I'm not really surprised anymore when the thousand year old way of doing something turns out to be way better than the modern 'conveniences'.
My friend Alison gave me a sleekstone for my birthday. Isn't it pretty?
What is a sleekstone? I didn't know either until Alison showed me her research on the 16th C. Italian sewing basket she's been working on. A sleekstone is basically an iron, for pressing seams.
When she showed me pictures of the extant ones, they immediately made me think of the tools I saw in Istanbul that were used for polishing paper. I really love the wear mark on the upper cowrie shell. You can see just how it fit into the artisan's hand.
My friend Alison gave me a sleekstone for my birthday. Isn't it pretty?
What is a sleekstone? I didn't know either until Alison showed me her research on the 16th C. Italian sewing basket she's been working on. A sleekstone is basically an iron, for pressing seams.
When she showed me pictures of the extant ones, they immediately made me think of the tools I saw in Istanbul that were used for polishing paper. I really love the wear mark on the upper cowrie shell. You can see just how it fit into the artisan's hand.
Tools for polishing paper. Ottoman Turkish, 18th-19th century. Museum of Turkish and Islamic History, Istanbul.
The one she gave me is hand-blown glass, though they had other kinds.
I've been working on making hats for my vending booth, I've got a bunch of shows coming up. These particular caps are a very basic pillbox shape. We have extant ones from all over the Middle East and Central Asia for over a thousand years. Lots of our extant ones came from Egypt, because of the dry climate.
I've been working on making hats for my vending booth, I've got a bunch of shows coming up. These particular caps are a very basic pillbox shape. We have extant ones from all over the Middle East and Central Asia for over a thousand years. Lots of our extant ones came from Egypt, because of the dry climate.
This one is 19th c Ottoman Turkish, in the private collection of a friend. But they go back to at least the 8th c.
They are easy to make but ironing the seams is a pain. I used to use a regular iron and and ironing ham. Then I got a mini-iron and that was better, but still awkward.
So when I made this last batch, I tried using the sleekstone and lookie here! How pretty is that?
So when I made this last batch, I tried using the sleekstone and lookie here! How pretty is that?
In addition to giving a better result and taking about a quarter of the time, the process is actually pleasant. I was able to get a steady rhythm going and there was a lovely flow to it. And I don't have to worry about burning myself or the hat. The sleekstone fits my palm really well and I really enjoyed using it.
