Inside a Treasure Cave: Visiting a Handicraft Shop in Samarkand

Besides its gorgeous architecture, Samarkand is famous for arts and crafts. Whenever I come there for a business trip, I also go shopping with my colleagues. During our last visit in April, we have visited a very special shop. It is located in the most central place - in Ulugbek Madrasa at Registan Square.

The shop is quite large, mysteriously dark and full of amazing things. You discover new rooms and corners, as you walk around. It is stuffed with suzani, rugs and silks. This place is like a treasure cave.



Most suzani are very traditional, but you can recognise some familiar designs - those famous cats by Rosina Wachtmeister! Obviously, Samarkand artists do their best to cater for all tastes. Of course, I prefer the classic suzani with their elegant branches and lavish flowers and paisley, but I also appreciate the creativity and desire to be flexible.

Right in the shop, there is a woman embroidering a suzani. The process is fascinating to watch. She is another tourist attraction, of course, but the suzani she is making is very real and beautiful.



In another part of the shop you can see more suzani - this one is on silk - and a very unusual headpiece.

This looks like a Karakalpak or Turkmen headpiece for a women's festive costume. This might be a refurbished piece; I would think that the elements are antique or vintage, but the whole piece is not that old, or, let us say, it is refurbished. Still, it looks impressive. The stones seem to be smalt (or paste).

And these are two traditional gowns, lavish and beautiful. One is beautiful ikat silk, the second one has suzani style embroidery.

There are several shelves with traditional Uzbek pottery, too. I like these small organic looking jugs. 

These pieces are made in Rishtan, Ferghana valley, or maybe they are made in Samarkand to resemble Rishtan style. In any case, I appreciate their elaborate beauty and the combination of colours which are so close in style to the ancient Uzbek architecture.



Uzbek and Turkoman jewelry is a big separate topic. Silver, turquoise and corals is a favourite combination here, in Central Asia. «Les bijoux doivent être sauvages!» - said Amedeo Modigliani, and these ones are indeed quite savage-like.

A bunch of handwoven bags. I love those in earthy colours.

...and countless scarves. Silk scarves, some are made from khan atlas (heavy silk satin) or shoyi (fine silk)...




...these are made from sheer silk gauze or chiffon, and the shop owner claimed them to be hand block printed. They are weightless...



...these are wool shawls, hand embroidered in crewel stitch. I would not call them typical for our country; I think they were inspired by Indian Cashmere shawls. I must say that they are stunning in real life, and the quality of wool and work is excellent. I was very seduced by one on the right, but restrained myself, as I already have too many shawls and scarves that I do not wear.

This amazing shop even had some very nice cashmere shawls, made in Nepal. I must say that I am a cashmere addict and I own a substantial collection. I can say that these were really nice to the touch, and I loved the soft neutral colours. 

...As a way to thank the lovely shop owners for patiently letting me take a gazillion of pictures, I want to share their contacts. The owner and his wife are very friendly, open and willing to negotiate, and speak several languages, as fits a good Uzbek merchant who meets people from all countries of the world. If you ever visit Samarkand, do not miss their shop!

The shop is owned by Mr Alisher Yakubov; 
tel. +99890 2709933
email: yakubovalishir3@gmail.com

Silk Ikat Backless Top from Uzbek Silk

We have a saying in Russian: "A shoemaker is always without shoes". I can relate only too well as we often have no time to make things for ourselves. However, I found this beautiful piece of Uzbek ikat silk and we loved it so much that my mother designed and made this top for me within two days. Is not it wonderful to have your own in-house fashion designer?

It is quite simple, with an empire waist, draped surplice top and an overall relaxed silhouette - just what I wanted for our hot summer. The bust is lined with vintage cotton and I wear it without a bra.

Since we have successfully piloted this design, we are also offering it in our MulberryWhisper shop - you can order a similar top here. We have lots of beautiful fabrics and hope you can choose something to your liking.

A Sea of Uzbek Silk

I recently bought several pieces of lovely vintage Uzbek ikat silk - "khan atlas" - and I just cannot take my eyes off them. This lush, buttery soft fabric comes in many colors, but the pattern is always ikat (although sometimes you can buy plain undyed khan atlas but it is not found often). Just look at my new treasures!

