Blouses In Fashion-Benarasi-2

I have one Cotton sari- a very fine cotton, hand woven with zari border- a broader one at the bottom and a very thin line on the top for three fourths length and then broad border for the pallu. Its pallu is also very simple. But its colour is unusual. I loved it the moment I saw it. We call this as Kankambaram colour or Crossandra (flowers) colour.  

This is from a place called Venkatagiri in my state. That is why this is called as Venkatagiri sari. The place is famous for hand woven, very fine, cotton and Seiko(cotton and silk mixed) saris with thread or zari motifs.

I prefer hand looms as each piece is unique and beautiful as also natural.

Generally blouse in matching colour is worn with many saris. If it has a border in contrasting colour, blouse of that colour looks good. But here I did not want to wear a gold coloured blouse.

Wearing a matching blouse would have been perhaps too simple. So I searched for something different or unique. Then I saw this brocade blouse in contrasting colours.

This is the actual colour. In  the other pictures i could not get the colour right. This is the pallu with two zari stripes. At the bottom you can see the big border of zari.

This is the blouse I thought would be very beautiful with it. I am sorry I am not able to capture the real colours of the blouse or the sari  in these pictures. The blouse is shiny because of the silk thread. So getting it right was not possible. The blouse looks more brighter than what it appears here.

Have closer look. See the stripes in gold, red and purple-it is looking like blue here. See the different designs-flowers, paisley. 

So by choosing some thing a bit different we can make the entire dress very unique and different. Had I teamed this with ordinary same coloured blouse, it would have looked boring and monotonous. 

These blouses are available in different colours-single multi, stripes etc. you can team it up with plain saris. So why don't you try one?

Blouses In Fashion-Batik

Here I am posting one more in the series of Blouses in Fashion. As per the latest trends these days, Batik blouses in florescent colours are quite in demand. Generally they are teamed with any plain or small printed saris. 

I had a Batik sari with me bought in one of the sales. Its pure cotton. Its unusual colour combination caught my eye and the price was reasonable. So I bought it. But it did not have a blouse to go with it. First I thought I would have to settle for some plain blouse in contrast colours. But when I went to the shop, my eyes caught this piece-ready-made and excellent match to my sari as if it was made for it. The blouse is very simple in cut or style. I think with batik one should not go for something too fancy or stylish looking blouse especially in cottons. after all they are meant for hot summers.

This is the cotton sari-purple with white and pink floral design. This is the design on pallu.

I loved this floral vine design.

A light shade of pink here and there added a touch of colour to other wise very simple design.

Another look at the design.

Now here is the blouse. I just could not believe my eyes when I saw it. It suited so well with my sari-the colours and the design.

A closer look.

This is very simple blouse with a round neck.

Other shades in blue and green perhaps even orange (pinkish) were also available. All almost looking florescent.

So what do you say? I felt very lucky to have got this blouse with out much difficulty. well Lady Luck was smiling on me that day other wise I have a real trouble in finding right coloured/shaded blouse for most of my saris. 

Blouses in Fashion-Benarasi

Friends in my previous post I have talked about the Benarasi Jacquard-how it is is being used for patch/appliqué work on saris as well as for matching blouses. Apart from that women here are going in for teeming plain or even printed saris with such blouses either matching or contrasting colours. 

Here I found a perfect match for one of my saris. 

This is the light blue coloured sari with dark blue border. The sari is made of fine cotton and is from Bengal. The border also has zari(gold thread). It has dark blue butis with thread on pallu and all over the sari. Above is the pallu.

Here you can see the sari with border at the bottom side.

It has border on both sides-top and bottom.

This is the Benarasi jacquard blouse I purchased-ready made. I just loved the combination of light and dark blue perfectly matching my sari. I also love the paisley design

So here is the sari with the blouse. Something bright and different. One can change the look of sari with a different blouse. instead of plain cotton blouse of dark or light blue colour, I went for this. Isn't it looking beautiful?

Blouses In Fashion-Latest

Friends I was busy shopping for some clothes and dress materials along with embroidery materials beads etc. Well I have purchased some blouses for my saris. You know though I stitch them myself,  sometimes I am tempted to go in for ready made blouses too. It saves time and energy for me as they are ready to wear. 


