My New Uzbek Rug Pillow Case

During my last visit to the bazaar, I bought a stunning Uzbek rug. It was a vintage rug made in the city of Chust, Ferghana Valley, Uzbekistan. The pile on the rug was quite high and had the typical silky sheen of high quality wool; it was also very soft to the touch. But it was the palette that attracted my attention first of all: rich raspberry pink with mustard yellow, taupe, indigo blue and grayish green. They are so much in tune with autumn - think harvest; orchards full of ripe fruits and piles of corn and pumpkins. The design is also unusual in its barbarian boldness, with large shapes and lots of sharp angles.

The rug was somewhat damaged at the edges. I considered mending it and just using on the floor but then decided to make beautiful rug pillows from it. You can see the first one here (and you can buy it in our Etsy shop), and I just love how it turned out! There will be six altogether, and all of them will be lovely, although slightly  different - coming from different parts of the rug.

How do you like it? To me, this is a wonderful example of self-taught artists' freedom in using colors and shapes. The true ethnic spirit is present in every line and streak of color. I know little about carpets coming from that part of Uzbekistan, but I certainly loved this one, and these rug pillow cases seem to be the best we have had so far.

I am still not sure if the decision to make pillows from the rug was good, but now it is too late to regret. However I might keep a rug cushion, or maybe two... they are so unique and beautiful - it will be too hard not to keep a piece of this beauty to myself.

Our Favorite Rug Pillows are Back!

I was so happy to find a vintage Uzbek rug similar to one we have had before! Our rug pillows are very popular, and this specific rug was a bestseller. We sold all the cushion covers made from it in a very short time, and our customers were very happy. Just look at these lovely pillows full of ethnic spirit:

A similar pair graced the Front Page of Etsy, and the remaining rug cushions were sold immediately. They ended up in different parts of the world - so strange to think of it!

These pillows are made from a huge vintage Uzbek rug with a sophisticated pattern and fields in different colors, so individual pillows can look quite different - it is like having four pillows when you have just two. For instance, the other side of these kilim pillows looks like this:

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...Or even like this: 

A single kilim pillow looks great, too, and is in a perfect harmony with my vintage chair (I used it for callanetics,and now it is an invaluable photo prop). 

Our kilim cushions are perfectly coordinated and very well made, with great attention to details. My mother sews them at home, using her antique sewing machine (50 years old - counts as antique, no? anyway, it is quite old).

So, the bottom line is: we do have these stunning carpet pillow cases in stock, and they will not last. Besides, right now we are offering a promotion coupon code for 10% off - MULBERRY10 - which will be active till May, 26, so this is a great time to buy at Mulberry Whisper.

Uzbek Suzani Pillows at Mulberry Whisper

We have listed more pillow cases made from vintage Uzbek suzani. Now there are three pillows, 12x18, which is a bit funny - why three? Who needs three pillows, or, alternatively, if I sell a pair of cushion covers, who buys a single one? Well, this is simply because the suzani fabric was quite small, and this is the best my mother could do in terms of layout - three lumbar pillows.

All three are slightly different which makes them even more interesting, in my view. There is also a slight discoloration from storage, which is to be expected - this suzani is quite old. Still, the stitches are tight, and the colors are vivid. My photos do not do them justice.

The suzani depicts a big wheel with flowers which symbolizes sun, and an almond tree (green branches with paisley-like fruits - those are almonds). It also has wavy stitches which stand for water.

Uzbek embroidery patterns are as sophisticated and colorful as traditional Uzbek music or dance. They seem to flow and curve and change directions. Just like with elements of ethnic dance, suzani elements have ritual meaning which was passed down generations. I wrote a bit about that here, and I will research and write more, mostly for my own education because I do not know enough about this part of our culture. In the meantime, you are welcome to take a closer look at the suzani, ikat and rug pillows we offer at Mulberry Whisper.

Life as a Bed of Roses: Uzbek Suzani

At last, I have fulfilled my dream: we made a pair of pillow cases from vintage Uzbek suzani.I bought this suzani last weekend; it was somewhat more expensive than planned, but I had to buy it. It has a lovely pattern with flowers and my beloved pomegranates, and the colors are so vivid - summer in the middle of the winter!


