India proved to be a textile lover’s dream. I was able to select and use fabrics that
were handmade, specific to region and full of symbols and meaning. Wow!
My explorations into fabric shops only tipped the iceberg (to coin a
phrase) of the variety in India as a whole.
Never been to a wedding exhibition?
Try it, your textile horizons expand rapidly! Of course, the best place for me personally to start was the Crafts
Museum.
My time for sewing was limited (given there was just so much else to see & do) so I set a few
boundaries for myself to ensure I actually finished something. Firstly size; I chose to limit the width to
no more than 45” (114cm) and let length take care of itself in the design phase - with some guidance from Fibonacci sequencing. It goes without saying that my only fabric choice
was local designs. As for a theme, colourful saris
fascinated me, particularly the pallu (free-flowing sari end) which is a
designer’s heaven. Like the Korean
textiles I saw at the Powerhouse, saris are rich in history, specific to area and their designs
jam-packed with meaning. Finally, I
wanted to work in a “sort of series” to learn from the design process, so the
sari theme met this requirement quite nicely.
During thinking time and those exhaustingly hot July days when the aircon fails and water scarce however, I attended to a few little projects, including the tea leaves I’d brought with me. When I felt I'd done enough research on saris, I started planning my quilt series; more specifically, designing the first one.
Life in Delhi was not limited to the four
walls of my apartment and I was introduced to the fabulous Seven Cities Group. This absolutely brilliant concept
added immensely to my knowledge of India’s history and appreciation of their
“style”. Not to mention my photo
collection.
Luckily, I was also led to a patchwork group made up of expats and locals alike, Garam Masala Quilters. We met regularly (weekly) and our chief organiser was the indefatigable Anju. Life was grand!
(In case you were looking for more information on India & my travel adventures, you won't find it here. That task will be given over to Textile Tourist and as there's so much to pack into these posts, it's going to take a while.. Hope you enjoy your virtual tour!)
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| Sari Shopping |
During thinking time and those exhaustingly hot July days when the aircon fails and water scarce however, I attended to a few little projects, including the tea leaves I’d brought with me. When I felt I'd done enough research on saris, I started planning my quilt series; more specifically, designing the first one.
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| Meeting a few friends in my street. Not a normal day... |
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| But in the city it was just another normal day... |
Luckily, I was also led to a patchwork group made up of expats and locals alike, Garam Masala Quilters. We met regularly (weekly) and our chief organiser was the indefatigable Anju. Life was grand!
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| The GM Quilters not only stitched; some of us travelled as well. Here we are in Orissa |