These days we have so many varieties of blouses-cotton, silk, plain, simple, embroidered and so on. Ethnic blouses are always a rage. These days  kalamkari, batik, bandhni, blouses embroidered with zari, silk threads, zardosi, kundans etc are in fasion. Mostly these blouses are just stitched with wide margins and available in small, medium and large sizes. We can alter them to our measurements quite easily, if we have a sewing machine at home. 

Ok now for the latest trends in ethnic blouses for saris-- These days Benarasi jacquard material is being used for making blouses. these blouses are worn either in matching colours or in contrasting colours. The fabric can also be multicoloured which can be worn with many saris. people are going in for contrast coloured blouses than matching ones. The fabric is attached to the sari as  border and also as patches of different shapes. Further, These patches are embellished with kundans or coloured stones, antique beads or coins etc. 


I have stitched border cut from of bluish green Benarasi jacquard fabric to my pinkish red sari. The colour of the sari in this photograph is looking different from what it actually is. I could not get the original colour in spite of trying hard, I kept the border small and also kept it simple so that it can be worn to work place. I  wanted to add kundans but in the end did not as I wanted to keep it very simple. 

 I stitched the border at both edges of the sari-top and bottom and the edge of pallu also.

The blouse is also stitched from the same fabric but simple. It has got sleeves (normal length)which are not visible in the picture.

It would have looked grand had I added some kundans and zardosi. But I preferred a simple one which is easy to manage and also can be worn to work place.

Your comments and suggestions are always welcome. Do let me know please. Keep a watch on my blog as I am going to post more.......

Silk Blouse Pieces

Hi friends. This is the auspicious month of Sravana according to our Hindu calendar. It is monsoon time with steady drizzles to heavy downpours. Mother Nature revives herself from the hot summers. The climate is cool may be sultry sometimes. But the fresh greenery on the trees, green fields, colourful flowers, cool breeze, butterflies flying around, buzzing bees...in general, nature and all living being recover from the heat and dust and rejoice. The lakes and rivers are full with water. we have lilies and lotuses dancing in the waters. Hibiscuses, roses, chrysanthemums, some varieties of jasmines and so many other flowers. All in all it is pleasant and colourful.

This month is very important for us women and meant exclusively for women as we offer Pooja-special prayers to Goddess Vara Lakshmi on Fridays and Goddess Mangala Gauri on Tuesdays. This is for general well being of the family, prosperity and happiness. These are exclusively ladies only functions. 

We also give and receive  gifts like saris, blouse pieces, kumkum bharina-boxes for storing vermilion etc, bangles, small looking glasses, combs, turmeric, vermilion,sandal wood powder, sweets, beetle leaves and areca nuts (known as nut powder), soaked chickpeas and fruits etc.. to our near and dear ones(unmarried and married women) like sisters, sis-in-laws, mothers, ma-in-laws, other women friends, relatives and neighbours depending upon our budget. This is exclusively a Ladies only function.

I remember as children and young women me and my cousins used to go to our neighbours and relatives houses to attend these functions along with our grandmothers, mother and aunts. Though these are religious functions women are women. Each one would be assessing the others dress and jewellery. They would talk about the colour combination of the silk and brocade saris worn by them, how much it cost them (most of the time exaggerating the price..:) :)  ), their jewellery, how they got it made, and other gossips about their in laws, children and life in general. 

Married women visit their mothers during this period to offer this Pooja. So its quite natural that they like to catch up on every thing they left behind. We children were interested in only the sweets and savouries and fruits mostly bananas given to us and play with other children till it was time to go. We used to collect all the soaked chickpeas given to us by others as well as those left in the house after giving it our visitors and loved the spicy hot snacks made out of them by my granny. 

I miss all those lovely moments enjoyed in a small villages or towns where every one knew every one else. There was a bonding even with our neighbours sharing joys, happiness and helping in difficult times.  Even after shifting to cities due to our jobs or education, this trend continued till last decade or so . But celebrating in a city is much different from that in our little places. Now of course with the family members and relatives scattered in far off places, we have lost the charm of celebrations. It rather makes us reminisce beautiful moments we shared in the past.

