Name/Title
Rick-rack braid trim, golden-yellowEntry/Object ID
2025.1.51Description
A loose hank of golden-yellow rick-rack — a narrow flat braid woven in a continuous zigzag (serpentine) form, used as a decorative edging or applied trim. The piece is a single length, tangled and folded on itself, with frayed cut ends and a few loose threads. The braid has a soft sheen and the regular chevron profile characteristic of rick-rack. It is a cut length or remnant of yardage rather than a finished article.Use
sewing materials of María A. Arús CaraballoCollection
The Cabrera Arús family collection, Gertrudis Caraballo Gálvez collecitionMade/Created
Place
Country
U.S.S.R.Region
Eastern EuropeContinent
EuropeNotes
MAKER: Unknown; unmarked. Rick-rack is a generic commodity trim; no maker's mark, selvedge lettering, or label is present or expected on the braid itself.
DATE / PERIOD: Late 1970s or 1980s.Materials
Material Notes
MATERIALS: Woven textile braid; the visible sheen suggests rayon (viscose) or mercerized cotton, possibly with some synthetic content. Fiber identification is not certain from the image.
TECHNIQUES: Rick-rack is produced by a specialized braiding/weaving process that sets the yarns into a fixed, repeating zigzag, yielding a flat braid with finished edges along its full length; no separate hem or selvedge finishing is needed, and there is no distinct "right/wrong" patterned face.Relationships
Related Person or Organization
Person or Organization
María A. Arús CaraballoNotes
ownerRelated Places
Place
City
HavanaCountry
CubaRegion
Caribbean, Central AmericaNotes
purchaseResearch Notes
Notes
This is ordinary rick-rack braid, a staple sewing trim used to edge and decorate clothing and household linens. Unlike the figured ribbons recorded earlier in this work, rick-rack is a structural braid rather than a patterned woven band, so there is no motif, selvedge mark, or weave colorway to analyze; its identity is fully accounted for by its form. As a generic, mass-produced notion it carries no features that would localize a maker or country, and none should be inferred.
The braid was bought in Cuba and dates to the late 1970s or 1980s.Created By
María A. Cabrera ArúsCreate Date
September 24, 2025Updated By
María A. Cabrera ArúsUpdate Date
June 20, 2026
