Dutch continue to have a great reverance for this folk art movement by continuously establishing Hindeloopen Chintz as the customary atire of their modern day festivals. 

The W.H. Glasshour Company, purveyors of tradtional Dutch fabric reproduction and art, states that the Old Hindeloopen was a town “with a character of its own”.  How fitting that such a unique and valuable addition to the textile world should have been produced there!  The drab illustrations of the early 18th century, such as the Frisian fisher-girls, don’t do the creativity of Dutch culture any justice.

http://www.aaldhielpen.nl/english/kled_eng.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindeloopen

http://www.artezan.com/artezan/styles-n-techniques/traditional/hindeloopen.html

http://books.google.com/books

http://www.kintail-studio.com.au/images/gallery/hindeloopen.gif

http://www.hindeloopen.com/hindeloopen_english.html

Now I’m warning you, the following information is going to seem a bit dry, but bear with me, this could be really helpful for you! This feature is applicable in basically all educational blogs. Particularly if you are delving into a complicated and diverse subject such as Biochemistry or Agriculture.  True, those interested in these topics will more than likely have a little knowledge of the subject matter to begin with but you wouldn’t want anyone clicking away from your blog feeling unfufilled. There are so many benefits to a glossary! Not only will the reader be able to essentially simultaneously read and look up a word, there is no unnessesary redirecting and you won’t risk having the reader only take away partial knowledge of your posts due to lack of understanding.

I have several tips for achieving a well-rounded glossary.

• Give your font sizes some variety. This allows the reader to differentiate between which caption belongs to which word and so forth.  The most obvious layout would be to have said word in a bolder larger font and have the preceding definition in a smaller size.  Another way to go about it is to change font styles so that the bolded word packs more punch.
• Be colorful!  Not only will color coding your definitions keep them organized, it’ll make your page look brighter and more interesting.
• Consider such additions as a table to seperate different text blocks, or pictures to add to the meaning of the word and help illustrate the definition.
• If you plan on having a really extensive glossary, consider having multiple pages divided in alphabetical order. For example, you might have a page for A-L and one for M-Z.
• Bullets are also helpful for drawing attention to the important word.

To view my glossary in progress, click on the Glossary tab located on the top bar above my blog banner.  Hopefully it’s a simple enough example for you that you’ll find some inspiration from it.   To create your own glossary page, go to the WRITE tab when you have logged into your blog dashboard (click your blog name after you have logged in).  Select PAGE from the post/page/link selections and start typing!  Feel free to contact me if you need some HELP.

 Speaking of help, you might think that the art of textile creation and the textile industry itself has to do with nothing else other than visual design.  You would think that, and you’d be wrong.  All across the globe, concerned business leaders and skilled craftsmen are rising up to combat poverty by making alliances for a fairer market.  The Fair Trade Federation seeks to “alleviate global poverty” by promoting those economic practices which represent social and economic justice in western societies.  The organization helps struggling third world countries boost their standard of living by making sure the proper technology and fair worker wages are available for businesses.  In doing so, not only are these businesses prospering, but their partners in more prosperous societies have brought to light the amazing skills of craftsmen from countries such as Guatemala and South Africa!

Take for example, this beautiful quilt from Guatemala.  It was made from local fabrics, namely the Huipile (Mayan embroidered blouse) fabric used the center of the piece.

More information and a price quoting is available at http://econsciousmarket.com

I encourage you to have a look around!

Study this picture. For me, it is the epitome of a visual understanding of a way of life.  The women pictured here is of Peruvian decent, and her colorful handmade textiles are nestled in the vast Andean mountains.  Though I know little of the reality of her life, these culturally unique textiles represent a vignette into  her exsistence, and the lives of those around her.  What do the colors used say about the traditions of her country? Does the roughness of the fiber or the subtle distortion of pattern reflect some idiosyncrasy of the people of Peru? How do they compare to say, the flourishing damask of a victorian dress? 

Historically speaking, the textiles of individual cultures have represented the status of the wearer, the wealth of the region, the values and tradtions of a people, or even the way in which humans have facilitated their progress through the use of natural resources.  They range from the rawness and simplicity of a Bhuddist monk’s saffron robes, to the opulence and ornamentation of Elizabethan England.  The Ancient Chinese were the first to harvest the thread from silk worms and weave it into fabric to become painted tapestries and garments fit for an empress.   As far back as Biblical times, dye for the color purple was painstakingly harvested from the glands of 8,500 Trumpet snails in order to produce one gram, thus, the color is rarely seen on any textile not intended for Royalty.  These kinds of facts can be examined to allow us to know and understand so much more about a country, region, culture, civilization even without the opportunity to be there physically. 

As for myself, who you will otherwise know as OpulentJackal, the passion and longing to travel, experience, and understand has been distilled in me since the day of my birth.  From my travels and experiences as an expatriate, I have been humbled by the awsome complexity to be found in each and every culture. I’ve also come to realize that the examples of this complexity can be found in the countless textiles true to each region.  I hope that with this blog, both you and I can explore the wonders of foreign textiles. I intend for it to be somewhat of a “library” of cultures that can be viewed at random to give the reader a taste of the visual reality of a country. I certainly do not want to hoard my personal experience in travelling to myself, and in this way I hope to create something unique and entertaining.  I also have the opportunity to share with you items from my family’s personal collections of textiles dating from periods of peace and turmoil. Along with  all of the nessesary factual information, you will also find little tidbits of insight from an artist’s point of view (my other passion!).

With that said, enjoy. Come back frenquently and don’t be afraid to offer your own reflections as well.  When all is said and done, the significance of this project is to be able to step back and view the bigger picture.  Every culture has something unique and valuable to offer.

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