Fabrics

Aghabani Fabrics

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Aghabani Fabric Design, image from http://damascenetreasures.ca

Aghabani fabrics are embroidery type of fabrics with unique designs of leaves, flowers, branches or other arabesque geometry inspired by the environment of Syria. Silk yarns, colourful or golden, are used in the stitch and silk fabrics are used to form the base of the Aghabani. However, nowadays rayon viscous threads and cotton fabrics are used instead. This fabric first appear in Aleppo and then it flourished in Damascus. It is believed the name is generated form the two families who started this type of fabric in Damascus, Al-Agha family and Al-Bani family, Aghabani.

Types of Aghabani

There are many types of Aghabani depending on the materials used.

1. Organza

The base fabric for this types is thin woven silk fabric and the stitch yarns used are thick silk yarns.  This type is mainly used in wedding dresses.

2. Damascene Aghabani

The base fabric for this type is linen with 1/1 design.  Thick silk threads are also used for stitching. In this design there are no empty spaces left on the face of the base fabric. There is another name for this kind which s also ‘Tals’.

3. Aghabani Rush

 Cotton base fabric is used in this type. And for the design there are many spaces are left, design is smaller than the base.

Currently, as we said earlier, rayon viscous is used as embroidery threads instead of silk yarns.

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Aghabani Rush, image from http://hamidiyah.com/en/

The making of Aghabani

The Aghabani base, which is a woven fabric is made, on handlooms previously, at specific dimension according to the final product. The fabric piece then is sewn at the edges and then send to the drawing. The required design is printed on the fabric using wood printing moulds.

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Wood moulds, image from http://www.esyria.sy/

 

After the design is being drawn the piece will send for embroidery, which is still done by hand by many house wives in the area surrounding Damascus.

Applications

The Aghabani is used to be used in many traditional clothing and accessories, however lately it is mainly used as table cloth and napkins.

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Aghabani table cloth, image from http://damascenetreasures.ca

For more designs, you can visit: damascenetreasures.ca

Reference

Fabrics in Sculptures

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Fabric modelling is one of the most complicated research in textiles.  Many research are working on realistic representation of the fabric, which include adding many factors to the equation such as friction and yarn bending and so on.

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Garment computer simulation. Bernhard Thomaszewski, Simon Pabst and Wolfgang Straber, Asynchronous Cloth Simulation, WSI/GRIS The University of Tubingen, The Visual Computer manuscript.

The amazing thing about this type of prediction is that it was an obsession of artists through history, from ancient civilisation in Iraq and Syria to the amazing Greek sculptures to the modern contemporary art. Here I am listing some examples of these amazing sculptures and their great fabric draping details.

Figure (2): The statue of Ebih-Il of Mari.
The statue of Ebih-Il of Mari. Image Source Wikipedia.
Figure (3): Puzur Ishtar, Shakkanakku of Mari. Picture Source Wikipedia.
Puzur Ishtar, Shakkanakku of Mari. Picture Source Wikipedia.
Funerary sculpture from Palmyra. Source http://www.rmo.nl.
Funerary sculpture from Palmyra. Source http://www.rmo.nl.
Ancient Greek Sculpture.
Ancient Greek Sculpture.
Athena
Athena
Raffaele Monti's veiled vestal virgin
Raffaele Monti’s veiled vestal virgin
Gian Lorenzo's Blessed Ludovica Albertoni
Gian Lorenzo’s Blessed Ludovica Albertoni
Raffaele Monti's veiled sculptures. Source www.scribblejunkies.blogspot.no
Raffaele Monti’s veiled sculptures. Source http://www.scribblejunkies.blogspot.no
La Pudicizia Velata
La Pudicizia Velata
Giovanni Strazza's Veiled Virgin
Giovanni Strazza’s Veiled Virgin

Reference