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

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.

Silk Ikat Infinity Scarf - Our First Experience

I have been looking at infinity scarves for quite a while, but cannot say I was fascinated with them. Possibly this was because I only saw them in photos. I was not inclined to carry them in our Etsy shop, Mulberry Whisper, but at last I decided to make it a try and asked my mother to make one.

We selected a lovely piece of Uzbek ikat silk - khan-atlas, loomed from variegated (self-patterning) yarn. This fabric is quite thick, supple, smooth and cool to the touch. We discussed the size, and my mother produced our first silk ikat infinity scarf! 

I must say that when I just saw it I was not too impressed. Of course Uzbek ikat fabric is striking, but what is so special about this particular type of scarf? Why are people so crazy about these scarves - infinity, eternity, loop, circle scarves and whatever else they are called? I was wondering... and then I started playing with the scarf, wrapping it carelessly around the neck of the mannequin...

...or letting it slip from the shoulder, which should look stunning with a strapless dress or a corset...

...or letting it rest on the shoulders like a huge cowl...

...and finally I let it unwrap in a single loop to look at this striking Uzbek ethnic pattern, all in multicolored lightnings - emerald green, red, yellow, blue, black, white... It is a generous size, and the design shows beautifully. The lush fabric is so smooth, it is gleaming softly, and you feel tempted to touch it again and again, just to enjoy the sensation of pure silk under your fingers.

Stunning. This is the right word to describe our ikat infinity scarf. It is so simple and easy to wear, and yet so expressive and bold - I understand now why people love these circle scarves so much. We will make more - we are eager to see this design in different shades and patterns of silk and cotton; put them on Arabella, our mannequin, and then stand and stare in admiration.

What about you? Do you like infinity scarves? Do you wear them? If yes, what colors and fabrics you prefer? Thank you!

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?

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.

Our Giveaway is Over...

 Source

...and the winner is Galina Blażejewska! You can see her here, wearing our silk wrap blouse in autumn colors!

I could not be more thrilled - this is so exciting! I love Galina's felted things; many of them are truly museum quality. You can see some of them in her blog and her Etsy shop. And I am very pleased that my silk ikat scarf will go to this charming person who really appreciates handmade things and natural fibers.

I was not sure what picture to put here, so I am adding Galina's teapot purse which I love, instead of  flowers for the winner. Congratulations!

(And now I only have one such scarf left in the shop, and no such fabric left, so there are just two altogether).

Many thanks to all participants; we are very grateful for your support. We received great results, and I wish I had a prize for each and everyone! Thank you!

...We are starting a new giveaway in a couple of days (probably Monday); I will announce it on blogs and my FB page. Please come and join; there will be different prizes (and they are so nice, it will be difficult for me not to keep them).

Beloved Pastels and Neutrals

We are introducing another direction to our shop. Along with bright and bold statement ikat fabrics, we are now going to present more silk ikat fabrics in pastel shades. They are not easy to find, and I am afraid it might be difficult for me to part with them. However, my closet is not limitless, and there are only so many days in the year. I cannot keep everything I like.

Yesterday I had another photo shoot and replaced old photos of this scarf that I have had for a while. I was so happy while taking the pictures, and so engaged - I forgot to have breakfast, and then I only had lunch at 4pm. And all that was after a sleepless night (I was finishing a large translation).

...But it was a bliss! Look at the pictures of my ikat silk scarf in pastels, with 100 inch strand of freshwater pearls, and believe me that it was much better in real life. It is so sublime, with soft pastel colors and elegant lace like pattern, but still feels earthy and organic, due to the handwoven nature of this smooth and cool shoyi silk.

 (the scarf is here)

I am very happy to have a motivation for taking pictures again. I lost interest a while ago, and was mostly taking photos of the kids (including my dog), but now I am really interested in taking great pictures for the shop and this blog. I know there is a huge scope for improvement, but I am working on it, and it feels great.

For the Season of Mists

This is another scarf I made for the upcoming season.

I went grocery shopping today and bought these vegetables with the photo shoot in mind. This scarf is all colors of autumn and harvest. You can see pumpkin, carrot, tomato and chili there - and a dozen of other names, only I did not have that much room. It is also redolent of spices, such as precious saffron or curcuma and red pepper. A perfect way to warm up your fall outfit - and it will certainly brighten the most rainy day with its bright orange, red and yellow and hints of violet. Besides, it has large paisley pattern which I adore.

I think the picture is not too bad. I am not good at composing still life arrangements; my grandmother or great aunt who were prominent fashion designers here in Uzbekistan would do it much better. They were responsible for displays at our National Fashion House, besides other things, and really could drop a silk scarf in the most elegant and effortless manner. My mother, while a very good fashion designer, is not as experienced at making such arrangements as they were. Unfortunately they are not with us anymore and I cannot even receive critique from them - back then I used to be hurt by them criticizing but now I would welcome even a good scolding for being so useless, silly, unable to arrange very simple items for a basic photo shoot (but they would support me too, of course, saying I am getting better but I must work hard, and would help and say - see, it is so much better now! you will learn).  I miss them and I am grateful to them...

You can find the scarf in my Etsy shop, if interested. I only have three. And please do not forget about the giveaway with lots of entries granted to my customers.You can have two scarves at the price of one, plus free shipping, if you are lucky.

