Christmas 2012

The last few years have been such that I found it real hard to keep a balance between work, family life and other activities that I would pursue; or at least like to pursue in normal course of life.  One activity that has been a victim of the life style that I have had to adopt was writing my blogs. It was almost a year ago that I had posted my last blog.

It is the Christmas season again and for my partner, our families and the people involved with Texere Silk in one way or the other, it is a very significant Christmas. Texeresilk.com  brand, that was a “fledgling” when I wrote my first blog on “Silk and Art” (Silk and Art ) in 2007, has come of age. It has been winning product quality and customer service award from Amazon.com for three consecutive years and we are hoping to receive similar accolades this year as well.

More important than any awards, and a lot more meaningful has been the patronage and the praise that our customers have extended over the years.

Texere has stayed true to its core values of customer service, quality, ecological and social responsibility; has added a significant number of new products such as bathrobes, terry robes, bamboo pajama sets hand painted silk pillowcases  and  many more  everyday use apparel  items with new designs and colors to appeal to all tastes and age groups, and has been working on projects for common good: our way of thanking our customers.

It is That Time of The Year Again

In 2006 my partner had visited a "Silk Hand Painting Studio" in China on behest of the curator of a museum who also happened to be an artist herself. He was captivated by the beauty of artwork and the amazing skills of the artists, and deeply saddened when he was told that silk hand painting was a dying art since there was no commercial application of hand painted silk.

On his return to the United States he shared the story with me and expressed his desire to somehow save the art form by finding a commercial use to it. We sat down, brainstormed and came to the conclusion that the only way we could help preserve the art form was to start a line of hand painted silk apparel.

 It was a huge undertaking and we had apprehensions: How will the market react to hand painted silk apparel? Will hand painting studios be able to handle the volume? What will be the quality of painting when done on a commercial scale? Will the colors be fast or will they run when washed? We could not know the answers until we practically did it.

There were more brainstorming sessions, long hours of deliberation; Sleepless nights working on what and how, followed by art work, designs, color combinations, sizing specs and charts. Finally, Texere Silk label of hand painted sleepwear, robes and scarves was launched on September 5, 2007 and our sales started right around the first week of December that year.

It is that time of the year again and it has been five years since my partner’s first visit to that desolate, non decrepit hand painting studio in a far flung Chinese town; four years since the launch of Texere Silk. A lot has changed in this time: Texere Silk is a fledgling no more; the desolate, non decrepit hand painting studio is no more a "desolate, non decrepit" studio. It is a vibrant, colorful, lively place full of positive energy that any artist would be proud of; and in that small far flung Chinese town, Hand Painting of Silk is no more a dying art.  

Mothers' Day: An Occasion to Honor Mothers

Mother's Day is celebrated worldwide to honor mothers. It falls on different days in different parts of the world and complements Father’s day that usually follows.
Mother's Day is believed to have come from the rite of “Mother Worship” in ancient Greek culture. This was a day of festivities to honor Cybele, the great mother of Greek Gods. The festival was held around Asia Minor and Rome between March 15 and March 18.
Ancient Romans also had a holiday called Matronalia. Mothers in ancient Rome were given gifts though the day was dedicated to Juno.
In England, Mother’s day was a Christian tradition. Here in the United States, Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday of May. It was started by social activist Julia Ward Howe to unite women on both sides to unite against the civil war. In 1870, she wrote the Mother’s Day Proclamation as a call for end to fighting and disarmament. The idea was conceived from Ann Jarvis’s attempt in 1858 to unite mothers in an attempt to improve sanitation. She worked through out the civil war to organize women to work for better sanitation and to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. After Ann Jarvis died in 1907, her daughter, Anna Jarvis started to build a movement to found a memorial day for women. The first such day was given the name of Mother’s Day and was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia.
In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war.
Today, Mother’s Day is celebrated widely and has become an occasion of family reunions where children get together to eat with their mothers and bring them gifts. Sleepwear Store has special Mother’s Day promotions for exquisite Gifts for Mothers, Mother’s day gifts, Mom’s Birthday Gift on this special occasion.





