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Sleekstones and Rainbow Sherbet

3/19/2016

4 Comments

 
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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.

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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.
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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?

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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.
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4 Comments
Zeliha bint Sayyid
3/21/2016 07:39:45 am

You will have to show me this tool!

I just love the peacock pastels. Did your friend know the sleekstone would match your fabric for this project?

Reply
Lea
10/5/2016 11:34:07 am

Remind me the next time you are at the house for a project night and I"ll let you play with it. It is very cool. And no, the color scheme was entirely accidental.

Reply
Shauna Sal Speranza link
10/3/2016 09:08:00 pm

How do you use a sleekstone exactly? It looks wonderful!

Reply
Lea
10/5/2016 11:32:21 am

There may be other ways, but this is what I do:

1.Lay the fabric on a flat surface with a little bit of give. Lay it right-side down. I use my sewing/cutting table that is slightly padded.

2. Hold the sleekstone in the palm of your hand, smooth side facing out.

3. Press the sleekstone on the fabric using small circular or back-and-forth motions. Apply a moderate amount of pressure until the wrinkles smooth out or until the seam you are working on lays flat.

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