Sometimes Uzbek silk ikat reminds me of wild flowers. There is something botanical in these elongated lines and mixtures of earthy and bright colors. 

 
This simple combination of colors will look and feel chilly on the hottest summer day. It looks so natural, I think they used natural dyes there.

I dubbed this one "my Renoir". The smaller elements in the design are considered highly desirable by the local people. When they offer you such fabrics, they always say: "Look, the ornament is so small! It is really beauiful and very chic!". The reason for that is, first of all, a greater complexity of the looming process. This design is not printed on Uzbek khan atlas; the threads are dyed in a variegated fashion, based on very complex calculations, so that when the silk is loomed, the design would appear. I think it is called self-patterning threads in knitting. So, naturally it is much more difficult to dye smaller sections in many different colors, rather than to dye threads for a large design in just three or four shades. Second, such design looks very flattering in a top, tunic or dress: it makes the wearer appear much slimmer (look here, for instance).

This is another reserved color scheme. I love the combination of soft white, soft black and emerald green.

And this piece of Uzbek ikat silk is crazy, in a good sense of the word.

All these photos were taken in the dim morning light. In the middle of the day, these silks will look even brighter, bolder and crazier. And this is a general view, to see the patterns better:

 
I know we are blessed to live in the silk heaven. A small town called Margilan produces a sea of silk every year and has been doing that since ancient times.

"The town is the location of Uzbekistan’s largest traditional silk factory, the Yodgorlik Silk Factory. Employing over 2,000 workers, everything is done in the traditional manner, for an annual output of some 250,000 square meters of highly premium silk cloth.

The neighboring Margilan Silk Factory employs 15,000 workers using modern machinery, and produces some 22 million square meters per year. It is uncertain when the secrets of silk production came to the Fergana Valley, but certainly, Margilan has been active in the industry since ancient times" (from Wikipedia)

Most of the silk I buy is vintage. Strictly speaking, modern silk is not worse, and often it is difficult or impossible to see the difference, because they use old patterns and designs in the new factory, too.  But in any case, we buy and use vintage fabrics whenever we can: they are beautiful, they are often rare, and I believe it is more environmentally friendly, even though we consume so little compared to the total consumption of Uzbek silk. Still, one little step is already something.

Now we need to turn these luscsious fabrics into something wearable and I hope to be able to share the results of our work soon in our shop - MulberryWhisper.etsy.com.

Summer Ikat Silk Scarves at Mulberry Whisper

We have some new silk ikat scarves in summer color - juicy, fruity, grassy, sunny! Playful, bright and amazingly smooth to the touch, they can become your favorite companions this summer. All of these scarves are hand made by my mother, and each one is unique - no copies!

This silk infinity scarf reminds me of strawberry or cherry, because of its deep red and emerald green.

This silk infinity scarf with bright ikat design is a meadow full of wild flowers. Gold and green - meadow, grass, honey, bees! hear them humming?

And this silk snood is a summer evening - the last rays of sun streaking the purple sky; indigo blue shadows, black silhouettes of trees. These rich jewel colors are soothing for the eyes.

You can buy any of these silk circle scarves and so much more in our Etsy shop called Mulberry Whisper - click here! 

For a 10% discount, use coupon code MULBERRY10 at the checkout.

Ikat Silk Clothing for Spring: The Quest of Custom Design

We have just finished two pieces for a long-time customer and a dear friend of ours. My mother has done her best to design individually (she never uses ready patterns) and make these two items.

The shorter length silk coat is made from Uzbek ikat silk (adras) with a striking tribal design. Its magnificent cowl collar makes it stand out. I like the way it looks when buttoned; however when unbuttoned and open it is just stunning. The lining is from vintage silk and cotton fabric so the whole coat is made from natural fibers. The listing for custom order of a similar silk ikat coat can be found in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper.

And this is my mother's drawing that served as a basis for this design.

The second piece is an ikat silk shirt with empire waist and draped front. This one is made from thin and lush shoyi silk; it is green with red overtones. I love how my mother has placed the design here and I told her how proud I  was of her vision and skills.This silk ikat top is very flattering an stylish, yet extremely comfortable and relaxed. It can be ordered here.