Suzani are widely used for ritual purposes, such as weddings. The one we used for the cushion covers is called 'gul kurpa' which means 'blanket of flowers'; traditionally, it serves as a bed spread for the newly weds, symbolizing good wishes for their life together.

Most of the elements of embroidery have a specific meaning - for instance, pomegranates mean prosperity, the wavy white stitch called 'suv' represents water, and water means everything for our dry region, as you may know - it is precious here; and there is also the representation of sun in this embroidery (see the photo below, on the right side of the pillow - it is like a white wheel). So, in general, this suzani means wishing a life to be like a fragrant garden, full of flowers in full bloom, ripe pomegranates and clean water running in small canals around - a very traditional Uzbek vision of happiness and prosperity. I have been to such gardens in reality, and I can tell you that I would not mind my life to be like them...

This pair of suzani pillows is for sale in our Etsy shop, here. I believe the price is more than reasonable - this is our first experience with suzani, and I just want them to sell quickly, and then we will make more. Hope they will make someone's life a bit more like a beautiful garden from an Uzbek fairy tale!

My New Silky Rug: More Pillows are Coming!

This is my newest find - a lovely vintage rug, smooth, supple and silky to the touch, in stunning colors. I love the pattern, especially the tiny funny animals. It is much better live - striking! I paid much more than I usually pay for rugs I buy to make kilim pillows, and when I told my mother about it she said I was crazy. But then I took it out from the bag to show her, and of course she was fascinated with it, too.

I am hoping to list cushion covers made from it in the Mulberry Whisper shop on Etsy this week - do not miss them, if you like this rug, because there will not be many; the rug is not big. I guess it is made of rayon and cotton - feels like natural fibers.

Striped Cottage Chic - Uzbek Vintage Fabrics

These striped pillow cases are made of fabric which I love and value very highly. It is called 'bekasab', and it is a traditional Uzbek fabric made of silk and cotton. Bekasab is traditionally used in Uzbekistan for national gowns (chapan) and wonderful quilted blankets (kurpa), as well as pillow cases. Becasab resembles raw silk (not surprisingly) and linen, because of its somewhat rough structure. Its stripes might look less exotic than ikat and suzani, but it is just as traditional and valued here, in Uzbekistan. And, of course, it is easier to incorporate such cushions into many styles (or at least I think so). I see these as very cottage chic, with their home-made flavor and naive colors.

This particular fabric has a very high silk content - possibly as high as 80 per cent - and is wonderfully heavy and cool to the touch. Its subdued gold color with a greenish tint reminds me of ancient gold pieces. I only  had one small piece sufficient to make just one pair of pillow cases for the lucky buyer - it can be purchased here, in our Etsy shop, and all of my striped bekasab pillows are here. 

New Velour Pillow Cases

This has been a very busy week. I have participated in the toughest negotiations... actually, they were tough mostly because the parties were not very well prepared, or, more specifically, the documents were a mess. I hate participating in the negotiations when documents were translated by someone else (save for my proven partners), because as a rule there will be mistakes and inconsistencies. I make mistakes, too, but they are my mistakes... and there are not many, frankly. But in this case the legal agreement was one big mistake. We worked for 12 hours for several days and when everything was finished and the minutes were signed (at 10pm!) I was very happy. I even uncorked a bottle of champagne at home.

Speaking of nice things, my Uzbek ikat velour pillows from the previous post sold very quickly, and now I have another pair. They are even more beautiful, but oh so hard to photograph because of this silky glistening - even in the soft light. What can I do! Maybe it is not a bad thing when the item is better than in the photograph - better than the other way round, that is for sure!

It is a pity that a photograph cannot convey their silkiness and softness. This vintage silk velour is amazing to the touch; I do need to have a pair of such pillows for myself, only I need green or gray ones, to go with my new old Chinese rug.

Nostalgia Rustic

It may sound funny, but sometimes I become tired of our beautiful silk ikats with their barbarian boldness and lavish beauty. I long for something rustic and earthy to see and to touch, to clean my senses of rich colors and sophisticated patterns. Something of cotton and linen, in white and some clean plain colors, looking as if it should smell of old type plain soap (because the soap is stored in the cupboard where linens are also kept) and laundry blue.That is how linens in my great grandmother's house used to smell...

