labricoleuse: (paraplooey)
La Bricoleuse ([personal profile] labricoleuse) wrote2008-04-24 01:30 pm

Class project: Silk brocade parasol

I have another one of my students' parasols to share images of today.



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parasol restored by Randy Handley: side view

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top view of canopy--note kaleidoscopic pattern-matching

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fabric detail


Randy chose to restore this antique frame with its unusual trained-vine handle. The original canopy was a two-color silk brocade with a viney sort of pattern, but the fabric was shattered and torn. Randy found a similar sort of fabric to use for his canopy. The complexity of this parasol cover lies in its ornate pattern, which Randy meticulously matched in mirrored panels around its 10-panel canopy. He used a six-strand braid to create the rosette at base of the parasol's spike.

I'm feeling like the parasol textbook is a confirmed success--now i've taught the class from it and of my six students, i had at least one try each of the three methods for creating custom canopy patterns based on both antique and modern frames. So, whew, and hooray!

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