We hope that these two pieces reach our customer quickly and that she loves them. This is not an easy work but it is very exciting and rewarding; my mother always says that each piece is a quest for her. She looks for the best way to present the beautiful Uzbek silk fabric, making sure that the clothing is also in line with the customer's image and meets her or his needs. A quest, indeed! Now there is another jacket to be made.

More Ikat Infinity Scarves

We were so happy with our first ikat infinity scarf (which was bought right away) that we immediately made two new ones. I greatly enjoyed playing with these silk circle scarves, wrapping and draping them in so many ways. One of them is just insanely beautiful:

It is not easy to combine several different pieces of bright fabric with bold and intricate patterns into a balanced piece - I heartily congratulated my mother on this success! Taking photos of this scarf was a great pleasure, and the only hard part was to choose the main photo for the listing in our Etsy shop - I just could not decide which one I liked more. This rainbow of colors in traditional Uzbek ikat patterns is not for the faint of heart!

The second loop scarf is made from very old vintage Uzbek silk with black, white and dark green ikat pattern. It is almost antique (definitely older than myself), and amazingly smooth and supple - lovely to the touch! Certainly not as striking as the previous one, but probably is easier to wear.

It drapes softly, and will look great anywhere you go.We are very excited about this line, and working on these scarves is a pleasure. A loop scarf provides endless possibilities of wrapping it around your neck and shoulders (might be used as head scarves, too - I need to give it a try) in different ways, and pure mulberry silk is wonderful to the touch.

I hope there will be many more new ikat silk scarves at Mulberry Whisper soon; we should have introduced them long ago. Uzbek silks, with their gorgeous ethnic patterns, are an excellent choice for endless scarves, and we have plenty of fabrics to choose from.

Abul Kasim Madrassah and Some Antiques

(source) 

Abul Kosim Madrassah is one of the few antique buildings still existing in Tashkent. It is a fine example of Uzbek architecture of XIX century. It used to be a religious school (naturally, if it is called 'madrassah'), and now it houses a number of arts and crafts shops (and some of them are also workshops - the artists are working right there and you can observe the process).

We went there for a walk with my friend. The October morning was lovely - so full of soft light. Even these rusty grape leaves look beautiful, lit by the sun.

This is one of the shops I mentioned: they sell Rishtan style blue ceramics. Rishtan village in Ferghana valley is famous for their blue and green pottery which is very popular on of course widely imitated. I am not sure if the clayware in this shop is authentic Rishtan, and it is not that important to me, either. I will take pictures of fine Rishtan examples when I find them.

This is a balcony on the second floor. The building has two floors; the second was mostly occupied by scholars who lived there. On the first floor, they have some small rooms, too, and a couple of big ones which might have been used as lecture halls.

Here you can see an artist carving wood, and many doors and balconies in the background. Those are the doors to all those tiny rooms I mentioned.

A bush with red berries in the yard. I do not know what it is, but I am sure it is not edible or I would recognize it. Beautiful, anyway!

We decided to make a small photo session for several pieces from my friend's collection. He is a dealer in Asian antiques and owns a lot of beautiful things - Uzbek, Kyrgyz, Tukmen, Karakalpak rugs and carpets, vintage and antique china and pottery, various accessories, lots of Uzbek, Tajik and other vintage clothing, lewelry, etc.. This time he brought two decorative plates, a teapot and some textiles with him and we used the old walls as a photo prop.

This plate in ikat pattern is more than 100 years old and I think it is by Kuznetsov factory.

Here you can see a handwoven ribbon with tassels - it was used to tie a bundle with a bride's possessions when moving to her husband's house. If I remember correctly, it was made by the Uzbek tribe of Lakai who were renowned for their crafts. There is also a lovely small Kyrgyz rug in the background.

This is that rug, it is very finely made and supple, and the indigo blue is just breathtaking!

Now, I am quite bad with all this pottery. I think this one (which is also painted in ikat style) was by Gardner (and thus it is older than the previous one because the factory used to be called Gardner and then it was bought by Kuznetsov and then there was revolution). I will have to ask Rustam to clarify.

Two beautiful suzani in very vivid colors. Both are antique which is hard to believe given how bright they are - as if made yesterday.

