Classic Motifs

I love to look at fabrics, flowers, vegetables and fruits when I go out for window shopping. Basically I like the colours and shapes. They inspire me a lot, sometimes just kick the creative thoughts in me. That is why I volunteer for shopping. But then when I am in a shop amongst lots of fabric, I just love it. I have some of my favorite shops, which I visit regularly, to see what is new. I just like to browse on my own, feeling touching, just looking at the colurs, textures and then when I come across something new or unique, my creative juices start flowing.

I used to design my and my sisters, clothes. But now I have restrict myself to my clothes. Of coarse, I design my and my moms saris and get them specially weaved. I just love experimenting with different colours, shapes, motifs and combination of various colours.

Recently I happened to come across this... a very rare print of birds on fabric. I think this feels like a very fine cotton. It is. The colour combination was very good. I think it gave it a very antique and royal look, Something out of the bygone era? The Raj? I don't know whether I have put it correctly or not.

My mom calls it English print. But the flowers, birds and the vines and the leaves all look like the ones that have been carved out on the pillars of Indian temples.

But any ways here it is.. I want to make tunic out of it a long one with full sleeves and Nehru collar...How will it look? any suggestions? Any embellishments needed like high lighting with gold thread or something like that?

Please do leave your comments. I am a bit confused on that....


This is how it looks...

Here is the bird in flight

Here is another bird sitting on a branch. These birds attracted me in the first place.

This is one classic motif. Reminds me of Pomegranate and Moghuls. Is that what it is? Any guesses?

Now here is the flower.

Should I high light these motifs with ordinary floos, silk floss or then gold thread? Whether contrasting or same colored floss?  What do you say? Please do leave your suggestions....

My Friend

Friends I would like you to meet one of my friends...a stray dog.

I seem to befriend animals and birds easily than humans. As a child when I used to read the fairy tales, wherein it was mentioned that the handsome Prince had so many skills including the skill of understanding and able to converse with birds and animals in their language, I used to be so fascinated. But later on when I had  my own pets I understood how easy it was. One just had to have a kind and compassionate heart. How do mothers understand what their babies want?

Mind you-animals, birds and children have the instinct to recognise good human beings. One cannot fool them. They just become friends quickly with such individuals. Its no joke.

Now here is the stray which became my friend.I don't remember how we met or became friends. Every day early in the morning when I sweep and clean my front yard, she used to come on dot and persuade me to play with it. I used to oblige her or else she would not budge an inch from my front door. After playing for ten minutes or so, she used to go and sleep under the cars parked in the road.

I used to feed her when ever I could. But she  wasn't much interested in the vegetarian fare I used to give her accept for milk. She used to be so thin, I tried my level best to feed her. But no, she  would not accept much. She was so playful and energetic. One more thing was the moment I used to leave for my work she used suddenly appear from no where and give me a send off.

Seeing me playing with her, the children of my street used to play too. For she was very friendly and used to protect them from any outsiders. Here are the photos which I managed to click once with her litter. But she no more now and we don't know what happened to her litter. I feel its loss but then that's the way of life....

A proud mama with her litter

 

 Always playful especially with her kids

 

I am fond of kids, even when they are little puppies or kittens or even piglets.....So cute...

 

Feeding her little ones standing at my door step.

Batik Once Again

I just love Batik. So every time I go shopping though I think this time I don't want to buy cottons. But I do end up buying cottons and Batiks or Kalamkaris and the likes. First of all Love natural fibers, be it Khadi (hand spun), or jute or cottons or silks. Secondly I do like hand made products, be it Batiks or Kalamkaris or block prints. I have a very special liking for Batiks though. They fascinate me like the Kalamkaris.

This is a pink coloured fabric that I bought for my Kurtha or tunic. But haven't had the time to stitch it.

I love the slanted lines of the design very simple but cool. I also love this shade of pink.

This is a very unique combination of brown with light yellow and coral orange or should I say pinkish orange? The colour has not been properly shown in the picture. I wonder why? Any way this fabric I am going to use for the pants and teem it with a Coral coloured Tunic. All these I need to sew. I don't when I will the time for it?

Here is the matching dupatta or the stole to go with the dress. Note the bead embroidery on the edges of the stole. These days beads or some other sort of material is used as danglers from the edges of the sari or dupattas.

Now here is a sari which is one of my favourites. This is from Bengal. It is very famous for its great Batiks.This one is done on a very fine cotton known as Mull or rather Muslin. The cloth is very soft and feels like satin. This is the Pallu, the portion of sari which draped over the shoulder. The designs on Pallu of the Sari is one of the main attractions for the sari apart from the design on the borders and the main sari itself. Many a time we are tempted to buy the sari by the design on its pallu. Any way here it is. You can see two Hamsa-the traditional swan motifs with their long tails.This is surrounded by the floral vines. I love the combination white and black with a little red and yellow.

This is how the sari looks. That is the entire sari has the design of the swans, and flowers.

This is the border on both sides of the sari.

Another look at the swans on the pallu.

A closer look of the swans.

A closer Look at the flowers on the borders.

So isn't it beautiful? And that too for a very measly sum. I bought it cheap considering the amount of work involved in its creation.