Hi again! This is Part 3 of our lil series on the inspiration for A Closer Look fabric line by La Todera for Clothworks. ( Part 1- Salt, Part 2- Purl )
Let's talk about the third group of fabrics in 'A Closer Look' called 'Shagreen.'
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| Snippets of 'Shagreen' fabric |
As a texture freak, I'm always on the lookout for unusual textures. Shagreen is for sure one of my faves :)
What is Shagreen you ask? It's tanned shark or stingray skin- see the real McCoy below.
Apparently, Shagreen was first used by the Chinese for decorative grip material on sword handles. (FYI, if you ever see one of these at a garage sale, you should grab it right up- you'll be an instant gazillionaire...)
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| Read more about Chinese swords here |
Also found covering antique lighter cases, clutch purses, and other decorative delights.
I first saw Shagreen on the wallet my husband bought for himself about 15 years ago in Mexico. He's still using it- it's amazingly durable! He likes it not only for it's good looks, but for the texture-he likes the 'grippiness' of the leather and swears it helps his wallet stay put in his pocket.
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| Shagreen wallet available here |
I'm on the lookout for my own :) In the meantime, I ran across these iPhone case available here. Aren't they devine? And easy to find when my phone disappears into that black hole I call a handbag!
I have a thing for Shagreen, and maybe you do too!
Like the other textures in "A Closer Look", A closeup photo (of hubby's famous wallet!) was blown up, 'cartoon-ized' and recolored in 6 fantasy shagreen colors (raw shagreen is always grey- yawn.)
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| Shagreen fabric by La Todera for Clothworks |
Of course, now that we've brought Shagreen fabric into the world, you can always make a Shagreeny quilt! To me, that kind of beats a dinky Shagreen lighter case, don't you think?
To check out all of the Closer Look fabrics, pop on over to Clothworks. Available in stores soon!