My pillow covers made of vintage linen with cross stitch embroidery - a set of two linen shams with roses and leaves, and one square pillow with flowers and a butterfly (the cut out details are lovely) are perfectly in line with this nostalgia for rustic simplicity. I am looking for something we used to have, and then got rid of;  I miss the smells and feelings.  The white curtains with crocheted lace and embroidery are also from that part of life which is over.

I wish I had at least three houses; one for this rustic style, linen and wood; another one for oriental lavishness with rich colors and luxurious fabrics; third one for clean Japanese simplicity with exquisite details. I would be moving between the houses depending on my mood. As it is now, I have to look for some sort of a balance in my only house.

My Real Nomadic Rug

...Nomads, by definition, cannot own a beautiful house with a garden, a swimming pool, a conservatory and other wonderful immovable things, or they will stop being nomads. No beach cottages (do not go there right now, for you will not be back soon),  no supermarkets, dry clean, fast food, and even no shower. They have their livestock and yurts - and, of course, they have the whole desert and the sky above it... And obviously because they own so few material things, they have to make them as beautiful as possible. Their saddle bags, rugs, clothing, wooden doors of the yurt, runners - everything is lavishly decorated in bright colors, with patterns and symbols with deep ritual meaning. In many cases the meaning of symbols is lost, but the symbols are still used...

If you ever happen to visit Uzbekistan, make sure you have time to go to Nukus (the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Karakalpakstan) to see the Karakalpak Museum of Arts founded by Savitsky. Besides unique collection of Russian and Uzbek avant garde art, the museum owns amazing pieces of Karakalpakstan folk art, including a yurt and its accessories. I was very impressed when I saw it for the first time, about 12 years ago.

I remembered nomads today because I took out the pieces of the most beautiful ethnic rug I bought recently to look at and photograph. Our rug pillows introduced recently were a success; at least I hope so (I have already received good feedback and hope that the other buyers will love their pillows, too). They were sold in a moment, and I only have one left of the second series. Now I am offering new rug cushion covers, made of a beautifully worn rug in autumn colors - I only listed them today. All these were made of soft and silky vintage rugs, made of silk and cotton or rayon; they are beautiful and lovely to the touch, and certainly more 'civilized' than a kilim made of coarse and itchy wool.

However, what I found recently is the most stunning, wildly beautiful, unusual and insane rug I have ever seen - not civilized at all. Behold!

The tribal pattern is intricate, and the colors are very autumn-like, festive and vivid. The color scheme is not very usual; the combination of pumpkin orange, dark blue, brick red, navy and sage makes me sigh in admiration every time I look at it.

As you can see, the pile is very thick, and it creates a striking contrast between well-preserved areas and worn out ones.The rug has holes and patches... it has certainly seen a lot during its long life. 

These two pieces are just enough for two medium sized pillow cases. They will not be easy to make, but I am sure they will be breathtaking. I know it is a very banal thing to say, but it never ceases to amaze me how things can travel around the globe; who know where these pieces of old nomadic rug will end up? and will  they be bought together or will be parted? We will see... I hope to offer them in my Etsy shop next week.

By the way, even though this is a very real nomadic rug, it is not coarse and itchy at all. It might have been owned by a family with distinguished taste.

Handmade Enamel Earrings and Ikat Pillow Giveaway!

The enamel earrings and the ikat pillow case, worth US $47 together, will be sent to the international winner.

My first giveaway brought me a lot of joy, excitement and traffic, so I decided to have another one. This time I am joined by Alery Accessories - a wonderful Etsy shop selling handmade enamel jewelry and silk scarves. It is a great privilege for me to have a giveaway with this excellent artist. Alery is giving away these beautiful red and black earrings, perfect for Halloween. As for me, I am giving a silk ikat pillow case made of salvaged vintage silk. I love this striking fabric and I hope it will go to a loving home.

The giveaway works as follows:

First you leave a comment telling us what your favorite colors are (you do not have to limit yourself to this, though) and then sign in the form below to provide your name and to state that you have commented (please use the same name).  

After you indicate that you have left a comment on this blog post,  you will see options for additional entries such as blogging (3 additional entries), sharing at Facebook (2 entries more), etc.