Any way  coming to the point......

It is considered as auspicious to buy something new especially gold, silver, copper etc along with new clothes for ladies and girl children. We prefer to buy or rather invest in silks and brocades as this month and in coming months it is season for marriages and other auspicious occasions like construction of new houses, house warming ceremonies starting new ventures etc. 

So we women and girls do shop for cloths, jewellery etc. Here I went with my sis and some friends bought some of these.... Silk from Assam. But before that a brief intro on silk from Assam...


Assam is North East Indian State. The North East is known for its beautiful silk textiles. Three types of silks are produced depending upon the silk worms and the leaves they feed on- as we know that silk yarn is extracted from the cocoons spun by the silk worms.

• Muga silk
• Pat silk
• Eri silk

Muga Silk:  is the most popular silk from Assam /North east. Its natural golden colour is the reason for its popularity. Assam is the largest or perhaps only producer along with North Eastern States of India. That is because the silk worm Antheraea assamensis that produces this silk are found in that state and can only live in the climatic conditions of Assam or surrounding areas. They feed on the leaves of Som and Sualu trees native to that region. Since the silk has very low porosity, it cannot be bleached or dyed but left as it is to retain its golden colour.  It can be washed and with every wash its natural sheen increases.

Pat Silk: This is also known as Mulberry silk as the worms that produce are fed mulberry leaves. The colour of this silk varies from brilliant white to off-white. This is also one of the popular silks.

Eri silk: also known as Endi or Errandi silk. This is produced by the worms- Samia cynthia ricini which feed on leaves of Castor oil plant. Unlike in other silks where the cocoons are put in boiling water to kill the pupae, this silk is produced after  the pupae  develop into adults and leave the cocoons. The open ended cocoons are used for extracting the silk. That is why this is popularly known as non-violent silk. This silk is soft and warm and is is used in  shawls and quilts. 

Not only that, since it is non violent silk, it is used in manufacturing of cloth offered to Gods and Goddesses of the Temples or used for religious purposes and also puritans who follow Hinduism strictly prefer this silk as it is non violent.

This is the most famous or popular Golden silk known as Muga silk from Assam. These are blouse pieces-un stitched.

See the natural gold colour- unbleached  and non dyed.

I bought one with red border. the borders have been stitched on the cloth not woven into it. But they are hand woven.

These are the ones with a green border- two different designs.

Take a look.

See the beautiful hand woven borders attached. they can be used on the back side bottom of the blouse and also on sleeves....

One more design of the border.

A closure look at the motifs.

Aren't they beautiful. I bought three pieces one for me, my sis and mother....and that too at a very cheap price.  They were also selling these borders separately for blouses but I dint buy them.


I think these blouses will go well with raw silk or Tussar silk saris and in general with off white or gold coloured silk saris. Any way it is fashion now a days to wear contrast coloured blouses.

I will post the blouses after I stitch them. For more on the silks from Assam here is one link.

http://assamsilk.blogspot.com/


So friends hope you like them... I am going to post some more tomorrow.. So brace yourself....Its a surprise....

Blouses-Kalamkari N Jaipur Print

Friends here is one more blouse. This is a combination of patch work of Jaipur print and Kalamkari, with some sequins work . These blouses are still in fashion and are a huge hit. Being multi coloured they can be worn with many contrasting or similar coloured saris. These can be worn with plain or printed saris too. Though the blouses are stitched, they have to be fitted to individual requirements.

Here it is

This is the front side. Front open. See the combination of patches and the sequin work is not too much just highlighting the design.

This the back side.

See the patch at the back

This is the sleeve.

A closure look at the sleeve and look at the Kalamkari print.

I have some more but don't have the time to photograph them. I will post more next time.

Kalamkari-The Art of Painting fabric with a Pen-1

India is a treasure house of various Arts and Crafts since ancient times. These have been handed down from generation to generation, each time not only preserving the past traditions, but also creating and adding new techniques or forms due to the influence of people, culture and arts from other countries who came to India from time to time as well as changing tastes according to the times. This has refined the art or craft forms in the process, such that today we have such exquisite and priceless creative techniques.

