Fabric Friday

The purchases I made in Amsterdam just keep on giving! On Monday I mentioned the gorgeous green Indian block print fabric I bought at Bloom Print. Today I'd like to mention a beautiful piece of fabric that I bought at a shop call Shirdak, which specialises in modern and tribal nomad textiles. They have a selection of felt carpets, kilim pillows, embroidered wall hangings and woollen bedspreads, as well as a collection of nomad-influenced fashion.

Marianne Tuerlings is the owner of Shirdak and she frequently travels to Central Asia to collect the unique textile products for her shop and website. There were many pieces of fabric I could have swept up in her beautiful store, but the most appealing one was this beautifully hand embroidered piece from Afganistan. I'm guessing it was originally made as a yoke to go on a top. The stitches are so fine, and when you turn it over, you can really appreciate the work that has gone into it. What I loved about this piece is that it looks so modern! It almost has a disco feel about it with its geometric design and shimmery threads. I can't wait to make it up into a clutch bag and am thinking of piecing it together with a geometric vintage black geometric Japanese obi fabric.
I love a bit of cross cultural design!

The embroidered area fits perfectly into a yoke shape, allowing for a seam allowance too!

Up close you can see how delicate and fine the stitching is.

On the back, the end of each row of stitches has been neatly knotted.

The black geometric Japanese obi fabric I have chosen to go with the embroidery is the perfect match.

Shopping in Amsterdam

I'm still reminiscing about my trip to Amsterdam and one aspect I loved about it was the shopping. There was an amazing selection of independent shops to choose from with each one well curated and  a joy to browse in. We spent a lot of time admiring this, and buying the odd thing here and there....

Bonbon Boutique sells mostly jewellery inspired by geometric shapes. The jewellery was pleasing yet very simple and neatly laid out so that each item could be appreciated. What I loved about this shop, apart from the lovely necklaces, was the fact that the geometric theme had been carried through to other items in the store including these pillow cases, brooches and notebooks.

Depot 304 was a lifestyle store, selling beautiful items for the home as well as lovely items to be worn, from sandals and shoes, to peasant blouses in modern colour combinations and pared down jewellery. Many colour combinations used soft pinks and greys with a shot of mustard or copper.

NUNC is a homewares store with a more rustic feel, with some influences from Morocco as well as having a style similar to Anthropologie. I loved the brightly coloured canvas tea holders and cushion covers, the bird bowl with the mini footprints inside, and the quirky brass bird and fish doorknobs. I just wish I had somewhere to use them!

HAY is a Danish homewares company that sells simple, innovative designs. Furniture comes in blonde wood and home accessories come with a shot of bright colour. Even the design of a box of matches has been thought out and coloured beautifully!