Even if you are not interested in those additional options, you will need to at least register your comment using this form in order to enter, because the winner will be chosen automatically with the help of this software. If you do not do that, you will have no chances to win, sorry.

You can get 25 more entries if you buy something from us on Etsy. In that case, your chances are growing dramatically - actually the first giveaway was won by my customer!

And if you happen to win - we ship all items for free, including your purchase! (If you do buy, please send to the respective shop owner (Alery or MulberryWhisper) a note to delay shipping until the end of the giveaway). This includes our past customers. If you have already bought from us, you qualify for the additional 25 entries! Claim them and indicate your Etsy user name in the form.

This giveaway is open worldwide and comes with free shipping as long as you have a valid address (no P.O. boxes please). You should be 18 years old and above to qualify. All entries of the drawn winner will be verified.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thank you very much for participation and comments! We do apologize for not responding to individual comments, but we highly appreciate them and very grateful to all of you!

UPDATE: The Winner is Lulu!... Congratulations; we will mail your prizes to you within a couple of days! Many thanks to everyone who participated, and please check back for more giveaways!

Linen Pillow Covers with Roses - Coming Soon!

It is a pleasure for me to announce that very soon we will present a one of a kind set of linen pillow covers - beautiful, thin linen in soft white with lovely roses and leaves embroidered in cross stitch technique. I found this piece yesterday and fell in love right away. Actually it will not be easy to cut... so lovely... but it will make very pretty pillows to love and use.

The embroidery is very elegant and professionally made in very small stitches; the linen is perfect. It is a new piece of linen embroidered by someone years ago to make a long hand towel ('ruchnik' in Russian and Ukrainian) and never finished - hems are unrolled. It will make two stunning cottage style cushion covers. If you fancy them and want a particular size or style, you can give me a shout.

Harem Worthy Pillows and Other News

It is funny how I always have something to say here. I guess I missed blogging; I have not had a proper blog for several years, after there was a stalker. He was a very unpleasant person, but that is a long story and I can tell it sometime later.

In the meantime I want to brag about my silk rug pillows:

I already mentioned that we were going to use my vintage rug to make pillows which I call 'Harem Worthy'. I like how they turned out; they are rich in color but not too much, and the pattern is beautiful. The rug is definitely made of natural fibers, judging by the feel of it and the burn test, but of course it is not silk. Most likely a silk and cotton blend. And real silk carpets are not very soft, by the way (but of course they are incredibly beautiful; more on that later...), whereas these cushion covers are lovely to the touch.

This rug is soft and silky and reminds of silk velour or velvet, so these decorative pillows are not only beautiful but also quite huggable. I hate things that make me itch, and actually I could keep a couple of these to myself - I seldom see these rugs in the market.

So, we have made 18x18 and 20x20  velour pillow covers so far, and will probably make 12x18 as well. So far, we still have a lot of material left and could custom make pillow cases in desired sizes.

...As for the other news, Mandy Hollowell has agreed to work on a unicorn pendant for my sister, and I am eagerly expecting drawings from her. In the meantime, I enjoyed reading her post about the process of making a metal bird. I am thrilled with the result of her work.

Besides, one of my favorite silk tops sold today, together with two scarves. They will go to Moscow. Those were limited edition (like everything we do, actually); I had just two scarves of each type, and just three tops of this stunning chiffon. One of these tops is mine, another one is in Wisconsin, and the third one will go to Russia. Hope the customer will be happy with them.

I am planning to list several beautiful vintage silk scarves I collected over the years. I do love vintage silk in all forms, and scarves are no exclusion. However I realized I have had too many, so I will offer some of them. If they do not sell, I will not be too upset though.

That is about it. Now I need to do my 'real life work' which is far more boring than managing My Very Own Little Boutique.

...We Loved Your Silk Ikat Pillows, Mulberry Whisper!

I had to post this picture of my wonderful customers. At least, I wanted to make this collage to look at how colors would fit. Lovely, is not it? I believe both ladies would love to own our ikat pillows in autumn and woodland colors and certainly would leave positive feedback. At least I hope so. (It is so hilarious - I laughed a lot!)

