Making blankets while the sun shines at Tash-Rabat

On a visit to Tash-Rabat in the mountains of Kyrgyzstan I stumbled upon a mother and daughter about to make a traditional blanket called a ‘tushuk’.

A ‘tushuk’ is like a kind of quilted blanket commonly used by the Kyrgyz people in their yurts. The blankets are stuffed with sheep’s wool and/or goat hair and are very comfy and warm in winter. I stopped for a while and watched the woman make a ‘tushuk’ with the help of her daughter, so here is my understanding of how it is done…

Step 1

Gather plenty of sheep’s wool and/or goat hair.

Step 2

Lay the blanket covering out on the ground (inside out) and lay all the stuffing on top in an even layer.

Step 3

Roll the stuffing up into the blanket covering.

Step 4

The tricky part – turning it ‘outside in’ (or was it ‘inside out’) so the stuffing ends up on the inside. I’m still not sure how they did it!

Step 5

Even it all out and sew up the sides of the blanket.

Related post : Tash-Rabat (Kyrgyzstan) & an unexpected insight into Kyrgyz life