This has been my latest artistic endeavor. Ever since I started felting I wanted to make one of these.  In Kyrgyzystan they are called Shyrdak, in Kazakstan there is also a similar product. These rugs are cut, pieced and quilted from plain sheets of felt, which seriously increases the amount of work hours need to create them as opposed to rugs with felted in designs.  Shyrdaks are a traditional art that has been passed down for generations.  Like many traditional arts these days, it is being kept alive by a few conscientious artisans.  Here is a video of women from the Altyn Kol Women’s Handicraft Cooperative in Kyrgyzystan  making shyrdaks.

shrydak making video

My shyrdak began a while ago when I experimented with and indigo dye pot and dipped half a sheet of Icelandic felt into it. 

Indigo is a magical dye that is green when you pull it out of the pot and as it hits the air turns to blue before your eyes.

My next step was to cut a design from paper and cut the same design from both the white and the blue felt.

Pieces are then swapped into the opposite color blocks.  The felt is then sewn back together. 

And then two oppositely spun cords are couched down to hide the seam.

The two blocks are then sewn together and the whole thing is then quilted to another layer of felt.

It has been an amazing experience making a small sample of shyrdak.  The craft reminds me of the level of work that goes into a traditional American quilt.  Both crafts are passed from mother to daughter, usually done in community, and have a rich history of meaning associated with the traditional patterns.  The design I chose represents a ram’s horn.  Great atention is given to creating a design that has ballence in its possitive and negative images.  In mine the blue design creates an almost identical design in the white and vice versa. 

I have to give credit to my husband for the pattern for this hat.  He first made one for himelf, then I made this one.  It is made of two sided, red and black felt.  It is cut of 4 identical pieces then hand stitched together.  Felt embroiders like a dream.