Ronke Luke-Boone - Cultural Accents: 60+ Fun Fashion and Home DTcor Projects

2003 by Ronke Luke-Boone All rights reserved. No portion of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a critical article or review to be printed in a magazine or newspaper, or electronically transmitted on radio or television. Published by To place an order or obtain a free catalog,
please call (800) 258-0929. All photographs, unless otherwise noted, are by Kim Johnson.
Edited by Christine Townsend
Designed by Sharon Laufenberg and Mary Lou Marshall Library of Congress Catalog Number 2003108200
ISBN 0-87349-601-9
eISBN: 978-1-4402-2028-9 Printed in China "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams." Eleanor Roosevelt Acknowledgments I loved writing this book. It was a great platform to share my conviction that traditional arts and crafts of diverse cultures are relevant to our modern lives. While I am certainly not an expert in cultural anthropology, I am fascinated by the role of arts and crafts in all societies.

With this book, I hope to share with you great ideas for ways to utilize traditional designs in your busy, contemporary life. Beyond that, I hope I inspire you to take a second look at the arts, crafts, and other traditions of cultures from around the world.
Many people contributed to turning my original ideas into reality. I thank God for the opportunities He offers me. I am always amazed at how He opens doors.
I owe a big Thank you to my parents and family who encourage (and humor!) my every bright idea in pursuit of crafts.
Thanks to everyone at Krauseincluding Christine Townsend, Julie Stephani, and Paul Kennedy-for embracing my ideas and bringing this book to fruition.
Thanks to Kim Johnson and Jefry Wright from Urban Oasis Studio for photography.
Thanks to Kim Johnson and Jefry Wright from Urban Oasis Studio for photography.

Once again, you were great to work with. Bijan, Mehrdad, and Mack from McLean Photoas usual, you were great, thank you. Thank you Trina, for being a gracious model, and thanks Samantha for make-up. I thank Mark Wagner, Carine Fabius, and Lisa Butterworth for so graciously contributing photos, diagrams, and additional information.
"Life is a great big canvas; throw
all the paint on it you can." Danny Kaye Table of Contents

Modern technology may have shrunk geographic distance, yet it is our differences and unique characteristics that make us nteresting to each other. Yes, global trade has brought McDonalds restaurants to Mumbai and Cairo, but most travelers don't go to India or Egypt in search of hamburgers. When we visit new places, we are interested in experiencing the peoples and cultures of that place through the food and drink, arts and crafts, ornaments and textiles, decorative traditions, aesthetics, literature and song, dress, mythology and rituals, and on and on. Yet, these traditions do not exist in isolation from global trade and technology. The Internet offers artisans in remote communities a marketplace through which they can offer their products to the world around the clock. Each culture embraces and incorporates global influences in its own unique way.

Tulips, for example, which most people think of as being synonymous with the Netherlands, were actually native to Asia. The paisley, which is perceived as originally British, emerged from the British desire to replicate the fine shawls woven in Kashmir.
I am fascinated by the arts and crafts traditions of cultures around the world. Learning how these traditions emerged, their roles within a culture and how they are practiced, is a window onto a world different from mine. In this book-Cultural AccentsI share projects that are inspired by or capture the crafts, techniques, or designs of cultures around the world. You'll see beautiful glass containers decorated with Sashiko quilting and Kuba cloth patterns, vibrant silk pillows sporting big bunches of tulips, a wall hanging decorated with Australian Aboriginal motifs, and a silk chiffon blouse decorated with Mehndi motifs.

These are all contemporary items that fit perfectly into our modern lives.
I hope that this book inspires you to seek more information about the peoples and cultures that the projects reflect. I also hope you embrace the Japanese concept of Mingei (folk art, or the art of common people) and continue to support artisans around the world who make wonderful handmade artifacts that reflect their cultures. Using this Book This book is, first and foremost, a crafts book. It offers projects for all levels of home dcor and personal fashion. The projects are inspired by cultures from many peoples of our globe Chinese, Australia's Aborigines, the Hopis and Seminoles of the United States, the Dutch, the Aztecs, Incas, and Mayans of North and Central America, the Kubas, Senufos, and Ashantis from Africa, to name a few.

Try out these projects. Feel free to modify them as you wish to make them your own.
In addition, I include background information on many of the cultures that inspired the projects. Please read these little text boxes as you make the projects and browse through this book. I hope these tidbits give you a first connection to the people and their cultures. If you like what you see, I encourage you to do your own research on them Im sure that you'll come away fascinated and enriched.

I hope this book offers you a peek into how traditional arts, crafts, and artifacts can be translated into our busy contemporary lives. Ronke
www.rlboone.com
Ronke@rlboone.com CULTURALAccents Ronke Luke-Boone Getting Started
Stenciling and Stamping
Stenciling and stamping are fun, easy ways to personalize projects. You can create a single pattern or repeat a pattern over the entire surface of your project, or you can limit yourself to borders or trims. Use stencils and stamps to decorate your projects, or personalize purchased products such as napkins, plates, curtains, or clothing. There are many commercially available stencils and stamps from which to choose. Craft stores and mail order resources offer everything from basic flowers to wonderful cultural images.