I myself am discovering so many different Arts N Crafts every time I visit a place or meet people from different regions. In this post I am going to share with you one of such traditional art form-“KALAMKARI. I did not know much about this art until my aunt married into one of the oldest and well known families from Machilipatnam. My uncle is connoisseur of arts and crafts and through him I learned more about this craft. Still my knowledge is very little.

Origin and History:

Kalamkari was originally known as VrathaPani. Vratha in Telugu means writing or drawing and Pani means hand-so it means hand drawn. Later on it became popular as Kalamkari. In Urdu, Qalam- Kalam means pen and Kaari is art or work. So Kalamkari means art drawn with pen.

In ancient India, the story tellers played a very important role in spreading the culture and keeping alive the Indian Epics of Ramayana and MahaBharatha. This was one of the forms of entertainment the people had in those days. The story tellers, consisting of singers, musicians and other artists like painters, roamed from village to village, reciting stories, from Ramayana, Mahabharatha, Puranas and other folklore legends. Later on, in order to attract the attention of audiences, the painters in the troop used to paint pictures on cloth, paper, leaves and other such media using naturally and locally available vegetable dyes. This was done on the spot most of the times. So basically picture of Gods, Goddesses and other Mythological, folklore characters, etc were painted.

More over banners and scrolls painted were also used for adorning temple walls or chariots (temple cars used for religious processions) during festivals and other religious functions. Kings, land lords and rich would get these paintings done and gift them to temples or for adorning the walls of their dwellings. In fact most of the Indian folk painting forms originated and survived because of this.

Kalamkari a very ancient form of painting might have been developed as such. Later on it enjoyed the patronage of Mughals and Golconda Rulers. The painted articles were good sources for earning income through trade and export.During 16^th and 17^th centuries, this art form was quite popular. Later on it declined but was said to be revived to some extent by the British. However the modern day Kalamkari owes its existence to Smt. Kamaladevi Chatopadhyaya, the first Chairperson of All India Handicrafts Board.

Styles And The Materials Used:

These are the distinct styles of Kalamkari:

1. Srikalahasthi Style-Painted with hand with the help of a pen like instrument
2. Machilipatnam Style-block printed
3. Karrupur from Thanjavur in TamilNadu is done on hand woven gold brocade fabric

Cotton fabric was and still is being used for this purpose as it is most suitable and cheap. Silk fabrics were/are also used but are quite costly. In the present day scenario, other synthetic materials are also being used. Still cottons and silks are more suitable and look beautiful, being natural fibres.

In the material produced by Srikalahasthi artists, a pen made of bamboo or palm wood, sharpened at one end is used for drawing the motifs. In Machilipatnam, wooden blocks carved with the designs are used for printing. The outlines and main or important features are first printed using these blocks. Later on the finer details are filled in using the pen. This allows for mass production. However, the finer details are not much clear. So the products from Kalahasthi do stand out as unique and beautiful.

The colours used are natural dyes extracted from vegetables or plants-leaves, roots, flowers, minerals etc. Cow dung, milk and other natural products are also used in the process.

Artisans and Patronage:

The designs and motifs used in this art have been quite distinctly been influenced by the patronage of different rulers like any other art form. There may be many similarities between the styles but there are also some features unique to each style which sets them apart.

In Machilipatnam, weavers were involved in this art form. They were patronized by the Golconda Sultanate and the Mughals. This form consists of motifs, designs reflecting the influence of Persia. These designs are intricate and remind us of those on the walls or Tajmahal or other such Mugal constructions and Art.

In Kalahasthi, the Balojas, who were bangle makers, took up this art. They were patronized by the Hindu rulers. Hence they catered to the needs of the temples and other religious ceremonies. Their art was centered on the themes from Hindu Mythology and Epics. Gods and Goddesses, scenes from Ramamyanam,  Mahabharatham, Bhagawatham, figures of deities, elephants, divine birds and animals etc were painted surrounded by intricate borders.

In Karrupur, Kalamkari was used to embellish the gold brocade edges woven fabrics. These were under the patronage of Raja Sarfoji and Shivaji. The Royal family members used to wear these fabrics as dhotis and saris.

