Here is the new apron I have just finished. Dazla bought this fabric - my current favourite fabric in the world - the last time he was in Nepal.
Like a Tibetan woman, the fabric is strong, sturdy & feels like it would indure any task placed upon it. Saying that though. The first time I wrapped it around myself & tied it on it felt very precious. I didn't want to get anything on it. Yes, ironic. I told my mother & in her wisdom she had something to share about this. She said that wet hands were good, if though there was something sticky on my hands pick up a tea-towel & use this instead or if in a hurry use the back of the apron. Aah! Yes. This was a tip she picked up early in her life. She reminded me that it was also in the book & film Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell. If you love audio books & Mrs Gaskell, you can listen to it here at Vox Libre.
In Tibet, married women wear the bangdian, an apron-like garment made from three widths of hand-woven, horizontally striped fabric in shades. It sits high above the waist line.The design I have used here is not typical as there are usually 3 pieces of the fabric stitched together. The other bangdian I own - also from my Love - is made of silk & cotton & one I wouldn't dream of wearing in the kitchen. So, I made this one. I lined the back of it with an old hot pink bed sheet I found at St. Vincent De Paul's for $1 - perfect for wiping my hands on.
Also, Kathleen Taylor sells European and Asian antique fabrics that will make your heart melt looking here at her Lotus Collection. Fabrics you would certainly not wipe your hands on. This collection & the individual pieces make me wonder; who made them & what were they like & what was going on in their lives at the time? And how was the fabric made & how much space in the paddock was needed to grow the cotton/hemp etc, how much sunlight & water was required ? Did they go blind staying up in the wee hours gazing, stitching under candle light? creating these exotic pieces? Aaahh, too many thoughts. Back to, exhale, fabric gazing...
