Soutache braid was a popular and fashionable trim on on women’s garments during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Made of linen in 1915, this flowing green dress features the soutache braid with cutwork lace roundels on the center front, hem, and sleeves.
This Swedish velvet wall hanging was designed by Hans Krondahl in 1965 and printed by Ljundbergs Textiltryck in 1966. Krondahl was a Swedish fiber artist, textile designer, and weaver. He studied at Konstfack (University College of Arts, Crafts and Design) in Stockholm.
This tied and dyed cotton textile is a great example of bandhani, an Indian surface design technique that uses thread as a dye resist. Tuyen Nguyen ‘20 selected and researched this textile because of the unique texture that resulted from the tieing process--a texture that is not ironed or steamed out of the textile, but left as part of the aesthetic. This particular bandhani textile is a woman’s veil from Kutch region of India. The tied-resist circular patterns are unique to the cultural heritage of the Rajasthan and Gujarat (Kutch) region. To create these circular designs, the bandhani process starts with tightly tying a part of the fabric, usually cotton or silk, with an impermeable thread. The fabric is then dunked in vats of color of be dyed with lighters colors first. Where the fabric is tied the ground color is retained, creating the circular patterns. In India, bandhani is usually worn during special occasions, especially sacred celebrations like weddings. It is believed that wearing bandhani saris brings good luck.
This mohair patchwork coverlet was likely used as a bed covering during the late 19th century. Made in present day Kayseri, Turkey the donor’s ancestors emigrated to Oklahoma from Armenia. The design of the patchwork quilt resembles silk wrappers from Topkapi which were used to package royal garments. The top side of the blanket is made from fragments of a fuzzy, furry mohair fabric while the backside is a screen-printed toile pattern featuring trains, hot air balloons, and other idyllic scenes.
