Beautiful Textile in dali yangren street

Colour Scafts

Textile Shop in the yangren street

Dali is an beautiful and legendary city in Yunnan province, China. It is situated near the foothills of the Himalayas, on the southern end of the legendary Silk Road , south of Tibet. Dali is famous for its history, culture and scenic spots, and attracts throngs of domestic and foreign tourists with its amazing natural scenery. Yangren street is well-known for gathering a lot of foreigners in Dali. There are many featured shops on both sides of the street. You can find many ethnic traditional and local characteristic products especially for its colourful textile. The Scafts in the pictures above is from Yangren street.

Guangxi Zhuang Brocade

Zhuang brocade has a history of 1,000 or more years.Produced by local Zhuang people, Zhuang Brocade is a splendid handicraft which originated in the period of the Tang and Song Dynasty. Woven with cotton threads and colorful silk threads, the Zhuang Brocade was the special gift offered by the local government to the royal family in the Ming Dynasty. Zhuang Brocades are favored by people for their beautiful patterns, which show a unique Zhuang style and favor, and their durable quality. Also, other characteristics like wide-ranging themes, well-knit structure, vivid designs, exquisite patterns and rich colors reflect the moral characters of bravery and industry, wisdom and sensitiveness, and honesty and frankness of Zhuang people. Typical patterns on the Zhuang Brocade include unique shapes such as卍, letters, water, squares, clouds, flowers and so on. Zhuang Brocade has many uses, such as blankets, quilt facings, aprons, bags, girdles, scarves, cloth borders and wall hangings.

Other famous brocade：Nanjing Yun brocade， Chengdu Shu brocade， Suzhou Song brocade

Suzhou Song Brocade

Song brocade, generally referred to as Suzhou Song Brocade, is that made in the famous brocade and satin producing city of Suzhou since the Song Dynasty (960-1279). Song Brocade is distinct for its bright colors, intricate patterns and strong but soft texture.Suzhou Song Brocade with its magnificent color, delicate patterns and softness, Nanjing Yun Brocade, Sichuan Shu Brocade and Guangxi Zhuang brocade are honored as the most famous brocades in China .

Song brocade began to be produced in Suzhou during Tang Dynasty. During Five Dynasties, the Suzhou Song brocade became even more splendid. Later, there appeared more than 40 styles of the Song brocade mainly for the purpose of mounting paintings. Song brocade is woven by organizing slant silk threads in a cycle of two warps and three wefts. Song brocade falls under the categories of Big Brocade, Small Brocade and Box Brocade. Big Brocade is used to decorate valuable artistic ornaments, and Small Brocade is used to decorate small craftworks and mount pictures.

Shu Brocade（Chengdu brocade）

vivid panda shu brocade

Shu Brocade，also called Chengdu brocade，made in Sichuan originated from Han and reached its heyday in the Wei, Jin, Sui and Tang Dynasties. It became the primary kind of traditional silk brocade and is one of the four most famous brocades (Yun brocade of Nanjing, Suzhou Song brocade of Jiangsu, Zhuang brocade of Guangxi) with a history of more than 2000 years. Shu Brocade is featured for luxuriant appearance , bright colour , primitive and elegant pattern , meaningful and propitious design, and imbued with rich folkloric and regional characteristic . In the Tang Dynasty, Dou Shilun, Duke Lingyang, created a set of designs for Shu Brocade, which was known as the "Duke Ling Yang Pattern".

Introduction of Dobby Loom

This particular specimen resides in Concordia's textile lab

This particular loom is called dobby loom.A Dobby Loom is a loom in which each harness can be selected without using treadles; a manual dobby uses a chain of bars or lags each of which has pegs inserted. The pegs select the harness to be moved. A computer assisted dobby loom uses a computer program to select which harness is to be moved. In either case the harnesses are lifted or sunk by either legpower on a dobby pedal or electric or other power sources. This is in contrast to a treadle handloom, where the harnesses are attached by cords to a limited number of different treadles to select and move the harnesses.

