Arts & Crafts, From Far Away

Hi everyone.  Thanks for the well wishes yesterday.  Unfortunately, I am still not back to my old self, so I didn't get out to take fresh photos for this week's challenge at Ramblings & Photos.  Ashley has been hosting the "In A Yellow House" photo challenge for the month of August and this week's theme is arts and crafts.

Since I am not up and about taking new photos I am reaching back into the archives.  I guess I could have posted some shots of my knitting, but I am not really in the mood for that.  I need a pick-me-up, and that means going through some of the hundreds (and by hundreds I mean over 2000) of pictures I took in Vietnam a couple of years ago. Crafting is really a way of life for many people there, and everywhere you go, someone is creating, selling and working with their hands.

This woman is spinning hemp fibers into yarn that will then be used to make clothes, purses, blankets, tapestries, etc. I am sure she made almost everything she is wearing.

They dye most of their fabrics with indigo, and then do amazing embroidery like this...

And this...

All of the above photos were taken in Sa Pa, a mountain town in northwest Vietnam.  This lovely gentleman below was photographed by me in Hoi An---he is also quite the craftsman.  He was sitting below a bridge we were walking over, and I loved the overhead perspective I had of him as he was weaving this basket.   Hoi An is on the south central coast of Vietnam.  It's a gorgeous little town with amazing architecture, tons of arts and craft shops and tailors who make made-to-measure clothing---if you can dream it, they can pretty much make it.

{Although I love all of these photos, I think I will choose this one to enter into the challenge}

OK, that's it for today's tour of Vietnam.  I love posting about this trip, so I will find another excuse sometime soon.  Head over here to check out other "arts and crafts" entries from this week's challenge.