Silk Scarf with Felt Inlay

Measurements

Height

240 cm

Width

60 cm

Weight

0.1 kg

Materials

felt silk

Tags

silk scarves scarf scarves silk scarf felt inlay kyrgyzstan Silk Scarf from Kyrgyzstan

Hand-made in Kyrgyzstan by local felt artist Makha Uyutky, this scarf combines materials and traditions from two Silk Road Countries: Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekestan.

Felt is made from local Kyrgyz wool through repeated hand-pressing. Together with Yurts, mountains and nomadic traditions, Felt is an iconographic material that makes up the literal fabric of this stunning country.

The piece you see here is the result of hand-pressing, rolling and joining of Uzbek Silk with Kyrgyz felt (see rolling process below). Each piece is especially designed and hand-created by in the Makha's studio in the capital city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.

The cost of your shipment will vary by volume, dimensions, the destination of the piece(s) and, of course, the size of the order. We will transport your rug in the most economic way possible. For single-shyrdak orders, this tends to be a door-to-door courier such as FedEx or DHL. For larger orders, air freight tends to be the most cost-effective shipping method. Before finalizing your order, we should briefly discuss the best and most value-oriented way to ensure that you receive your piece safe and sound.

Destination	Delivery method	Shipping Time (days)	Shipping cost for this item
All Countries	Kyrgyz Post	14-35	$15.00

Artist Makha Uyutky produces her pieces using the traditional German mastercraftsman model. She has a small “production” studio in Bishkek where she employs four working apprentices. Her mother and family friends produce larger pieces such as blankets and Shydak rugs in her home village of Kochkor.

Kyrgyz felt is a non-woven fabric made by repeatedly pressing together wet sheep’s wool. It is durable, colorful and comfortable. Because the fabric is non-woven, it can be shaped, molded and added to, much like wet clay. Our felt is produced in the small city of Tokmok, 60 km east from the capital city of Bishkek along the Fergana Valley. Unlike most felt products from Asia, our Moreno wool comes from sheep herds in the mountainous Naryn region.

Silk is produced in the neighbouring silk road county of Uzbekistan, using traditional methods.

Artworks are hand-made here in Kyrgyzstan. Pieces are designed by artist Makha Uyutky who employs apprentices to help with their production. Scarves are constructed by pressing together wet silk and felt to fuse the materials into a single piece of elegantly embedded fiber. Traditional Shydak Rugs are fashioned using a mosaic overlay of felt patterns, quilted together with embossed thread. Single-piece items like hats and slippers are fashioned by pressing and shaping the wet felt like clay.

Favorite dish: Lepyoshka

Makha Uyutky grew up the the small town of Kochkor, located in northern Kyrgyzstan’s Naryn region. Known for its expansive jailoo (summer grazing pastures) and turquoise-blue rivers, traditional rug-making and felt work are an important part of local culture.

In 2000, Makha’s mother and her friends established their own women’s felt art cooperative in Kochkor, and were supported by a small donor fund. Over a decade later, the women have successfully developed their small, but creative and collaborative business. With help from her family and from a social venture startup incubator fund provided by Germany’s GIZ development organization, Makha set up and opened her small design and production studio in a subsidized loft space in Kyrgyzstan’s capital city of Bishkek. Today, her fully independent entrepreneurial endeavor employs four local women and produces functional textiles that connect traditional patterns with compelling design.