Dobby looms allow a huge variety of weave structures which a treadle loom might not, due to the lack of treadles. A floorloom is limited in the amount of treadles it can use within the loom frame, but a dobby need only add bars to the dobby chain to enlarge the loom's weave capacity. A normal eight harness floorloom has ten or twelve treadles but a dobby device mounted on the same loom will use a chain of bars ranging from twelve to seventy. The average dobby chain will have approximately fifty bars.

A Jacquard loom is an example of an adaptation from a dobby loom. A Jacquard device mounted atop a loom will lift the individual heddles and warp threads. The individual heddles and warp threads can be controlled by a computer or a series of punched cards which select them to rise or fall. Power is usually supplied to the loom to move the many heddles involved.

Nanjing Yunjin（Nanjing Brocade）

Nanjing Yunjin refers to the incredibly beautiful brocade made in Nanjing, capital city of eastern Jiangsu Province .Among all ancient fabrics, silk cloth known as jin represents the industry's top arts and crafts. Furthermore, Nanjing brocade has absorbed all the best silk-fabrics-weaving crafts and skills of past dynasties and ranks first in quality among the Chengdu brocade in southwestern Sichuan Province, Song brocade in Jiangsu Province, and Zhuang brocade in southwestern Guangxi Province. With the rich cultural and scientific meaning it carries, the Nanjing brocade is honored by experts as "the last milestone in the technological history of Chinese silk fabrics".

Nanjing Yunjin（Brocade）has a history of over 1500 years with regard to the hand-weaving technology. Its wooden-loom Zhuang Hua（also named da hua lou ji） represents the history of silk weaving lasting for over 4700years. This is the traditional hand-weaving technology by means of human memory that cannot be replaced by machines, the only technology of its kind handed down to the modern times in a history of over 3000years concerning brocade.

Chachi loom - A kind of traditional vertical loom

I had never seen this loom before. When i saw it, i was attracted to it. This loom's picture was found in Flickr，belong to Teyacapan, the following was his introduction.

"The Chachi (or Cayapas) people live in the rain forests of northern Ecuador on the western slopes of the Andes mountains. This traditional vertical loom was on display at the interpretive center at Lago Cuicocha. Vertical looms were the means of weaving cloth on the Pacific coast of Ecuador, and were still in use in the 1980's on Isla Puna in the Gulf of Guayaquil."

It looks like the weaving in progress was going to be a shoulder bag, but I'm certain that this type of loom is also used to weave wrap skirts. Traditionally, Chachi women went topless and wore only knee length wrap skirts.

Types of Fabrics used for Apparel

Acetate - It is used as uniforms, clothing and lingerie. It has a crisp feel with lustrous appearance of silk and excellent drapeability.

Acrylic - It is used as a substitute for wool. It is durable, soft, and has a wooly feel. It is resistant to sun and chemicals.

Broadcloth - Closely woven and wears very well but wrinkles very badly. It is used as shirts, dresses, blouses, summer wear.

Brocade - Usually made fit for eveningwear, church vestments, interior furnishings, and robes. It has rich, heavy, elaborate design effect.

Challis - It is soft, very lightweight and is washable. It is used as women's and children's dresses, kimonos, neckties and sportswear.

Chambray - It is smooth, strong, closely woven and soft. Used as children's wear, dresses, shirts and blouses, aprons and all kinds of sportswear.

Chiffon - Used as eveningwear, blouses and scarves. It is lightweight, sheer, transparent and very fine.

Cotton - It is very elastic and withstand high temperatures. It has high washability and dyes well. It is comfortable in all weather. It is used as all types of clothing.

Crepe - All types of dresses finds a fit place like from long dinner dresses to suits and coats. It has a crinkled and puckered surface with a soft mossy finish. It has rough feel and appearance.

Damask - It is very durable, made from silk in actual. It sheds dirt, launders well and holds high luster, especially in linen.

