Shagreen/ A Closer Look Fabrics- In Stores Soon!

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.'

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...)

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.  

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.)

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!