Beautiful Borders/Laces-1

Ok friends here I am. The latest craze as you know in India these days is embellishing saris with kundans, sequins, patches, zardosi/kundan/embroidered butis etc. But  these days the most in thing is Lace. Laces and Borders of different varieties are being  stitched on to the saris as borders. Matching patches or butis are stitched on pallu and other areas of the sari.

I have been collecting different varieties of laces/borders and patches with a view to decorate my saris, dupattas and my nieces frocks. The thing is I am not finding time to attach them to my saris. Anyway I am sharing them with you.

I always go for things which are unique and different. Or may be m,y choice is different from others. When I choose I have a particular sari or dupatta in mind. Bot LOL! when actually attaching I weigh all my options carefully and then go for the best- so the end product may be entirely different.

Here is one of the borders....

This is hand woven border from Assam-silk yarn on Muga silk. There were other designs. But I loved this one. The border is not continuous-though 9 meters. It is done in strips. In all 10 strips-total of nine meters. This will suffice for blouse-back and sleeves, the entire bottom of the sari and a portion of  the top side of the sari. But I need to stitch together these strips.

This is a close up shot. look at the colours-background is gold coloured silk, black, white, red and yellow threads  have been used for the motifs.

This is entirely hand woven. Isn't it beautiful. I am going to attach it to one my saris and then post pictures.

So which colour sari would be good for this one? do let me know about your suggestions and comments....

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....

Independence Day

A belated Independence Day wishes to all my country men and women. Yesterday i.e on 15th we celebrated Independence day. It was a day to remember all our freedom fighters known and unknown who laid their lives for our freedom. 

We all have come long way from the day when India won its freedom-15th of August 1947. But still there is a lot to achieve. The youth, children, men or women irrespective of caste, creed status all have to strive for the development of our country.

It was a memorable day for all the people from South especially from Andhra as our singer Mynampati Sree Ram Chandra created history by winning  the Indian Idol contest. CONGRATULATIONS!

Keep watching......

TAST-2010-24th Week -Siennese Stitch

At last I am able to do it. I could not practise TAST stitches for a long time. But here I am. I am going to try and catch up with back log too.

This Stitch was very easy. So I could do a few. I am not yet satisfied with my creativity with this stitch. ZBut for now this is all I have. Here is the link to the tutorial posted by Sharon B:

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2010/8/10/tast-2010-week-24-siennese-stitch.html

Here is my trial...

I have to doodle again if time permits so that I can create some more of this stitch. Keep watching......

Rangoli-37-Reusable Rangoli-4

Here are some more designs.

Hope you liked them....Some more next time....

Indian Villages-5

Hi friends. Here are some shots of village life in India. I could only take them from moving vehicle as we were speeding along the high way. How I wish I could stop my vehicle and go around. Perhaps one day I will find time to do so.

Green fields surrounded by hillocks in the back, trees especially the palms. You can see the palm standing as a lone sentinel in the midst of the field. The dried palm leaves are used for thatching. But most important is the palm toddy for which these trees are grown.

We come across so many temples on our way. Every village or settlement will have at least a small shrine for one God or Goddess. Indians are religious and spiritual. This is the Mukha Dwara or the gateway to the temple. You can see Lord Venkateswara also known as Balaji who is revered as Kaliyuga Daivam (Lord). There are also HIS Chakra (Disk) and Sankha (Conch shell). The gate way is so colourful.You can see the temple in the background.

Here is one of the lumber yard. A shelter with tin roof and a cart with its load.

A group of trees providing shade in the midst of a field. The people working there might be sitting in the shade enjoying the cool breeze and their breakfast or lunch.

Another stretch of fields. You can see the farmer in the distance just making sure that every thing is ok.

This is a brick making unit. You can see the bricks in the process.

I have many more to share with you. But I need to properly give them a shape and write about them. I will some time this week may be.

Rangoli-36-Reusable Rangolis-3

Here are some more. But this time square designs...

I have placed an green craft paper under the cellophane sheet. This is a very small and simple design made using Kundans.

The next step after the above design.

    A swastika here which is considered auspicious by Hindus...

Keep a watch on my blog...more to come....

Computer Art

Friends I have tried my hand at this art. I don't know whether you can call this as an art. But I just wanted to create some things like these for sending them to my friends by SMS..But then I thought why not on my computer so that I can share them with you. I think I will call this Computer Art. Can you suggest any other name?

                                   > < ( ( ( :>

                                    > < ( ( ( :> >< ( ( ( :> > < ( ( ( :>

> < ( ( ( :> >< ( ( ( :> > < ( ( ( :> >< ( ( ( :> >< ( ( (:>

              > < ( ( (:> >< ( ( ( :> > < ( ( ( :>

                               > < ( ( ( :>      

You know  I love these fishes. Here I tried with different fonts and font sizes and the result you can see for yourselves.