Denim - Used as pants, caps, uniforms, bedspreads, slipcovers, draperies, upholstery, sportswear. It resists snags and tears. It comes in heavy to lighter weights.

Drill - A cotton fabric used for uniforms, work cloths, and sportswear.

Faille - It has a lustrous finish. Used as dresses, blouses, and some dressy coats.

Flannel - Used as blazers, dresses, skirts, suits and coats. It is soft with a napped surface. It shrinks if not pre-shrunk. It sags with wear.

Flax - It is of linen with a high absorbent quality, allowing moisture to evaporate quickly. It is easily washable but has a poor elasticity.

Gabardine - Used as men's and women's tailored suits, coats, raincoats, uniforms, and men's shirts. It has a clear finish. It is durable and wears extremely well.

Georgette - It is crisp with an outstanding durability. It is sheer and has a dull face.

Houndstooth - Sportscoats and suits are made out of it. It is usually of wool.

Moire - It is made of silk, rayon or cotton and has a watermarked finish. It is used as eveningwear, formals, dresses and coats.

Nylon - It is used as women's hosiery, knitted or woven lingerie, socks and sweaters. It is elastic, easy to wash and is lustrous.

Organdy - It is used as summer formals, blouses and aprons. It is a tightly twisted yarn with a crisp.

Organza - Used as evening dresses. It is fine, sheer, lightweight and crisp.

Oxford - Mostly used for men's shirts. It is made of cotton and sometimes even of rayon.

Polyester - It is smooth, crisp and springy. It is readily washable and is not damaged by sunlight. It is made for all weather and is resistant to moths and mildew.

Pongee - It is made of silk, cotton, or rayon and used for dresses, blouses and summer suits. It is lightweight.

Rayon - It is a cellulose fiber based fabric and is highly absorbent. It drapes well and is resistant to moths, bleaches and chemicals.

Silk - It is very strong and absorbant. It has a brillient sheen and unique softness.

Crocheted lace - Types of lace

Crochet is a chain technique made by catching loops on each other with a crochet hook. Each loop is pulled through another so the whole becomes a chain. The chain is worked into with even more loops one at a time and a fabric forms as chains build up. Pieces can be worked in one continuous thread interlocking on itself and forming a fabric made of chains. The looping arrangements can be doubled and trebled and this creates areas which are more solid or more loopy and lace like in effect or raised to create rich areas of texture. The yarn thread used is important in achieving a particular end result. Crochet is a simple, fast, easy and transportable technique. Probably the most famous crochet technique is Irish Crochet.

Other types of lace: Needle lace , Whitework , Bobbin Lace , Tape lace

Tape lace - Types of lace

This term refers to laces that include a tape in the lace as it is worked (or a machine- or hand-made textile strip formed into a design, then joined and embellished with needle or bobbin lace). Through the centuries tape lace has had several names including, mezzo punto, Renaissance lace, and more recently the coarser Brussels tape known as Battenburg. Luxeuil is also famous for tape lace. This is a comparatively quick method of producing lace fabrics using pre made tape lengths mostly now made by machine. The lengths of narrow tape are joined together with connecting hand stitches, worked in an open manner. Machine made tapes have more folded kinks in them because they don't easily navigate corners. Some tapes have a thread running down one side which can pulled to help it curve more. Bobbin made tapes being hand made are usually designed to curve corners more naturally. Washing the item usually reveals differences as machine made laces don't lie so flat after laundering.

Other types of lace: Needle lace , Whitework , Bobbin Lace , Crocheted lace

Bobbin Lace - Types of lace

As the name suggests, this is lace made with bobbins and a pillow. Bobbin lace is made by using spools called bobbins (as many as 1200 in elaborate examples) and a stuffed pad called a pillow. The pattern is drawn on paper or parchment, and pins are inserted along the course of the pattern, through the parchment into the pillow. The loose ends of threads wound on the bobbins are looped around selected pins, and the bobbins are then passed over, under, or around one another, plaiting, interlacing, and twisting the threads as desired. The patterns may be connected by brides or a reseau. Also known as "Bone-lace."

