Ethnic and folk art: Scrapbook style predictions, day 6

We've seen the style round-ups from CHA-Winter 2009, but what about predictions for the second half of the year? I've done the legwork for you, searching style blogs, fashion magazines, and trendy shops for the latest and greatest in clothing and home fashion, searching for clues to what will be the next big thing in scrapbooking. I'll be featuring an article a day for ten days to let you know what's to look for in the upcoming months.

Ethnic and safari designs have been big for a year now, as have Moroccan motifs. Now that trend is expanding to include folk art from all over the world.  Rather than having a slide show, for this article I've created some collages illustrating some of the folk themes becoming popular for fall 2009.

Embroidery & beading

Many fashion designers have come out with elaborate embroidered pieces, often embellished with beading. It's easy to imagine how to incorporate those looks into scrapbooking.  We have already seen quite a bit of simple hand-stitching, but I predict that designers will use ever-more intricate embroidery in their designs.

Photo credits:

1. Maje Jelica beaded bag
2. 3J Workshop Jackie Folk Rose shirt
3. Jason Wu silk embroidered shift dress
4. Topshop embroidered tunic
5. Brette Sandler Nikki tunic
6. Tory Burch linen split-neck tunic
7. Embroidered felt by greeneyedpeas

 Middle East & Morocco

From paisley to peacocks, luxurious motifs coined in the Middle East are influencing fashion. We're going to see more scrapbook product lines following the lead of BasicGrey's Marrakech collection (new for spring 2009). It won't just be the ornate geometric patterns of the Middle East, but also the silky scarf textures and lavish gold embossing typical of the sultan's palace.

Photo credits:

1. "Paisley Party," by Jill Montag
   
2. Topshop paisley print scarf
3. Mara Hoffman scarf print dress
4. BasicGrey Marrakech cardstock stickers

Pom-Poms

According to Catherine A. Leslie in Needlework Through History, pompoms are akin to tassels and fringes in that they swish and sway and are often used to frighten away evil spirits. Their geographical origin is unsure, since we see them throughout all the continents. Right now they are enjoying a resurgence in fashion, and I think we'll see more of them both on page layouts and as accents on mini-books, decor projects, and more.

Photo credits:

1. Ashish pom-pom ensemble
2. Antik Batik Hemet cotton kaftan
3. "More Bread, Mom!" by Tara Anderson

Ikat

Ikat is fabric created by tie-dyeing either the warp or weft of a fabric before it is woven. Cultures as diverse as Japanese, Native American, Indonesian, Uzbek, and Indian each have their own styles of ikat. In both spring and fall fashion shows for 2009, ikat has had a resurgence, and it has also been very popular in home decor. Few papercrafters have taken up this look, but I think this textile style soon will be picked up by paper manufacturers.

Photo credits:

1. Philip Lim ikat print rompersuit
2. Topshop Big Ikat dress
3. Paul Smith long-sleeved tunic dress
4. Kate Sumner ikat gift enclosures
5. With an Indian Touch peacock emblem card

 Crocheting

Crocheting and knitting have enjoyed a resurgence of late. Some historians speculate crocheting was invented as a less-expensive method of creating lace, and it certainly has remained a popular folk art since the early 1800s. Fashion designers have the flexibility to use yarn of a variety of thicknesses, but some ingenious papercrafters have used fine-guage crochet hooks and thread to create pieces that can be slipped inside a page protector.

Photo credits:

1. Anna Sui embroidered cotton tunic
2. "My Hope," by Lisa for Kenner Road

Russia & Eastern Europe

Fashion has embraced the simple, colorful designs of Russian and Eastern European folk art, and a few scrapbooking manufacturers have followed.  Hero Arts produced a line of matryoshka doll stamps, and Kaisercraft came out with the Mumma Bushka collection, featuring a variety of Russian-style prints. Look for more folksy designs from Belarus, Poland, Lithuania, Bulgaria, and more.

Photo credits:

1. Bohemian Luxury trend, as collected by Fashionising.com
2. "With Love" card, by Anthea Lee
3. "Matryoshka Thank-You" card, by Julie Campbell
4. "Mumma Bushka" card, by Tracy Firth
5. "Beauty," by Jane Jones for Kaisercraft

 Miscellaneous Folk Art Themes

To wrap up, I wanted to show a few more examples of folk art found both in haute couture and in paper crafts.

1. Emanuel Ungaro ensemble - I love the tassels on this belt, along with the sheer, billowing dress.
2. With an Indian Touch Madhubani Flowers art print - Mahubani is a painting style from India with great inspiration potential.
3. "How Tweet It Is," by meganstamps - Check out the folksy birdies from BasicGrey's Urban Prairie collection.
4. Louis Vuitton tribal sandals - Influenced by African folk art.
5. With an Indian Touch Warli greeting card - Another example of the diversity of Indian folk traditions, this card was inspired by the Warli style of painting.
6. Sophia Kokosalaki beaded dress - This dress reminds me of luxurious Egyptian jewelry. Think of what possibilities Egyptian art has for inspiring papercrafters!