> < ( ( ( :>  

         > < ( ( ( :>   

              

              > < ( ( ( :>    

    

          

                     > < ( ( ( :> 

             > < ( ( ( :>        

   > < ( ( ( :>                

>< ( ( ( :>  

I will use these motifs for painting on my handkerchief, Cushion covers, Bed linen, kurthas or scarves or chunaris. This will look great with black on white background or vice versa. 

So you can use these as free patterns. They are also good for embroidery. What do you say?

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.

Rangoli-35-Reusable Rangolis -2

Here are some more of the Reusable Rangolis.

This one, I placed the cellophane sheet on a red colour paper. I am sorry I could not photograph it properly, no matter what I did. This is a circular design in the centre with small designs on the four corners. I have used only one colour Kundans.

This is the small motif in the corner.

A clear view of the design in the centre.

Now here I placed the design on a white board.

Here I have glued together a blue and a red craft paper on another sheet. Then I placed the Cellophane sheet with Kundan design on it.

You can use different craft papers, of different colours, or cover the surface with, silk or cotton cloth and then place the sheet of Rangoli. The design is a small and simple one. You can try more complex and bigger ones. depending upon the space and material available.

Hope you like this...Will post some more...Keep a watch on my blog....

Rangoli-34-Reusable Rangolis -1

I have been receiving so many requests on this. I have been wanting to do this since a long time and now that I have received calls from my friends I think I should post on it. 

Any way here it is. Every time I draw a Rangoli fill it with colours or decorate it with flowers or other materials, taking so much of time energy and creativity, I feel sad that it should be washed off the next day. So there must be a way to preserve these Rangolis. Moreover there must be a way to reuse them. So here it is......

Let us explore the possibilities of making reusable Rangolis. I will post as soon as I try out my ideas on this. You are also welcome to send in your ideas.

One of the methods is to use cellophane sheets and decoration materials. 

Cellophane sheets should be thick either soft and flexible or stiff. I have used a stiff one-one that is used as transparencies on OH projectors. Its rectangular in size. It can be cut in the required dimensions and shapes to suit your requirement. I preferred this as it is easy to handle.

If you need a bigger one you have to use the softer sheet which is sold by meters. I don't think there are any stiff sheets available in bigger sizes. I need to explore a bit in the markets.

You can use clear glue which does not show after the materials are glued.

Let us try with Kundans first. I have some stash -different sizes and shapes as well as coloured Kundans. You can buy them in embroidery shops. They are quite cheap and look grand too. First experiment a bit with the Kundans you have. Try out various designs, colours and shapes to see which looks best. Once you have decided you can glue it. If you find it difficult first draw the positions or the design on a paper and place it below the Cellophane sheet as a guide before gluing the material. Let it dry completely and use it when required.

Ok here are my trails...

This is a simple one. I used two colours and different shapes. I placed the sheet on a white background .

This is the second one. I added one more line to the previous one.

Here I added green peacocks on four sides.

Here I have used 8 peacocks. We can also add more.

I have put a white sheet under the cellophane sheet so that they photograph well. Now these reusable designs can be placed directly on the surface where we want to decorate-like the floor or table. When one sees it suddenly, it looks as if  one has done directly on the surface. 

Hope you like them. I am going to post more..So keep a watch on my blog.

Do leave your comments and suggestions please....

Bangles in Fashion

Friends these days I feel so tired after a days long work. Moreover it is raining here intermittently sometimes heavy, sometime just drizzling mostly highly overcast. All this is making me lazy. My niece also suffered from fever for the past one week or so. So I had to look after her by sitting her bed side through out the nights. With all these I dont feel like getting up in the morning from my bed...:) :).  I am unable to post much..though I have loads and loads to share with you.

My TAST10 and Butterfly Sampler have been kept on the back burner for want of time and energy. I have bought loads of beads and other material for making necklaces. Have planned to embroider my saris...Oh God I have so much to do...so many creative designs keep on churning in my mind. I don't even have time to jot them down. 

Any way just a snippet to share with you. Recently when I was scouring the markets I found some metal bangles. These days they are a rage here. they are available in rainbow colours, pastel shades regular colours, some plain, some with glitters, some with gold dots and so on. The colours are beautiful  and match our saris or dresses well.  So we have lots of colours to choose from They are very thin and we have to buy at least a dozen.  They make beautiful tinkling sound when worn. I love that. The cost is very cheap. Since they are metallic they are durable. we need not fear that they may break. You can also combine two or more colours depending upon the sari or dress you are wearing. So here is a glimpse.

See the colours and how various colours can be combined.

This is a simple metal bangles with some design on it. These are also available in many colours and designs.

Hope you like them...keep watching...some 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....

Rangoli-33

Lotus Rangoli-4

I have been concentrating on other things and was not able to post any designs of Rangoli. Well here they are now. I will be posting now as regularly as possible.

This requires 13 to 1 dots. You can see how to place them and then draw the design. Try this and let me know. More designs to come...Keep a watch on my blog.....