Sunday, 14 September 2014

out of the baskets

A splendid workshop on Saturday, with wonderful enthusiastic students.

the baskets of Banjara work investigated


this one has a collection of dowry and envelope bags



in here a collection of stitched squares and small bags
the shiny piece at the top is a 'hair band' all jingly with
bells, mirrors and paise (old coinage)

I had no idea my collection was so large!

I have been gathering over the years
this piece was bought in Goa
it looks very dirty, but, in fact is is old
I think the threads were dyed with natural dyes and
over the years have faded    the brighter colours might
be from 'fast' dyes or, perhaps chemical dyes


the actual size of the piece is 34 x 24 cm
the stitches are so tiny a magnifying lens is needed
to really study them

amongst the treasures, this little piece


I spend the morning on Baga beach, Goa, stitching with
Anil, Laxmi and Rajeh - lovely memories

so a happy day was spent - after studying the textiles that spilled 
out from the baskets, each student worked on a piece of fabric
measuring 20 x 20c, taking inspiration from the colours,
stitching, and embellishments.

interesting work in the making  I'm looking forward to seeing
some finished pieces when next we meet

a lovely end to the Summer 2014 workshops






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