Is this Damask or Brocade and is it handmade or machine made?

[furwise]

I was brocade and damask which made me question what this shawl is. I thought it was brocade but it is reversible. Does that mean it is damask?
I am also wondering if it is handmade or machine made. I think the knotting is macrame which would mean that part is handmade and the edges of the silk are rolled and stitched so I think that is handmade too but how would I know if the raised flowers were handmade?

Thank you

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Hi,

This is very pretty, but from a photo it is virtually impossible to determine if the embroidery is hand done, or done by machine. If it is, as you say, reversible, I suspect it is not hand embroidered. Even in the 19th century there were looms which made embroidered fabrics which looked almost exactly like hand done stitching, and there were also fringe looms making machine made fringes. Although I suspect yours is hand knotted fringes, hand rolled edges, and the blue is machine embroidered. However, there were many imports of hand embroidered shawls coming in from Asia, Spain, and Italy, done by cheaper labor (but beautifully done) and making them affordable to the masses, so yours could well be hand done. I think it may be 1920's time period. We would need to see an extreme close up of the reverse side, and even then it may be difficult to determine without seeing it in hand.

B

 

[furwise]

It is worth a try as I have a customer asking so I will get as close up as I can and post some photos of the reverse side for possible assistance. I appreciate your fast response.
Thank you,

 

[furwise]

I took some close up photos of the edges and one of the flowers on the reverse side. Here they are;

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Caryn, thank you for the photos but they need to be bigger, closer and clearer. Thank you.

 

[furwise]

Hi Nicole, Thank you. I was actually resizing my photos to be smaller for the forum. I took some more and am posting without resizing and am hoping they are more clear. Please have a look.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Thank you; much better - we need to see the individual stitches. Now: can you please indicate which photo(s) are one side and then which photo(s) are the same piece of fabric but on the reverse?

 

[furwise]

Thanks Nicole. I appreciate your patience and guidance. Those better photos all show the reverse side. Here is a photo of one of the large flowers that I had shown the reverse side of in the most recent previous photos.

 

[Circa Vintage Clothing]

Thanks Caryn - I think it's hand embroidered but to be sure, someone really needs to look at it closely. AFAIK it's hand done.

 

[furwise]

Thank you Nicole. I asked over on the vintage textile and needlework board on ebay also and was told it was handwork. I do notice that the stitching is not all uniform. Some is straight, some is curvy, some overlaps a little bit, and some has tiny spaces between. I appreciate both Barbara's and your assistance and dedication to help me figure it out.

 

[Rue_de_la_Paix]

Although one cannot be sure from photos, I agree with Nicole that it does have many of the attributes of hand work.