Products
Now is the perfect time to start or update your wish list at Silk Road Textiles! Stop by the shop and browse a bit. Bring items you’d like to add to your wish list to any of the Silk Roadsters, and we will be happy to put it on your wish list.
Franciska Issaka, the face of Woman Art Ghana in Cincinnati, grew up in Northern Ghana with her parents and sisters. Girls and women still struggle to be valued in the Ghanaian culture, and Franciska has spent much of her adult life working to change the status quo. Along with two of her sisters, Franciska founded the Center for Sustainable Development Initiatives (CENSUDI) in 1994 to work towards “gender equality. The organization works to give women and girls access to resources and education. They also work to eliminate traditional practices that are harmful to women.” (Quote from the CENSUDI website, where you can learn more about the organization.) Franciska’s sister lives in Ghana and sends baskets and beads to Franciska in Cincinnati so they can be sold and the money returned to the artisans, who are women living in rural villages in North Eastern Ghana. The earnings from the sale of these hand crafted items allow the women to stay out of poverty and keep their children in school. You can find both Woman Art Ghana baskets and bracelets made from the beads at Silk Road Textiles. The baskets are woven from wild, native grasses that grow in river valleys and uncultivated areas. Both dyed and undyed grasses are combined to create vivid patterns on exquisite baskets of many sizes. Each basket is unique, and our inventory is ever-changing. The baskets make wonderful gifts. Add a bottle of wine from Marty’s Hops and Vines next door for a quick, unique wedding or birthday present. The possibilities are endless! Ghanaian women craft the beads for the bracelets from recycled glass bottles and broken glassware. After the beads are formed, fired, and smoothed, some are hand painted to add striking texture and color. The beads are sent to Franciska in Cincinnati where she creates beautiful bracelets, which serves as healing therapy as she recovers from a ruptured brain aneurysm. Proceeds from all Woman Art Ghana products are returned to the women artisans in Ghana and used to purchase school supplies and uniforms for Ghanaian school girls.
Join Carolyn at Silk Road Textiles for the Noro Crescent Shawl Knit Along! We will meet for four Wednesday evenings, starting on August 10, from 6-8 to create the beautiful and simple Crescent Shawl featured on the cover of the current Noro magazine. The shawl is knit using two skeins of Noro Mirai yarn and #7, 32″ circular needles. Stop in, register, and purchase your yarn at SRT and receive the pattern for free! Want more patterns? You can also buy the Noro magazine at the shop when you pick out your yarn! LMB Designs will be hosting the KAL on their blog. Sign up on the LMB Designs blog to be eligible for prizes like Noro yarn and stitch markers from Ann Tudor! The pattern is rated easy and uses a chart for the lace edge in the first part of the shawl. Knitting together is a great way to learn to knit from a chart! Call or stop by the shop to register for this free KAL. Join the fun!! Dates: 8/10, 8/17, 8/24, AND 8/31 6-8PM
We couldn’t resist this homage to newspapers of all sorts – on paper and digitally! August’s six pack held a sampling of our fantastic black and white cottons from Andover and Robert Kaufman. Spice things up with red thread and see what happens! The possibilities for this selection are endless. Make a fabric cell phone wallet (new pattern in the shop and a class) or small pleated zipper pouch (also available as a class), toss pillows, or a mini quilt. Try it with the twister ruler for added fun. Stick with just blacks and whites, introduce one accent color or go crazy with the entire color spectrum. We can’t wait to see what you do!
The six-pack for July contained a sampling of our vivid Liberty of London, Lifestyle fabric line. We chose the brightest prints containing red, white and blue to commemorate our nation’s birthday. The classic Liberty flower prints and mix of other colors within the designs says “summer” in more ways than one. Our suggestions for this fabric include: a set of picnic placemats and napkins that will liven up any outdoor meal, while a patchwork brimmed hat will protect your face from the sun. Small throw pillows teamed with our new Renaissance Ribbons will brighten up the deck or patio. Liberty’s small prints are perfect for small projects that can be used anytime, but especially throughout the warmest season of the year.
June’s Six Pack Sampler featured a group of cool blue batiks from Island Batik. The variety of large and small prints evokes images of seaweed, sand, pebbles, waves, and beach flowers. Blue calls to mind feelings of calmness or serenity – just what we all needed in the dog days of summer! Blues are often described as peaceful, tranquil, secure, and orderly. It can also lower the pulse rate and body temperature. This is a perfect pack for summer (or year-round) fabric crafting. If you plan on hanging out by the water, make a large bag to stash books, portable craft projects, or pool/beach accessories. For babies and tots who will lounge in the shade, a quilted play mat will protect their skin from rough surfaces. Create a journal or notebook cover to protect it while near water while you document your travels. Iron on some Sew Lazy Iron-On Slicker and make a cover or pouch for your e-reader.
Silk Road Textiles’ May 6-pack sampler gives your stash a quick fix with “Neutral Territory”, the very latest from West Coast fabric designer Donna Becher. “Neutral Territory” is a gold-flecked collection rich with the blues of the Pacific ocean that will send you into a California day-dream. This is the first fabric line from painter Donna Becher, whose soft geometric patchwork of circles and rectangles reflects the expertise of a true artist. Cut and piece it in any direction! Our suggestion: pair the fat quarters in this 6-pack with a coordinating, hand-loomed Indian cotton and create a cool tote or yoga bag. Perfect for relaxing on the beach! “Neutral Territory” is one of our newest arrivals, and as always 6-pack members will receive a coordinating spool of long-staple, Egyptian cotton thread from Presencia. Not a member? You can learn more about the benefits of membership here.
For our April 6-pack, Silk Road Textiles brings you “Silk Road” by Debra Valencia. The “Silk Road” fabric line is a modern take on motifs from along the ancient route including paisleys, mandalas, and geometric borders. This 6-pack features the designs in Valencia’s “Slate” colorway – rosy pinks, dusky grays, and fresh greens. These colors are pulled straight from a gentle, South Asian spring morning, just before sunrise. One particular group of pre-dawn devotees have turned to Debra Valencia’s designs to add beauty to their early morning ritual. We’re talking, if you can believe it, about surfers! Valencia’s Silk Road print is a popular surf board decoration. It’s this kind of juxtaposition of new and old that just makes us smile. As always, a coordinating spool of Presencia thread is included with your six fat quarters. As a bonus, we’re also including a free mystery pattern developed especially for the Silk Road – Slate collection. Share what you’ve created with your sampler at our next Sampler Circle meeting, Tuesday, May 21 from 6:30-8pm. Interested in becoming a 6-pack sampler member? Give us a call or stop by. You can also learn more here.
This month's selection is a sampling of Ohio designer Amy Butler's fun and fresh Midwest Modern prints from her Cameo collection for Westminster Fibers. According to Amy Butler, “Beauty is in the way you live. Enjoy your surroundings. Let them inspire you. Follow your own path, and approach everything you do with love in your heart.” Beautiful blues, cherry blossom trees, mandalas, and floral prints make up this cool, crisp pack. Use them to make fresh pillows for your porch or living room, a cute skirt, or lively spring purse or tote. Find more ideas in our selection of Amy Butler patterns, or join us for the Monthly Circle, which meets Tuesday, April 16 from 6:30-8pm. Interested in joining our 6-Pack Sampler Program? Learn more here.
Our February sampler features six prints from Marcia Derse. Like Marcia Brady, Derse is something of a golden girl: stylish, smart, and very popular! Derse finds inspiration from her natural surroundings and the change of seasons, which means her Shoreline and Nouveau Chic lines (featured) are a perfect first taste of spring.