Bags N Purses-1

I am fascinated by the various shapes and sizes of Bags and Purses available in India. Various materials, like leather, cloth-cotton silk, synthetic materials, jute, plastic,wood, bamboo, grasses, weeds, threads or cords, beads, are used for making them.

Similarly adornments or embellishments with coloured stones, sea shells, mirror work, coin work, kundans, laces, brocades, Zari thread, painted, embroidery, patch work, applique' work, bead work, crocheted, knitted.......phew the list is endless. I collect for myself or for my mom and my sis. My little niece like me is passionate about these things at such an early age.They also make lovely and useful gifts for our friends and relatives. We women do love accessories that go with our dresses.

The patterns, shapes and sizes too vary. One can have Bags N Purses of ones choice for every need. The colours in which they are available remind me of rainbows.

So here I am going to them with you all that I have collected or come across ...

This is a cotton printed purse. The cloth is thick like that of a canvas. I loved the white colour with red and blue print. The white ribbon was another attraction. We can change the ribbon with other colours -red or blue if we can scour a little and find some of that width. Or we can use satin ribbons, or make our own from strips of fabrics. Just a little creativity. will go a long way.

The cut of the purse is very simple and has no compartments-only a small pocket inside for holding coins. 

This I picked up quite recently. The handles are also made of the same fabric. Its a shoulder length purse. The size is medium and will hold quite a few things we carry. The only disadvantage I feel is it does not have any partitions inside. So we have to dump every thing inside.

There were other colours too-white and black, red and blue and other prints. But I loved this floral one that too at quite a cheap price.

Keep watching for more to come.........

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.

Travelling by Train

I am travelling once again, but hopefully on a very short trip. It was quite hectic for me for the past one week preparing for this trip and organising every thing in my home so that it runs smoothly during my absence.

I enjoy travelling by trains. Its some how romantic. As a child I always was fascinated by trains and still am. India has one of the largest network of routes connected by trains. There are coaches with AC and those without AC. It is so difficult to travel in the hot summer months without the AC. But many people do so who cannot afford it, or who could not get the tickets booked in time or those who have to travel on any emergencies.

There are the general or unreserved coaches, where the people just buy the tickets an hour or two before the train leaves and travel. Such unreserved coaches are packed tightly, many squeezing in on the seats, many standing, or squatting on the floor of the train or sitting near the doorway, mothers with little children or the senior citizens and travelling for long distances. One has to fight and struggle to find place for standing on at least one feet. Yes it sounds so horrifying. Its difficult even to imagine such a travel, let alone endure one that too in hot summer. But sadly, most who cannot afford travel that way.

In summer months,  most students across India have two months holidays. So families go out for sightseeing or visiting near and dear ones. This is an auspicious time for marriages and other ceremonies. So families travel foe these ceremonies. This is also the right time for visiting many temples and shrines in northern India especially situated in Himalayas which reels under cold waves and snow falls in winter months and severe rains and landslides in rainy season. So many embark on these pilgrimages. One can see huge groups of senior citizens on pilgrimages conducted by Tours N Travels.

So it is interesting to meet people from various backgrounds and traveling for various reasons. Each coach is a mini India carrying people from different cultures and regions, talking different languages. I love to interact with them and every time I do so, I am further educated. I learn a lot about their life styles, their way of living, their culture and so on. Sometimes we become friends and keep in touch. Its exciting and fascinating. It is also fun to watch the villages and towns, people going about their daily lives, the changing landscapes and the scenic beauty. So I don't miss an opportunity to travel in trains.

I want to share with you some of those moments when ever I can....