The weaver of this textile, originally from the Fergana Valley, has moved to Bukhara to practice his trade in a new crafts gallery, housed in a renovated madrassah (Islamic school building) sponsored by US-AID. He weaves satin (atlas) cloth on a hand loom using a fly shuttle. This mechanism controls the passage of the weft threads through the cloth and allows him to work more quickly than if he had to pass the shuttle back and forth by hand.“The silk shop at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the Turquoise Department Store” in Tashkent… a favorite store of the Operation Mercy volunteers, it had no other name. This textile was purchased here. The stock included a range of styles. This predominantly blue textile has a traditional design (ram’s horns, Hand of Fatima motif, and medallions) in new color combination.October 20, 2006 - February 11, 2007Turn Left at the CamelContemporary Uzbek women often choose new ikat designs in making their traditional clothing. This textile with ikat stripes and geometric patterning in bright colors on a white ground is used to make very popular garments for women and children.The nomadic peoples of Uzbekistan used colorful textiles to enliven tents and define living spaces, and the tradition expanded within the oasis cities. This design, with its central medallion, large flowers, and bright colors, is of a style traditional to the region around Nurata, a town to the northeast of Bukhara, about halfway to Tashkent. Notice the slight differences in color and stitching on each side of the central seam. The two halves of this suzanni were probably embroidered by different women in the same household or workshop.The father and son dyer/weaver team whose work is seen here came to Bukhara for the Silk & Spice Festival from the town of Andijan, in the Fergana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan. In addition to their solid color and iridescent silk textiles, they have also experimented with new patterning for their ikat-dyed fabrics.“The silk shop at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the Turquoise Department Store” in Tashkent… a favorite store of the Operation Mercy volunteers, it had no other name. This textile was purchased here. The stock included a range of styles. This satin-weave length is both traditionally patterned and colored.In the enormous central market in Tashkent, bigger even than New York City’s Macy’s department store, everything you might need or want is for sale in some nook or corner. Our group spent two hours touring the market on our second day in Uzbekistan and managed to slip in a few minutes of shopping. That stop, in a small silk shop, resulted in the length of silk-and-cotton ikat seen here.Although made in Nurata, the colors are lighter than in more traditional suzannis, a palette adopted in response to international trade. These particular colors sell well to Japanese tourists. The extraordinarily rich design vocabulary in this suzanni employs traditional motifs, such as the medallions around the border and the paisley (known in Uzbekistan as an almond or chili pepper) with internal geometric patterning found in the central field – in a new layout. Tiny figures of humans and chickens have also been added in two places.For the designs of both rugs and suzannis, the workshop founders looked to Khiva’s impressive artistic legacy of ceramic tile work and wood carving. This suzanni is executed in the Auz Khona design. The central motif is taken from ceramic tile on a courtyard wall in the Khan’s Palace, and the floral border was derived from another set of tiles.
ecrm:P3_has_note
Contemporary Uzbek women often choose new ikat designs in making their traditional clothing. This textile with ikat stripes and geometric patterning in bright colors on a white ground is used to make very popular garments for women and children.“The silk shop at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the Turquoise Department Store” in Tashkent… a favorite store of the Operation Mercy volunteers, it had no other name. This textile was purchased here. The stock included a range of styles. This satin-weave length is both traditionally patterned and colored.The nomadic peoples of Uzbekistan used colorful textiles to enliven tents and define living spaces, and the tradition expanded within the oasis cities. This design, with its central medallion, large flowers, and bright colors, is of a style traditional to the region around Nurata, a town to the northeast of Bukhara, about halfway to Tashkent. Notice the slight differences in color and stitching on each side of the central seam. The two halves of this suzanni were probably embroidered by different women in the same household or workshop.The weaver of this textile, originally from the Fergana Valley, has moved to Bukhara to practice his trade in a new crafts gallery, housed in a renovated madrassah (Islamic school building) sponsored by US-AID. He weaves satin (atlas) cloth on a hand loom using a fly shuttle. This mechanism controls the passage of the weft threads through the cloth and allows him to work more quickly than if he had to pass the shuttle back and forth by hand.In the enormous central market in Tashkent, bigger even than New York City’s Macy’s department store, everything you might need or want is for sale in some nook or corner. Our group spent two hours touring the market on our second day in Uzbekistan and managed to slip in a few minutes of shopping. That stop, in a small silk shop, resulted in the length of silk-and-cotton ikat seen here.“The silk shop at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the Turquoise Department Store” in Tashkent… a favorite store of the Operation Mercy volunteers, it had no other name. This textile was purchased here. The stock included a range of styles. This predominantly blue textile has a traditional design (ram’s horns, Hand of Fatima motif, and medallions) in new color combination.October 20, 2006 - February 11, 2007Turn Left at the CamelAlthough made in Nurata, the colors are lighter than in more traditional suzannis, a palette adopted in response to international trade. These particular colors sell well to Japanese tourists. The extraordinarily rich design vocabulary in this suzanni employs traditional motifs, such as the medallions around the border and the paisley (known in Uzbekistan as an almond or chili pepper) with internal geometric patterning found in the central field – in a new layout. Tiny figures of humans and chickens have also been added in two places.For the designs of both rugs and suzannis, the workshop founders looked to Khiva’s impressive artistic legacy of ceramic tile work and wood carving. This suzanni is executed in the Auz Khona design. The central motif is taken from ceramic tile on a courtyard wall in the Khan’s Palace, and the floral border was derived from another set of tiles.The father and son dyer/weaver team whose work is seen here came to Bukhara for the Silk & Spice Festival from the town of Andijan, in the Fergana Valley in eastern Uzbekistan. In addition to their solid color and iridescent silk textiles, they have also experimented with new patterning for their ikat-dyed fabrics.