Discover the Forgotten Craft That Defined Generations!
July 30, 2024
Source: Reddit
Do you recall the warm afternoon sun, the warm cookies fresh from the oven, and the soft whir of the sewing machine from your grandmother’s room? In the left hand corner of her living room, there was a basket that was filled with scraps of silk and cotton and there was also a rather worn out set of sewing tools. These were the instruments of her craft: They also make silk flowers as their occupation which is inherited from their fore parents.
Silk flowers making or commonly referred to as fabric flower making is a technique that has been in use for many years now. This delicate and time-consuming procedure was initiated in the ancient world, including Egypt and China; here, the craftsmen employed silk to make flowers for rituals and royal accessories. When it reached Europe in the Renaissance, it became a rather complex art with French and Italian masters setting the trend of making extremely lifelike flowers for clothing and home decoration.
During the centuries of the 18th and 19th century it was not only possible to use silk flowers as a decoration but it was also the sign of the fashion and status. These were pinned on the hair, hats, and dresses of women and each petal and leaf was formed in detail to give the appearance of flowers and leaves. The Victorian age was a flurry of activity regarding artificial flowers as they were used not only as jewelry but also as a source of comfort in the cold Victorian homes. Such fragile flowers were used to create that feeling of spring in homes at any time of the year, as the representations of hope and inspiration in everyday life.
It is, therefore, a craft as well as a science to make silk flowers. It entails cutting and carving of silk bits and then using heat to curl up the petals and leaves. This is because the process of making each flower is done manually, hence giving each flower a different touch that can only be associate with the artist’s hand. This art is still very much alive to this date, with people who engage in it as a hobby or as a profession enjoying the process of coming up with beautiful floral models that reflect the beauty of nature.
Discourse about the art of silk flower making is like having a conversation with a long lost friend about the sweet memories of the past. It is a craft that gave people happiness and added elegance to people’s lives, a sign that can only be interpreted as positive and inspiring that reflects the time and efforts of the previous generations. No matter if you have seen your grandmother or your mother making these beautiful flowers or if you have personally learned how to make silk flowers, it is a nice link to the past.
Picture being in a room that has been painted with bright reds, oranges and yellows, reminding one of spring in the middle of winter. The silk flowers that have been placed around the area remind you of the ones that your grandmother used to make, the effort she used to put into each petal. When you take a set of tools and start creating flowers just as she did, you are not just making flowers, you are, in fact, preserving a part of history with every flower that you make.
It is like walking into a time machine to the era of refinement, and elegance where skills of creating flowers from silk are used. This traditional work leads us to take our time, contemplate the natural world around us, and enjoy the creation of people who were once here. For the professional or anyone interested in learning, the satisfaction of creating silk flowers is a celebration of the art of crafting, a symbol of the ‘good old days’.