vintage silk thread.. gold.. nylon ..

 

when I was at school.. the english textbooks started with some sample dialogs..

-what is this?

-this is a book .

this dialog is still used as a joke among our generation.. on questionable occasions..

so I am asking now.. "what is this?"

of course you can see this is a shoebox...

but.. what is inside..??

my mother's silk embroidery threads as they were kept .. for the last  10 yrs something in a closet in my house.. while doing some upside downside tidying between the store-room and craft cum dressing room this weekend I have opened it..

 

I emptied all on the table.. what a mess..

I decided to range them by colour..

silk is a perfect material.. easy to disentangle but when in such a condition of course that it took some time.. there were some surprises though.. hidden in the box..

my mum used to wrap the threads she was using on a special project  in small parchment papers or small fabric parcels..

 

 

 

when I smoothed one  these small packages.. I have found some embroidery patterns..one mounted on the worn pattern for a blouse..

the patterns and the threads all together .. nice organization..

 

 

 

another one..

 

 

 

 

 

 

and a third one..

 

 

 

 

 

 

these are turkish embroidery patterns .. she used to teach this art.. and always said "I have the happiest profession..I am among  beautiful young students.. beautiful colours.. and beautiful materials.. what can a woman ask for  else.."

while I was separating the different colours I have noticed something on a silk  fabric she used as a wrap..

 

 

 

 

it came out as a small cut-out embroidery.. maybe a hankerchief with unfinished borders..

 

 

 

 

there were all sort of threads.. in all  kind of colours and forms.. some came in skeins she used to braid for easy use.. some as balls..

  I even found a finished lace in between.. later I have found the thread she used to do it...

 

 

 

 

and also a crocheted green  flower .. isn't it as if it smiles to you.. between the dishevelled threads..=)

 

 

 

finally I have sorted all..

 

 

and noticed some even had their original tags.. turkish and european trademarks..

I remembered her spelling  dmc in french .. I believe they were high quality and  pretty expensive .. because she kept them apart and this was the only mark I have ever heard from her..

 

there were some colour combinations braided together .. I remembered her..sitting straight at the table.. with her white cotton batiste cloth opened in front of her and  choosing the colour she wanted and separating it with her needle from the braid and pulling it apart .. then starting to make her art.. her skills talk for her..she choosed colours as a painter..she loved strong colours violets fuscias bright greens .. I can't say that she teached me how to do anything.. but I have watched her so many long hours.. sitting in front of her.. with my books to study.. that I have an engraved vision of her "embroidering"..

when I close my eyes.. I can "watch"  her as a movie in my mind.. every single movement she made .. as if she was sitting in front of me again..

now they are all sorted..

the balls in their box..

 

 

 

and the skeins and tresses ..separated according to thread type and colour and re-wrapped in the same papers and fabrics they used to..but in an order now.. I have a new black box.. bigger than the shoebox..

 

I have taken out some things out of course.. the green flower. the needle lace and some nylon bags..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

the gold threads and the balls went to their own box.. they too are wrapped in their original papers to prevent them from "blackening" can you believe these are at least 20 yrs old..

 

 

 

and I also kept this one out...=)

do you think nylon bags can be vintage.. =D.. this must be from the 60's a mousse  stockinette bag..

 

 

 

 

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ps1 there are more to come.. this was a treasure box =)..

ps2 ... these motifs can be used if you like and wish to.. they are my mum's gift to all the beautiful women.. who love beautiful colours and materials..