Ikat evening purse

Ikat fabrics are stunning for the effect they create, but they are also technically amazing as the design is dyed onto the threads before they are woven. One day I would love to see this process in action as I can't even imagine how they being to create a design like that.

The weaving process naturally creates this characteristic blurred effect to the design. I was drawn to this fabric for its interesting colour palette. Magenta pink sits against a grey/beige, using a scroll motif.

I bought this fabric on a trip to Istanbul. As a fabric-lover, it was heaven to trawl through the bazaars, meet the shop owners and drink tea with them whilst they showed me through their array of fabrics.

This fabric was perfect for making into a stunning clutch bag and I lined it with a pretty purple cotton fabric.

This bag is big enough to fit phone, keys makeup and sunglasses in. Check out the stunning green tassel detail on the zipper pull!

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Ikat clutch bags

 One of my favourite trips abroad was a long weekend in Istanbul. I went with two friends and we stayed in an apartment in the heart of the old city with a stunning view of the Blue Mosque, where we could hear the evocative should of the call to prayer drifting through the warm air. The city really left an impression on me with its strong influence of both East and West and friendly locals. I long to go back one day.

Needless to say, I loved trawling the bazaars for juicy finds and spent a lot of my time foraging for ikat fabrics, which is the iconic fabric from that area. Ikat fabric is created when the threads are dyed with the design before they are woven which then creates a blurred effect once the fabric is finished. 

These fabrics come in many different colours and styles, but I gravitated towards the brightly coloured ones. In each case, the store owner would invite us into his shop and serve us tea whilst we rifled through the endless choice of fabrics. I came home with a rather full case after that trip and am still creating gorgeous clutch bags from the fabrics I bought.

I love the blue and yellow combination of the fabric used in this bag, It's the perfect size for storing makeup in.

Each bag come with a tassel attached to the zipper pull, in a colour that compliments the fabric.

These make great summer clutch bags and are the perfect size for all the essentials.

Up close you can see the blurred effect that is caused by the weaving technique. It must be a pretty painstaking process, making sure that the threads match up in the right place to create the design.

Each bag is fully lined in a complimentary colour. This pink one has a pink cotton lining.

The tassel is detachable and can be easily removed if needed.

Happy Monday

I hope a good weekend was had by all! Mine was fab, and after filling up on a hearty ramen meal at Shoryu on Friday night I headed down to Frome in Somerset on Saturday to catch up with my dear friend Roz. We've known each other for a long time, through the college years and into our time living in New York, and there was a lot of reminiscing to do over cups of tea and glasses of cocktails.

I also managed to rustle up another clutch bag made from the ikat fabric I bought in Istanbul. This one is made from a stunning silk pink and purple combination.

The colours are so fresh and vibrant and I decided to give the bag a deep pink cotton lining to match.

 This bag has a detachable chain handle which can be worn over the shoulder or across the body. If you'd rather use it as a clutch bag, simply remove the chain or just drop the chain inside the bag.

You can find this stunner in my store here.

Incredible ikats

Last week I posted an image on my Instagram account of some beautiful ikat fabrics I bought a while ago in the bazaars of Istanbul. I already have a few stunning clutch bags made from these fabrics, but recently decided to create some handbags too.

I love the characteristic blurred effect of the deign of the ikat fabrics, but also love the stunning bright colours that can be created. The blurred effect is caused because the design is dyed onto the yarns before the yarns are woven.

This pink bag is made from a stunning magenta pink design and I matched the base colour and the lining to the colour of the ikat silk colour.

I included a hidden magnetic closure on each bag to help keep items safe. The magnet is hidden inside a cotton flap on either side of the bag.

This blue bag has hints of turquoise in the ikat design and I matched the cotton base of the bag with that turquoise colour. The lining is the same colour turquoise and the canvas straps are a blue to match the blue in the ikat design.

Both bags are lightly padded using a wadding called Dream Green which is made from recycled plastic bottles!

I also have this stunning ikat clutch bag in my store which matches the handbag. It has an antique gold clasp and detachable chain handle that can be worn over the shoulder or across the body.

You can find more incredible ikat finds in my store here.

Anyone for tea?!

I fancied a spot of tea this afternoon and decided to brew up the 'tea' I bought in Istanbul. It's actually just pure jasmine buds that have been dried and are sold by the kilo at the spice market.

Jasmine tea is known to have many health benefits including having a calmative effect that soothes the nerves.

I was taken in by their aroma and appearance in the Spice market, but only bought a handful to try out once I was home. 

 I was told by the market vendor I bought them from that I had to soak one bud in a litre of hot water, so that's what I did!

It takes a while for the bud to open, but once it hits the water, the pink colour intensifies.

The tea has a beautifully subtle floral aroma and is the perfect beverage for an afternoon break from work. Now I just need some sweet, juicy baklava to accompany it.....

Turkish Delights - Istanbul shopping

Most of my Istanbul shopping experience was at the Grand Bazaar. I would have loved to have gone further afield and found some hidden boutique gems, but will have to save that for my next visit! Having said that, I had a great experience at the bazaar and came home with some beautiful pieces which you can read about here. It was great to just set aside a few hours to allow for a meander around the endless narrow corridors, soaking up the colours and designs of fabrics, clothing, scarves, jewellery etc etc.

Endless patterened cushions. Even boots were highly decorated.

I didn't buy any rugs, but was seriously considering some of these beauties hanging on the wall.

Endless wares as far as the eye could see. Bartering is still used here, but not as much, with many vendors having pretty fixed prices.

The clothing below is vintage. I love the hot pink and gold.

The fabrics below are modern cottons printed in the folkloric style.

Piles and piles of decorative slippers.

Clothes for kiddies.

A wall of pretty vintage trinkets from Uzbekistan.

Pomegranates are often used in cooking and there were many beautifully decorated ceramic versions to buy.

I loved the floral vase below.