Under the British Raj, the use of Kalamkari fabric was entirely different. They were used for furnishings-bed linen, curtains and also for making garments. So floral designs preferred by the English were brought into use. They even painted portraits of English men in Kalamkari. These fabrics also constituted one of the varieties of the Chintz which was much in vogue during that period.

It became almost extinct at one time. After India gained Independence, our Handicrafts Development Board took up the task of reviving this art. Today our crafts men have not only retained and revived the traditional motifs and designs but are also evolving new ones to cater to the needs of the modern age. Quite recently we have seen a surge of huge demand for this work being used as patches or appliquéd on saris, and other dress materials.

In every textile and craft exhibition you see there are some stalls selling Kalamkari products. Here you can see a wall hanging of Arjuna and Lord Krishna on their way to the famous Mahabharatha war and some patches of peacocks.

For those who want to know more..Here is the link:

http://www.kalamkariart.org/index.php?id=1&type=txt

I have been collecting quite a few pieces. So brace yourselves, I am going to post more on Kalamkari...Keep a watch on my blog friends....

Embroidered Sari from Bengal

I wanted to share with you this sari, which was bought for me by my friend. She is from a village in West Bengal. So when ever she visits her native place, she visits Kolkata (earlier known as Calcutta) where some of her relatives stay. She usually brings many saris, dress materials and accessories etc from there for all of us and I bought this from her.

I love cotton saris. This one is baby pink coloured  fine cotton sari embroidered with blue and green cotton threads. The fabric looks like organza. The threads are coarse and looks like dyed ones. All through Satin stitch has been used. You can see how beautifully the artisans from Bengal have embroidered the sari. Mind you, the embroidery is not perfectly done, yet it is beautiful.

 This the border of the sari. Simple vine with blue and green threads.

  

Another view of the border. The sari has borders both at the top (only the portion where it is visible) and at the bottom.

The small flowers  known as booties cover the entire sari.

This is the pallu heavily embroidered.

The vines have been embroidered accross the pallu.

A closer look.

In the corners of the pallu this design has been embroidered.

I love this sari because of its baby pink colour and good combination of the colours used.  It is simple yet attractive. But it is a bit difficult to maintain, because one has to starch it and then ironing requires more heat. This may result in fading of the colours with repeated washing and ironing.

Another Sari with Applique

I had this little confusion between whether to call this an Appliqué or a Patch Work. Appliqué is stitching a piece of fabric on another fabric in desired shapes, where as Patch work is joining together of various pieces of fabric to make a bigger one.  Any way here in India the word Patch Work is being used for Applique by the rural artisans who dothe work. Thats how I used the word Patch Work for one of my Saris which I posted earlier here...

http://summersofindia.blogspot.com/2009/11/patch-work.html

So I stand corrected that it was Applique actually.

Any way today I am sharing one more sari with Applique work. I have bought this. This is a Chanderi type Sari (I dont know the exact name of the material), pink in colour with printed plaisley, which are white in colour. It has a beautiful pallu. But the border at the base and on the top for the entire sari was just plain cream white. So a matching pink printed material (of the same type) was cut into strips and machine stitched as a border at the top and bottom ends of the Sari and also on the pallu. Its not possible to get the same print material so a different print has been used. 

It has a cream coloured blouse with same borders on its hands. I have not got it stitched. I prefer to wear a plain pink one. Here are the pictures...

This is the border at the base-beneath the printed border, but covering the plain border on the base and also at the top. The strip of cloth has been stitched on. It has a geometric print.

 A closer look.

This is the design on the pallu. Here also the edges on the three sides have been stitched with border.

The colour was unique and so was the design. I loved this sari the moment my eyes fell on it. It is elegant yet not flashy, very simple but beautiful.....Hope you liked this.

Roses N Roses

Here I am back with some more beautiful prints-this time Roses. Who doesn't love Roses?  I love this cotton fabric, with print of roses that looks like painted. The cotton is very fine satin cotton, quite soft to touch. I made bed linen out of this

 

 

 

 

 I hope you like them too. One of these days I will practice painting these roses. I have an excellent motifs before me.....