Modern West Lake Silk Umbrella with Machine-embroidered Floral Patterns Picture 1

Originated in the 1930s, the bamboo-rib and silk-canopy West Lake silk umbrellas, named after the West Lake sceneries on the canopy, has evolved into one of the most important traditional crafts of Hangzhou. West Lake silk umbrellas fall into three categories based on the techniques applied to the decorative patterns on the canopy, namely, brushed-pattern umbrellas, embroidered-motif umbrellas and painted-pattern umbrellas. Among the three “floral-pattern-making” techniques, the embroidered-pattern-making one is known for its various themes, with birds and flowers as the main ones.
With a green wood ferrule in the shape of the stone pagoda in the famous West Lake scenery “Three Pools Mirroring the Moon”, this umbrella adopted a green georgette canopy with machine-embroidered patterns of flowers from four seasons on both sides. Its stretchers are embellished with silk threads in red, blue, pink and green.