Silk Ikat Scarf Giveaway by Mulberry Whisper

We (my mother and me) are willing to give away this ikat scarf I hand made of natural silk last week. This silk is traditionally produced in Margilan, Ferghana Valley, Uzbekistan. It is called 'shoyi'; it is very thin, like dry flower petals, but very strong. It is smooth and cool to the touch, and has a silvery sheen making it difficullt to photograph. Depending on the angle, it can look saturated like in the first picture, or lighter in color.

The size of scarf is 165 x 46 cm (65 x 18 inches) without fringe. You can read all about it in the listing in my Etsy shop.  I really like it and hope you like it, too.

(Of course you will understand that my great grandmother's bucket is for display only. I could not sell it, even if I wanted to, because my family would disown me, I am sure).

Giving is a great pleasure to us, and we hope that this scarf will go to someone who will really like it and who will use it or give it to a special person to love and use. It is natural mulberry silk, handwoven in Ferghana Valley, and as such - it is very alive and special to me.

This silk always comes in limited quantities and there may be no other such scarves. My two silk scarves are made of the very last piece. And today it was featured at the blog of the Upcyclers' Team as part of the autumn collection - I am very happy and grateful for the Team's support! And once again I highly recommend this Team to everyone. Besides promoting upcycling, recycling and sustainable use of resources, they are amazingly friendly and supportive and make great things (out of nothing sometimes - of trash!)

I know I am not supposed to be talking too much here, but I want to say a few words about why we are doing this. Of course we want to promote our blog and our shop on Etsy and get more exposure and, possibly, sales. But it is also very important for us to meet people who would really like what we do, and who might enjoy reading my rambling and viewing my photos from time to time.  We want to have a good company. I enjoy reading a number of other blogs, and I only read what I really like, and comment posts I like - I do not leave uniform comments without reading, just to establish my presence. We would like to find people we could talk with - about fashion and design, our kids, nature, history, literature, dogs, cooking and anything. If this giveaway helps me find one such person, it will be a huge success. And my mother, who is the driving factor behind our Etsy shop, being the primary creator and designer, would be happy to know that someone is interested in what we can offer and share. (Her English is very basic but I translate for her).

The giveaway works as follows:

First you leave a comment 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 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.

PS. I have just added another way to get more entries which I find very amusing (I saw it somewhere else yesterday). You will get 25 more entries if you buy something from us on Etsy. In that case, your chances are growing dramatically, and if you happen to win - I ship all items for free! (If you do buy, please send me a note to delay shipping until the end of the giveaway).

Of course I do not think that it will entice you  to buy if you did not want to initially; however if there is something in the shop that you fancy anyway, why not use the opportunity? This includes my past customers. If you have already bought from me, 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.

UPDATE: The giveaway is over, and the winner is announced and congratulated here!

Thank you very much for your support - all of you! I plan more giveaways with more prizes; it is such fun! Thank you!

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Thank You, Etsy!

I always thought of myself as of someone who could not sell things and hated doing that. In fact, I probably could not sell them precisely for that reason - because I hated the process of selling. We buy a lot of things online, mostly from the US shops, and this bears a certain element of risk. A mistake with size or wrong color expectations can result in selling the item, and I do not like the process of selling through local classified ads and having people come to my place. I would often end up giving the item as a gift or selling it at a very low price.

(Now I know our post service works very well, and I can return things fairly easily, even though I live so far away; for instance, we have had our daughter's toy camera replaced under a guarantee. By the way, it is a Vtech Kidizoom, and the manufacturer was fantastic in honoring the guarantee and replacing the faulty toy, even though we did not have a receipt. The replacement camera is perfect, and very much loved and used every day).

The point is, I do not like selling things from home. However, when I was 18, I was selling books in a shop and was quite good at it. First, I knew everything about my books because I was reading whenever I had a free minute;  second, I viewed selling as sport. How do you find a perfect book for a person? How do you entice to buy and come again? This demanded efforts and insights.

Now I feel a bit like that, selling on Etsy, but it is even better. Now I never have to sell something I do not like. More than that, we only offer things we love. I take a great pleasure in looking for fabrics, bargaining, taking them home and then throwing them on my sofa to stand and stare in admiration. My mother enjoys making things she loves, at her own pace and in her own style, without a creative director other than her own ideas and concepts, and with much less limitations than those she faced when working for large enterprises. In those times she had to use whatever materials they had - sometimes quite unattractive - trying to make the best out of them. That was a great school for her, but now she has much more fun, toying with the best silk fabrics we can find here.

This is a very engaging process. We have always wanted to have a shop, but we could not afford a brick and mortar one. However, now we have 'our very own little boutique' on Etsy and enjoy it very much. We meet wonderful people, too, which is a very important part. I have new friends, and enjoy their company, and I am very grateful for their support.

Recently I have had some wonderful finds. For instance, the silk scarf in the picture above is made of lovely shoyi silk I have never encountered before. I love this combination of subtle colors and traditional ikat pattern. This fabric unites the best of two worlds and is perfect for those who like ikat, but prefer reserved color combinations which can be hard to find in Uzbek fabrics. It was a sheer pleasure for me to make a scarf from this amazing silk, and then to take photos, trying to show it the way I see it, and then to offer it in our shop. I hope the scarf will find a wonderful owner, and in the meantime I will continue my treasure hunt.

Silk Ikat Scarves Flying Away for the Autumn

These two beautiful scarves now belong to Vivian and are going to the UK! Fare you well, dear ones; it is unlikely that I will find such fabrics anymore, so you will be the only ones in the United Kingdom! May Vivian wear you in good health, love you and take good care of you.