Other types of lace: Needle lace , Whitework , Tape lace, Crocheted lace

Whitework - Types of lace

There are many types of whitework, but three main methods are usual, including openwork, cutwork and classic whitework. Openwork draws and pulls threads. Norwegian hardanger comes in this category. Cutwork involves cutting out fabric shapes from the background and then neatening the edges in a decorative manner. Broderie Anglaise and Italian Reticella are both cutwork methods of whitework. Classic whitework uses white embroidery stitching of various depths to create soft and darker shadows. This is often down on exceptionally fine cottons such as fine linen, batiste, muslin, organdie or on nets. Typical classic whitework includes Irish Carrickmacross, Scottish Ayrshire which uses pulled threads with embroidery, Dresden and Chikan a floral variety of patterning from India.

Other types of lace: Needle lace , Bobbin Lace , Tape lace, Crocheted lace

Needle lace - Types of lace

Needle lace is a type of lace created using a needle and thread to stitch up hundreds of small stitches to form the lace itself. This is the most flexible of the lace-making arts. The finest antique needle laces were made from a very fine thread that is not manufactured today. The most delicate and precious type of needle lace is known as "Rosepoint lace." The pattern is first designed on paper, often reinforced with a piece of tissue, on which the design is realized. The design usually represents a rose or some other flower. To start, the lacemaker elaborates the flower's outline with a thicker thread, so to add relief to the work. The next stage is to fill in the interior of the flower design with much finer thread and a variety of different stitches

Other types of lace: Whitework , Bobbin Lace , Tape lace , Crocheted lace

Lace Making Machines

The popularity of handmade laces led to the invention of lace-making machines. The first machine lace appeared in the late 1700's. It developed from a machine that made fancy knitted stockings. This early version of netting was made in England by Hammond. Others improved on this looped lace and it became very popular as a base to embellish with needle run designs and allowed resurgence in the demand for this more affordable lace.

Updating and changes continued for years until an new machine was produced in that was more like lace in that it wove netting that closely resembled the twisted netting of handmade Lille bobbin lace. As a boy, John Heathcoat made stockings and became familiar with the machines and used this knowledge to develop and patent his lace net machine in 1808. This invention created an enormous lace industry. At first, the netting was embroidered with a needle or tambour chain stitch. Limerick Ireland became famous for it's exquisite embroidery of this twisted net. Carrickmacross Ireland created their own lace by appliquéing a fine muslin on the net. They also sometimes added embroidery as well.

The next important step in the evolution in machine lacemaking came about with the invention of the Pusher machine. This was the first development that was capable of putting a pattern in the lace with the machine. This pattern was then outlined with a raised thread called a gimp. The gimp was applied by hand and sometimes the handrun gimp was the only way to tell the difference between the real 'Chantilly' lace and this very good imitation.

Shortly after Heathcoat patented his machine, John Leaver developed his 'Leaver' machine which, by 1805, had been modified with the system invented by Joseph Jacquard and now was able to make lace entirely by machine. By 1841, the last great development was added which allowed the machine to also incorporate the gimp. Once this was accomplished, the use of lace machines developed so quickly that the market was soon flooded with this new inexpensive lace.

Beautiful Lace for wedding

There is perhaps nothing more elegant and history-inspired in fashion than a garment embellished with lace.Any ordinary white blouse can be transformed into an homage to past fashion trends by simply adding a lace collar or cuffs.I love lace especially used for wedding。It is so happy to wear white lace wedding dress and lace headdress, just like a princess.

Lace is an openwork fabric, patterned with open holes in the work, made by machine or by hand. The holes can be formed via removal of threads or cloth from a previously woven fabric, but more often open spaces are created as part of the lace fabric.