They Could Use Our Pillows, Too

My mother looked at my previous post quite sceptically and said that I forgot about Goya's Naked Maja and Manet's Olympia. They could certainly use our silk ikat pillows, too. These ladies, definitely, knew how to make themselves comfortable - their home textiles are luxurious. Maja's cushions are monumental, and Olimpia has beautiful big pillows and an exquisite throw.

Francisco Goya, Maja Clothed

We laughed heartily together. My mother asked if I could use 'my computer skills' to add our silk pillows to the pictures, but then we decided that it would be a blasphemy. We love both pictures and of course I would not touch them even for a joke.

I especially like Olympia, with her serene face and flowing lines. I admire Japanese art, and its influence is very obvious here. I think I read somewhere that the model was a courtesan, but even if so, it is hard to tell from the picture - she looks so dignified.

Édouard Manet, Olympia

We will think of more potential customers for our ikat pillow cases - it is a very amusing game.

Silk Rug Pillows - Harem Worthy

Rug or kilim pillows are very popular, and it is easy to see why. They have beautiful colors and lovely texture, and will add exotic and adventurous spirit to the most plain and reserved room. I love the contrast of modern furniture in neutral colors and rug throw pillows with their lavish colors and patterns.

One not so pleasant feature often found in rug decorative pillows is that they can be not very nice to the touch. The wool they are made of is often quite rough; it would be perfectly normal in their previous live as rugs, but not everyone wants to lie on a sofa with a book and a pillow that makes you itch.

A pillow made of a material as luxurious as a silk rug might be a perfect solution. While possessing the exotic beauty of a kilim, it would be nice to the touch and could serve the practical purpose of a sofa pillow. But who would cut an authentic Persian silk rug for pillows?  Certainly not me.

However I have a very nice vintage Uzbek rug that I bought for myself and never used. It is made either of a silk and cotton mix or of rayon. The colors are beautiful, the pattern is elegant and sophisticated, and, importantly - it is soft and silky to the touch. I have no use for it, and we decided to make pillow covers from it.

I am not sure what sizes are most popular, and would welcome your advice. For now, I am planning to make some 18x18 and 12x16 pillow cases. I bought strong metal zippers and hope that my pillow covers will be long-lasting and beautiful.

I love La grande odalisque by Ingres. She does not have any velour cushions in the picture, but I am somehow certain she would approve of my harem worthy silk rug pillows.

As soon as I make these carpet pillows, I will offer them in my Etsy shop. The rug is not very big, so there will not be many. Besides, there are just two of us - no factory, sorry.

And this photo of peacocks I made in a real harem - the one that belonged to the Emir of Bukhara, located in his summer palace called Sitorai Mokhi Khosa.

A beautiful place; I will write about it separately. In the meantime I will only say that I have been to the real harem, and I can assure you that they did have all sorts of rugs and pillows lying around.

Note: I mean that I have been to the harem as a tourist, and it was not functioning, anyway!

Silk Ikats in the Colors of My Land

Uzbek silk ikats in natural colors may not be as striking as the brighter versions. Silk adras in the shades of earth, sand, autumn leaves, dry herbs and weathered wood does not carry the same air of eternal festival as the brighter Uzbek silk satin fabrics (khan atlas) do, with their stunning color combinations and smooth shine. However, these rustic matte fabrics seem to grow on you, just like our steppes and mountains do. You look at them and think - it is nothing special. But then you just keep watching, unwilling to leave. You keep standing there breathing the cold air smelling of aromatic herbs, dry soil and cold running water, and feeling totally and absurdly happy.

They still use natural vegetable dyes to produce natural color ikat fabrics here in Uzbekistan. And, of course, these fabrics are handwoven using primitive wooden looms. Those looms are narrow, and so are the resulting fabrics; you need many yards of Uzbek ikat for a simple dress or jacket. However, the result is worth the efforts; these fabrics feel so alive and nice to the touch, letting your skin breath, and of course they make beautiful and unique pieces. Their subdued colors look great with brighter accessories such as coral necklaces or carnelian bracelets. 

Besides, these ikat fabrics are perfect for ethnic style housewares, and especially for pillow cases such as ours shown below. You can instantly fill your home with the spirit of adventure and travels, adding some Uzbek ikat pieces to the interior.