DETENTES FROM PERU.

In the area called Miraflores in Lima there is a lot of antique shops. Here I found all my detentes.

Detentes is a little piece of textile which is embroidered with often a heart. I was told by one owner of a shop that people goes to the monastery and asked the nuns to make them a detente. The detente is then hanged either in the church or on a Saint and the person prays for a miracle to happen. When the miracle has come true, it is okay to put away the detente. I did not see a lot of detentes in the churches. Instead I saw a lot of the silver hearts which is used for making an offering to show a persons gratitude.

Two small detentes, about 2x2 cm. The heart in both detentes is raised from the bottom of the fabric. The detente to the right have lost a lot of it's embroidery, but is still beautiful.
When my husband came from Peru to live with me here in Denmark he had the little detente with him to the left.

The two first detentes I bought. They are different from all the others as Maria and Jesu are the main persons hidden behind a piece of plastic to prevent them from getting dirty.

The details in the detentes are symbolic. The heart is shining. Inside the heart a crown is made out of thorns and therefore it is bleeding. Everything is related to Jesus crucifixion.

It says: DETENTE el Corazón de Jesús está conmigo: the heart of Jesus is with me.

When buying some of my detente I was told by one antique owner, when she went on a flight she always put a detente inside her jacket, for good luck.

Another very simpel detente showing the crown made out of thorns.

Out of all my detentes this one is my favorite. The bleeding heart is put onto a big cruciform and with a little criciform on the top. It has so many details and the embroidery is amazing. On the edges beads are sewn.

MY SASHIKO BAG FROM JAPAN.

I have just bought this wonderful and so beautiful SASHIKO bag.

SASHIKO is a quilting technique using a running stitch to reinforce and prolong the life of a fabric or to stitch and recycle old pieces of cloth into a new garment. SASHIKO created warmer and more durable fabrics for the Japanese farmer who originally used the stitch for practical reasons. Decorative SASHIKO stitching developed out of the need for warmth and durability and functions to embellish while strengthen the garment.
The bag is about 80-100 years old and has probably been used to collect money. The name of the pattern is "Asa no ha". Asa is hemp and ha is leaf.
This pattern is so beautiful and so well made. I find it interesting to see that the person who have made this bag, have made the little changement in the stitching of the pattern.Detail.

"Manji tunagi." The mean of manji is the ward of Buddhism and tunagi means connection.

Detail.

Everywhere I look there are a new SASHIKO stitch.

Detail.

The stitch of the bottom is a similar pattern that was found in the northern Japan, but it was made in the western area.

In another post Gallery Kei in Kyoto, I have recommended several books about SASHIKO.

PAPER STRINGS.

When visiting Japan last year I often came across these paper strings hanging at Shrines and Tempels.

I was told it was bad fortunes. When the japanese visit the Tempels and Shrines they often buy a fortune note. If there is good luck on the note, they keep it. If not, they hang it somewhere.


For me as a textile designer I find it fascinating that different kinds of patterns often appears. It is very beautiful.