Lace-making is an ancient craft. True lace was not made until the late 15th and early 16th centuries. A true lace is created when a thread is looped, twisted or braided to other threads independently from a backing fabric.

Originally linen, silk, gold, or silver threads were used. Now lace is often made with cotton thread. Manufactured lace may be made of synthetic fiber. A few modern artists make lace with a fine copper or silver wire instead of thread.

Beautiful Tea Cozies

Beautiful cups with hot tea

Flowers and butterflies

coffee cup wearing chothes - so cute

No more cold tea in cold winter！Haha，I find this cute and useful tea cozies last weekend in Flickr.It is so beautifu for its colors and details.The applique is made delicatel.You will be delightful when you enjoy your hot coffee and see the vivid screen.

Felted Knit Mushroom

Is it beautiful? If you want to make your owns, keep reading please.

The first thing to make this kind of Felted knit mushroom is knitting.The following is the Mushroom pattern.

Size: 2.75" in diameter by 1.5" tall
Yardage: 14 yds
Shown In: Paton's Classic Wool in Chestnut and Bright Red. Spots on red cap were needle felted after fulling using Cascade 220 #8010.

CO 33 sts, join for working in the round.
Round 1-2: knit
Round 3: (k2tog, k9) to end
Round 4: knit
Round 5: (k2tog, k8) to end
Round 6: knit
Round 7: (k2tog, k7) to end
Round 8: knit
Round 9: (k2tog, k6) to end
Round 10: knit
Round 11: (k2tog, k5) to end
Round 12: knit
Round 13: (k2tog, k4) to end
Round 14: knit
Break yarn and thread tail through remaining stitches, pull to inside of cap and weave in end.

After knitting, you should felt the mushroom, follow the steps in the How to Make a Needle-Felted Pillows to felt.

How to Make a Needle-Felted Pillows

Yesterday,we learned what is felting, Now let's try to make a needle-felted pillows.

1. Remove any buttons and trim from the sweater. Wash in the machine in a hot/cold cycle with 1/4 cup of baking soda and then dry in an automatic dryer on high.

2. Remove sleeves and/or collar at seams and cut open body of sweater to create large flat pieces.

3. Trace and cut out front and back of pillow, adding 1/2" seam allowances all around.

4. Place pillow front onto foam slab and pin in place with quilting pins.

5. Arrange roving or yarn on pillow front in desired pattern, keeping in mind that areas of color will appear smaller once they are felted to the surface.

6. Hold felting needle vertical to fabric surface and pierce repeatedly to attach roving to pillow front.Repeat as necessary until desired effect is obtained. Colors may be added and layered over previous layers if desired to create texture and more complex designs.

7. When design is complete, arrange pillow front and pillow back with right sides facing and sew together, leaving an opening for turning. Turn right side out.

8. Fill with pillow form or polyester fiberfill. Sew closed by hand.

9. As a finishing touch, apply wool roving or yarn around seam using same felting technique.

What is Felting

Felting is actually an ancient craft that has become increasingly popular lately. Felting is the process of transforming wool into a dense cloth by bonding and shrinking the fibers together. Technically, there are three types of felting: wet felting, needle felting, and commercial felting.

Commercial felting is the proccess used to create sheets of felt sold at craft and fabric stores. While these are different than the felting projects you can make at home, if you look closely at these sheets, you can see all the fibers used to form the fabric.

Needle (or punch) felting is a process originally developed for making industrial felt. Large beds of steel needles are moved in and out of the loose fiber to create large sheets of felt. The felt needle has rough, notched edges that force the fiber down causing it to entangle with other fibers and create felt.

Wet felting is what this tutorial will focus on. With wet felting, you can create a soft, dense cloth using wool. The process uses heat, agitation, and moisture to shrink and bond the fibers of the wool together. Don't let this description scare you away from trying wet felting, all you need is some yarn and a washing machine really!