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History of Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day


February marks the holiday when loved ones exchange flowers and gifts in the name of St. Valentine. The facts about Valentine's Day and its patron saint are shrouded in mystery. What is commonly known is the fact that February has been a month of romance for a long time in both Christian and ancient Roman traditions.
It is also believed that 14 February marks the wedding of Zeus and Hera the God and Goddess of love and fertility (from the ancient Greek Mythology)
named Valentine. One of the stories contends that Emperor Claudius of Rome in the third century decreed all young men to stay unmarried since they proved better soldiers than those with families. Saint Valentine a priest at that time considered this law unjust and defied the king by continuing to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. This was soon discovered by the king and Valentine was ordered to gallows.
The legend says that while in captivity awaiting his death, Valentine fell in love with a young girl who used to visit him. The first ever Valentine’s greetings were sent by the saint himself to his beloved and they were signed “From your Valentine.”
This day is also associated with the ancient Roman fertility rites known as Lupercalia
The first recorded association of Valentine's Day with romantic love is in Parlement of Foules (1382) by Geoffrey Chaucer the great English poet.

Several business and boutiques are offering on line Valentine Day Gift for Men, Romantic valentine day Gift Ideas and Valentine Gift Ideas for a Romantic Valentine day. It would be a good idea to explore the different ideas and make your choice.






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Silk Care: Washing Silk

Ever since we launched our line of Hand Painted Silk Apparel on September 5, 2007, we have received questions of diverse nature from TexereSilk customers. Although our website comprehensively covers most of the topics being broached, yet I have decided to take them up in a series of posts on fashionsalad.com. I hope they would be helpful to users of silk clothing in general and TexereSilk customers in particular.

The most commonly asked questions are about silk care and washing & cleaning of silk.

Washing and Cleaning Silk:

Most silk clothes can easily be washed as long as certain important precautions are kept in mind. The most important being the fact that fabric is pre shrunk (washed before cutting and sewing). Dry cleaning is usually recommended for apparel made from Silk Dupioni and Silk Noil because they shrink the most and Silk Dupioni might lose its texture and sheen also. Most ready to wear garments made from these two would usually say “dry cleaning only” on care instructions.

Chiffon shows water marks if exposed to water and therefore requires extra care while washing and drying. The following washing tips will enable your silk to retain its sheen and luster and give it a longer life. These are just general precautions and it is always best to follow the washing and cleaning instructions on the care label of the garment.

• Hand wash silk garments even if they are labeled for machine wash.
• Do a wash test on an inconspicuous part of the garment before washing.
• Use lukewarm water and very mild non-alkaline soap.
• Do not soak for long.
• Gently rub the silk in soap solution for a few minutes.
• Let the soap-water drain by holding the garment up (Do not wring at all)
• Add a few spoons of white distilled vinegar to rinse water to remove alkali traces.
• Rinse in clear cool water several times until all soap is removed.
• It is important not to wring.
• Lay the garment flat or roll in a towel to remove excess water
• Let the garment dry. Iron at low temprature setting.

More detailed information and instructions can be found in Silk Care: Washing and Cleaning Silk section of our website.




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Caring for Silk

For thousands of years, silk has been a fabric of choice in making formal wear. Despite its popularity and widespread use, there was not much information available on Silk Care.

When we launched Texere Silk, our line of hand painted silk apparel, we ensured that a comprehensive section on silk care, cleaning & washing was included in the website for users of Texere Silk garments.

Some other websites providing information about silk cleaning are listed below:



http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5500.html

http://www.silk-thread.com/silk_care.htm

http://srfabrics.com/care/silk.htm

http://www.wintersilks.com/silkcare.aspx

http://www.si.edu/Encyclopedia_SI/nmah/vicquilt.htm

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/6548/caring_for_silk_garments.html
http://silkfromcambodia.netfirms.com/shop/nfoscomm/catalog/download/silk_care.pdf


Alee




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Launch of Exquisite Hand Painted Silk Apparel

Sleepwear Meets Fine Art: Connecticut-Based Texere Silk Launches Hand Painted Silk Apparel Line




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