A mistery teapot; looks like made in Kashgar, but the mark says 'made in Japan'

...The pictures are made by me, save for the first one, but the pottery and textiles are owned by Rustam, who maintains a very interesting Facebook community 'Uzbek Suzani'. I will ask him to tell us more about these pieces. He certainly told me a great deal, but I am very good at forgetting! But even if I do not remember something (well, almost nothing), they are a pleasure to behold, are not they?

I have some vintage and antique items at home and I actually use them; what about you? Do you like old things or you prefer everything modern and new?

Silk Ikat Blouses for Elizabeth

Today we are shipping a custom order. We really love how it turned out, and I would like to write about it. 

...All of our customers are very important to us, valued and special, but Elizabeth will always stand apart. She was our very first customer on Etsy. Elizabeth found us in the spring 2012, when we just opened; she placed a custom order, and ordered a number of pieces from us since then. Her reaction to the items she receives from us serves as a great incentive for further improvements and a wonderful support. Her first feedback was as follows:

'...Exquisite, gorgeous - I cannot describe how beautiful this set is. The fabric is stunning and the design modern, comfortable, and attractive. It is also perfect fit, thanks to Eugenie's excellent communication with me and Irina's amazing skill and eye for design. I am already planning on another custom order!'

You can imagine how happy we were to read this! I translated it to mother, and I think she learned it by heart. Of course we are blessed to have Elizabeth as a customer and we treasure our relationships. 

Recently Elizabeth asked us if we could suggest some blouses with relaxed fit and short sleeves for her. She wanted them made of khan atlas - that is pure silk satin, smooth, cool and luxurious, with traditional ikat pattern. My mother has drawn four sketches:

...and Elizabeth has chosen the two on the top - one with a split neckline and the off-shoulder one. These were our preferences, too. 

Mother made custom patterns based on our customer's measurements. She never uses ready made patterns. For each new customer she makes new patterns from scratch to ensure that the clothing will fit. She believes that this is what custom made clothing is about. 

The split neckline blouse was relatively simple in terms of fit, whereas for the off-shoulder one she decided to make a model first - to sew it from a piece of cheap cotton first to see how it comes out. That cut is more complicated because it should be off-shoulder without slipping further and making you feel uncomfortable - in other words, that shoulder looks like falling but it is supposed to stay in place firmly. Besides, the bottom hem is supposed to be even and not skewed. And the fabric chosen by Elizabeth for this top was extremely beautiful, rare - a vintage piece - and valuable. So, mother produced this model, roughly sewn but fully in line with the pattern of course:

She looked on it, tried in on the mannequin, tried it on herself to see that the balance is good and then, satisfied that it fit perfectly well, she cut the silk ikat fabric.

The model was not needed anymore. Actually I quite liked it and said we should not dump it. I could tea stain it, put some lace, buttons, ribbons, old Lego pieces, coke tabs, etc. on it and sell it as a truly unique Boho one of a kind tribal ethnic magic wearable piece of art - Etsy is full of them. Unfortunately my mother did not appreciate my idea and told me to do something useful instead of talking nonsense and distracting her. You see, she is hopelessly practical and believes that clothing should be professionally made, beautiful, stylish and long lasting. (I might sneak this model away though to alter and list it to see if it will be popular).

So, as a result, mother made these two blouses (tops, tanks, tunics - you choose).

We consider them to be really good. They are bright and bold, but can be easily balanced by solid color coordinates. They can be worn with blue jeans - especially the off-shoulder one, since it has so much blue - or with black, gray, slate, dark green or white pants of various lengths and proportions. They will look great with both capri and pencil pants, and there are more options possible, depending on personal preferences. 

This ikat fabric has one very valuable feature; it is extremely flattering, making the wearer appear much slimmer. We call it 'our instant slimming silk'. This is especially true about the blouse on top; those areas with more narrow pattern on the sides creates a strong visual effect of a much slimmer body. I have a green and black ikat tunic myself, and I look almost too thin wearing it.

I hope Elizabeth loves her blouses. My mother did her best in making them, and I did my best to take pictures as true to life as possible.

We now offer these models in our shop, both the ikat top with split neckline and the off-shoulder silk blouse. They will be made based on each customer's individual measurements. And of course something totally different can be designed and made from scratch. We have lots of lovely vintage silk in different colors (some are here), and we can always offer additional choices.

My mother loves this work. She keeps singing while working, and that makes me happy.