Braiding Machine

braids are textile compositions made with yarn thread crossing in diagonal direction. Each thread intertwines the diagonal threads it crosses one from above and one from below. Braiding machines are used for such constructions. Strength of braids and time of braiding shows the quality of the braiding machines.

Primarily there are two kinds of braids :

Round braids

Round braids have a round or oval cross section. The products made are cords (technique), laces (for clothes), cables (electro technique) or ropes (heavy braids).

Flat braids

Flat braids are called laces or just flat braids.

Braids have special characteristic features. Standard braids have only a low lateral stability. Due to this property they can be sawn to other textiles without problems. On the other hand they can be made rigid and stiff with inserts and aftertreatments.

The load-bearing capacity of braided products is much more higher as of products made with other techniques.

Because of the special properties, braids can be found (often hidden) in many different applications. Some examples: Clothes and shoes, candle wicks, sash cords, water ski ropes, mountaineering ropes, yachting ropes, parachute lines, fishing nets, mooring lines, medical applications such as catheters or dental floss, overbraided high-pressure tubes, ground cables or harnesses.

Suzhou embroidery - Head of tiger

Hand to Hand: Two Grand Masters of Suzhou Embroidery At the Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, Georgia, through June 11, 2005

Do you believe this tiger is an embroidery! The beauty of the tiger took my breath away when i saw it.This is very impressive and amazing! The detail is unbelievable!!

This exhibit contains thirty-two works from the studios of two grand masters of the art of Suzhou embroidery, which uses a hand-to-hand technique, in which an embroiderer places a hand on one side of the frame and another on the other side, working a needle back and forth and applying stitches in layers to create highly reflective fields of color and provide lifelike qualities to the subjects, whether landscapes, flowers or animals.

Suzhou embroidery has a long history exceeding 2000 years。During the Song Dynasty (960-1279), Emperor Huizong had encouraged embroiderers to work with artists and calligraphers to copy their art onto silk fabric.Suzhou embroidery, also called Su embroidery, is one of the four traditional Chinese embroidery styles.The great skill is passed down by word of mouth and from hand to hand.Suzhou artistsare are able to use more than 40 needlework and a 1,000 different types of threads to make flowers,birds,animals and even gardens on a piece of cloth. The Suzhou embroidery is refined and exquisite,best-known work being an embroidered cat with bright eyes and fluffy hair looking vivid and lifelike,just like the tiger above.

Cute Crochet banana - Basic Steps of Crochet

The crochet peeling banana

Is the banana above lovely? And do you want a one? Now pick up your crochet hook to crochet by yourself.It is easy and simple.

Step 1: Hold crochet hook in right hand and make a slip knot on hook.

Step 2: Bring yarn over hook from back to front and grab it with hook.

Step 3: Draw hooked yarn through slip knot and onto hook. This makes one chain stitch.

Repeat Steps 2 and 3 in sequence 28 more times. You should have 29 chain stitches and one loop will remain on hook.

Step 4: Skip the first chain stitch.

Step 5: Insert hook into center of next chain stitch. Draw yarn through the chain stitch and up onto the hook. There are now 2 loops on hook.

Step 6: Bring yarn over hook from back to front, and draw it through both loops on hook. One loop remains on the hook, and you have just made one single crochet stitch.

Repeat Steps 5 and 6 in each of the remaining 27 chains--be sure to work in the very last chain. You have now completed one row of single crochet. Measure your work; it should be about 7" wide. If it is too wide, try again with fewer beginning chains. If it is too narrow, try again with more beginning chains.

Step 7: At the end of the row, make one chain stitch, then turn the work counter-clockwise, leaving the hook in the chain.Now you can begin another row, working into the stitches of the previous row.

Step 8: Make one single crochet stitch in first stitch and in each remaining stitch of the previous row. Be sure to work into the last stitch. Chain 1, turn.

Repeat Step 8 until the block measures 9" long.

Finishing: Cut the yarn from the skein, leaving a 6" end. Draw the hook straight up, bringing the yarn through the remaining loop on the hook.