Uzbek Suzani Pillows in the Colours of Fruits and Flowers

If I could wear these suzani pillows on a necklace, I totally would. They might be the most beautiful pillows we have had to date. They are made from a very vintage suzani and I just love them. They truly convey the spirit of traditional Uzbek embroidery. The raised design and rich colours make them especially attractive. Their colour scheme makes me think of Uzbek fruits which are incredibly sweet and fragrant. 

It looks a bit like a hooked rug to me. Actually the technique is quite similar.

We thought that denim was a good addition to the suzani. It is so modest, a perfect frame for the ornate embroidery. These embroidered cushion covers will look amazing in a vintage or bohemian room adding a spicy accent. They look fantastic next to my Tabriz rug, too. And of course they are stunning when placed next to a Russian shawl!

As I now have a traditional Uzbek house in the countryside, I think I am keeping one pair of these. Another pair is on sale in our Etsy shop here.

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

Our Ottoman White Rug Pillow with Floral Print

...Our last rug pillow made from my very favorite white rug with Ottoman design:

I like these soft and durable vintage rugs. They are beloved by Uzbek families and used for many purposes - mainly to cover sofas and chairs and large wooden chests. They are also hung on walls. Of course this is a machine made rug, and it is not made from wool - I think it is a mix of cotton and rayon. But it also has some benefits, making the rug both more affordable and easier to work with. Pillows made from handwoven wool rugs have to be hand sewn!

There are many people who do not like wool kilim pillows because of the rough wool which makes them itch. With this soft velour pillow and its likes, this problem will not appear, because it is soft and nice to the touch. 

We still have this last floral pillow - an orphan! - for sale in our Mulberry Whisper shop on Etsy. You can give it a nice forever home! It will look good with many colors of furniture and many styles of interior. My mother made it with much love and care, so I hope it still retains some of the positive energy. 

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:

.

...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.

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.

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.

Ikat Silk Velour - A Kinesthetic Heaven

I was very pleased to find this piece of vintage silk velour which was just enough for two pillow cases (20x20 inches). 

 

As a girl, I did not appreciate this fabric which was so much loved and treasured by my Uzbek relatives. They had pillows, bed covers, throws, decorative cushions and floor seating made of this ikat velour fabric, and I used to think snobbishly that it was too bright and 'too Uzbek'. It was in the same category as heavy handmade furniture made of walnut wood, hand cut lead glass vases and thick Aubusson carpets. All those things seemed very old fashioned, heavy, bulky, awkward and even ugly.

I am still indifferent to lead glass; however I like that old fashioned furniture, even if sometimes it looks somewhat primitive and naive in its attempts to imitate European style thus creating a new 'European Asian style', in my view. In addition to that, I bought a wonderful Aubusson rug last Sunday (you will see it when I get if from the dry clean). I have learned to appreciate the coziness of traditional Uzbek houses where everything is covered in rugs and carpets, throws, blankets and bedspreads, with lots of throw pillows and other soft things to lean and recline on. And this ikat silk velour (called 'bakhmal') is particularly treasured.

It is easy to see why Uzbek silk velour (or is it velvet?) is so much loved. It is lovely to the touch, smooth and cool, like grass in the shade or running water; it is a pleasure to hug a cushion covered with bakhmal. I can virtually touch it with my hand for hours while sitting at someone's house and talking, and I will keep enjoying the sensation.

This silk velvet is traditionally produced in Samarkand, in a rather primitive way, and it has a cotton foundation and a silk pile. Very easy to care for, and durable, and looks good even worn out, like a good rug. 

My pillow cases are especially nice, to my taste, because of the unusual color combination; I was fascinated by the slate blue background with greenish yellow vine, leaves and flowers contoured in magenta. This one is definitely not over the top, and it seems to have a certain Chinese influence. I would say that is is Uzbek fabric imitating Chinese designs imitating European art nouveau - is not it a nice example of cultural penetration and exchange?

 

I love how it looks in the afternoon sun, with spots of light here and there. It reminds me of grapevine in the autumn, when heavy grapes are hanging like crystal chandelier, and sun falling through the rusty colored leaves. Pity that this autumn I did not make it to Ferghana Valley, to take pictures of their amazing grapes; next year, maybe... In the meantime, I still have these velour cushion covers to look at and to touch.

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.