OK, I finally had a chance to sit down with my Lonely Planet guide to Laos (Jan 2002 edition) and look through for information on Ban Phanom and other textile info.
First of all Ban Phanom: page 211 of the Lonely Planet Guide under ‘Luang Prabang Province – Around Luang Prabang, Ban Phanom & Mouhot’s Tomb’ says:
Quote:
“This Thai Lu village east of Luang Prabang, around 4km past Wat Pa Phon to the north-east of town, is well known for cotton and silk hand-weaving. The quaint old textile market has been replaced by a new cement trading centre. Nowadays you can buy Ban Phanom silk less expensively from retailers in Luang Prabang than in Ban Phanom, but the village is still worth a wander around to watch the weavers in action on their hand-looms.”
I have looked at both Vientiane and Luang Prabang in the Lonely Planet for the shops/markets selling textiles. I am thinking of updating my Laos shops (originally based on the Textile Society of Hong Kong recommendations) to include the Lonely Planet info. I will post a note when I have done that. Meanwhile I was interested in some info on pages 162, 163 ‘Vientiane – Shopping, Textiles and Clothing’:
Quote:
"Talat Sao is a good place to look for fabrics; the stalls with modern styles of fabric are run by Indians and Pakistanis while traditional Lao-style textiles are sold by Lao vendors. Many carry antique as well as modern fabrics, plus utilitarian items such as shoulder bags (some artfully constructed around squares of antique fabric), cushions and pillows.
To see Lao weaving in action, seek out the weaving district of Ban Nong Buathong, north-east of the town centre in Muang Chanthabuli. About 20 families (many originally from Sam Neua in Hua Phan Province) live and work here, including a couple of households that sell textiles directly to the public and welcome visitors who want to observe the weaving process.
Phaeng Mai Gallery (tel: 217341, 117 Thanon Nong Buathong) Open 10am-6pm daily. The Nanthavongduangsy family’s gallery is the most equipped for visitors; the large, white, two-storey house is in the centre of Ban Nong Buathong……..”
There is more info which I will add to the main web site when I get a chance to type it up. I think that I would recommend the Lonely Planet guide as a good one to take as your basic guide. It is not too big and heavy which is always a consideration with me!
Hope that this is helpful.
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Pamela
http://www.tribaltextiles.infoon-line tribal textiles resource