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.

Portrait of a Girl with Suzani

V. Kovinin. Portrait of a Girl. 1971. State Museum of Art of Uzbekistan.

This is a beautiful portrait. I think the girl is not Uzbek, but Gypsy - they are called "luli" here.  She is rather dark, and the features are more typical of these Central Asian gypsies. Her coral dress perfectly suits her colors, and her headpiece is quite unusual. The girl's eyebrows are colored with the juice of arugula  or rugola sap which is the traditional treatment for eyebrows and eyelids in Uzbekistan.

...Note the gorgeous suzani in the background - I told you, they used to be everywhere. Not so much now, thought - they are being replaced by faceless acrylic rugs.

I love the picture, its rich colors and warm atmosphere. I hope that the girl has lived a happy life, and is still living somewhere with her family. I wonder if she knows about her portrait in the museum or has long forgotten about those sessions.

Surrounded by Suzani

It is easy to see why suzani are so much loved. People love them, because they are bright, intricate, exotic and different. They bear a flavour of faraway countries, gardens behind high walls in the middle of deserts, little spice shops and huge bazaars. However, to me they are no exotic at all, because I live in their country of origin. I am used to seeing them around, mostly in other people's houses. And my mother used to work as a designer for a Tashkent factory which produced national clothing and suzani, just like those that we used to make pillows below. I used to visit her work often and could not care less for these pieces of needlework which were in abundance there. To me, an equestrian silk scarf is exotic, because we do not have them here. A suzani is not! 

I really did not care for suzani when I was a child. I thought they were too bright and with too many details. I felt that they made my eyes tired. However, at some point I saw them in different eyes, when my mother told me about symbolical meanings of their elements. Yes, as in the case of most folk arts, all those details are not just to be beatiful. Some elements are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity, others - to protect your health and life. When you start realising how much love and care people gave when designing and making these things, you begin appreciating them more. 

And then, later, I stopped being so fixated on neutral colors and plain designs which I always used to prefer, and began really enjoying the burst of colors and the sophisticated curving lines of traditional Uzbek suzani. Why having plain green pillows in that green sofa? I would really feel like a frog sitting in a marsh. This is not to say that I do not love frogs - I do! - but something like a wonderful garden in bloom would also be nice, so there you go, suzani pillows! 

The light was not so great, but at least we can see them sitting pretty together. I think they are beautiful!  All of the suzani pillows or bags we are offering at Mulberry Whisper are one of a kind or limited edition. These vintage suzani are not easy to find, and they are not cheap, too. I buy them when I can. 

The square pillow, 18 x 18 inches, can be bought here

These suzani are embroidered in tambour stitch. This is hand-guided machine embroidery which is still considered handwork, because the machine is controlled by a person, not by a computer. Of course it is much faster than working with your hands and a needle, but this is still a hard and tedious work. And the result is beautiful.



The long pillow, 13 x 26 inches, can be bought here

When I have a bit of time and inspiration, I will write about antique suzani and the meaning of the elements. I think this is a fascinating topic.

Uzbek Woman in Ikat Gown with a Boy

Just an old photo that I want to share. Both the woman and the child seem amazing to me - very beautiful and enigmatic. They seem to be looking into the future, unknown to them at that point, but known to us now... not their personal future, of course, but the overall history of the region and people. 

I do not know who they are, but obviously they were from a rich family, judging by their clothing and her jewellery. The woman's hands are obviously not familiar with hard work, and are heavy with lavish rings and bracelets. Note that their gowns are made from the same gorgeous ikat silk. The woman is wearing 'tilla kosh' headpiece - 'golden brows' - and a shawl, which could be Russian, judging by what I can see from the pattern. Beautiful!

Woman in full wedding regalia with child, photograph ca. 1860, Registan Museum, Samarkand. 

Museum of Applied Arts, Tashkent, Uzbekistan

Today my daughter and I felt like going to a museum and looking at some beautiful things. We did not have too much time, so we went to a smaller one close to our place - Museum of Applied Arts of Uzbekistan. We went by metro and then walked for ten minutes, and here we are!

The Museum is located in this old beautiful building: this was a house built in the end of XIX century for a Russian diplomat Polovtsev who loved Asian culture. The museum is like a small palace or a jewelry box. Or both. Look at this lavishly decorated facade with carved wood columns and lots of hand painting.

Inside, there is a lot of carved alabaster and paintings. You can see the wall niches with vases and bowls: this is what they used as shelves and cabinets in Uzbekistan a hundred years before and earlier.

The ceiling in the hall is just amazing.

Collection of arts and crafts is not very large, but the items are beautiful. I especially love glass and china. The pieces below are from the last century, so they are quite modern, coming from our Tashkent glass and china factories. The faience dish with stylized cotton is by Alimov, 1970.  The cut glass decanter with glasses are called 'Uzbekistan' and made by Zabudskaya in 1985.

And this green glass set is called 'Dacha' (Country Home) and made by Dudin in 1983 in Tashkent.

Embroidery is of course an older and more traditional art for Uzbekistan, and this museum has beautiful samples. The all-embroidered boots are from Shakhrisabz, and the lovely Suzani is from Samarkand, end of 19th century.

And these are traditional embroidered hats. This one is of course for a woman and comes from Bukhara, 1940s.

 And this one is for a man. Chust or Marghilan, 1980s.

Of course there is also a room for clothing. Vintage dresses and gowns from silk and cotton fabrics with ikat patterns or stripes are beautiful and eye-catching.

The striped gown is for a man; it is from Ferghana, 1960s. This fabric is called 'bekasab'. The second gown is for a woman and it comes from Tashkent, second half of the last century.

There are also rugs and carpets, which are very important for the people here. Uzbek houses are full of rugs; a rug is the best gift, they believe, and will always find room for another rug. Many household items were made from rugs, for instance these saddlebags, as this is a strong and practical material.

Another favorite room of mine is the one with jewelry. It was mostly made from silver with corals, turquoise, carnelian, tourmalines and other semi-precious stones, often combined with colored glass.  The first photo shows 'tillyakosh' (Gold Brows) made from silver with turqiouse, glass, enamel and pearls.

And these are very classic Turkmen (or Turkoman) bracelets with carnelian. Very heavy and barbarian looking, they still retain some gold gilt.

We only spent there about an hour and a half, as Madina became tired quickly - there are too many things and colors.

There are two amazing persimmon trees in the yard. They look very ordinary in the summer, but I find them stunning late in the autumn after they shed their leaves but still retain the fruit.

 In my daughter's view, the place was great for running around, jumping and dancing.

...So we pranced around a bit and went home, discussing what we have seen and where we want to g next. It was a good beginning of a good day. 

(all photos from the inside of the museum come from http://www.artmuseum.uz)

Suzani Bags by Mulberry Whisper

We made several bags from vintage suzani, just to see how it goes. My mother acted as a model for the photo with the large suzani bag with flowers, leaves and vine.

These tote bags made from velvet Uzbek suzani are very basic; given the intricate embroidery, we decided to keep them simple. They are strong enough to serve as book bags or beach bags, or just shopping bags - you choose.

The smaller suzani bag  (we have two of those) bears symbols of sun and water and is also very nice.

We shall keep looking for beautiful vintage suzani and ikats made in Uzbekistan to produce more pieces which are both practical and beautiful, being a part of ancient Uzbek history and culture. Please check our Mulberry Whisper shop now and then - we hope you find something to like.

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!

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?