Lifestyle of Hand Embroidery- Part 2- Soof Karigari

Soof embroidery was introduced into Kutch from Pakistan. Pakistan shares a border with Gujarat and there is an influx of people from both sides that has shaped the culture and arts of the land. Soof is practiced by a handful of communities and the art seems to be rare and dying because demand for these products has reduced significantly since the introduction of machine embroidery and printing. However, there is an organization called Kalaraksha that is trying to help artisans sell their art in the form of clothes, stoles or accessories so that the art is not lost as future generations move on to more economically lucrative trades. I was fortunate enough to meet a family of Soof artisans through this organization. The mother daughter team has been practising this art for generations and they are trying to pass on their knowledge to other members of the community.

Soof embroidery is extremely difficult and requires good geometric and artistic talent. The artist starts from the back of the fabric and creates the motif without any prior prints from either their own creative talent or from memory. The motif is created by counting the warps and wefts of the weave. I have attached a video of the daughter, Varsha, creating a small example of symmetric triangles. At the end of the video you will see examples of beautiful work done by her. One expert mentioned to me that Soof is so rare and beautiful that it is worth any price that the artisan asks for. Some of these pieces have taken over 6 months to complete. As always, housework comes first so the artisan practices the art in her free time. Personally, this was my absolute favorite kind of work not only because of its value, but because it was neat and had a modern appeal that other traditional embroideries lack.

The Lifestyle of hand embroidery- Part One

On my 3rd day in the wonderful area of Kutch, I decided to venture into the villages to see the work and lifestyle of the artisans. I started roughly 60 miles north of Bhuj close to the Indo-Pak border at a village named Hodka. As I entered the village, I was greeted by a bunch of small children and young girls all giggling and happy. The children were interested in what sweets I had got for them. Apparently, many tourists stop by with sweets and enjoy capturing the life of the village.

Initially I filmed two girls Jayva and Neeta, both probably 14 or 15 years old, doing embroidery that will probably take them 2-3 months to finish. The women in this village start doing embroidery when they are 7-8 years old. They don't get an education and are expected to do housework and embroidery only. The men of the houses do the marketing and selling of the finished products that range from purses, jewelry to quilts and wall hangings. The work is laborious and usually starts with a plain unprinted cloth on which the women create motifs from their experiences and everyday life. There is no prior print or design given. Once a woman is married she is expected to take her work to her husband's house where he will sell her products and get money for the family. What blew me away was how these artistic and creative women manage their homes (cooking, cleaning and children) as well as doing embroidery during their breaks that range from 5-7 hours.

The second part of the video is of Komaben and her family. She is the neatest and most talented artist in the family and tries to do as much embroidery as possible. These women seemed happy and content, contrary to the harshness of their lifestyle. I guess ignorance is bliss in some ways:). The two embroideries shown are called Kharek and Pako. Enjoy the video.

Artisan Organizations of Bhuj

I used all day today to visit various organizations that promote and preserve artisan work in Kutch. They work with variety of textiles, embroidery and some involve other crafts such as beading and woodwork.

First stop was an artisan park that is in the form of a large village which is meant to be a one stop shop for the various arts of Kutch. It is called Hiralaxmi Memorial Craft park which is about 20-30 mins from Bhuj. At first glance I was not quite sure where I was as I had expected to see lots of tourists and artisans. On the contrary, the park was empty barring a few local tourists like me and most of the artisans were not to be seen. My friend and guide mentioned the artisans not being economically satisfied with the set up, which is why a lot of huts were empty. I hid my disappointment but I did manage to see some hand embroidered purses, beaded jewelry, as well as Kharad which is a dying art of weaving camel and other local wool into carpets. Kharad is typical to the area and the weavers create beautiful geometric patterns as they weave. The artisan Dayabhai is one of the very few families practicing this art anymore. I almost picked his black and white rug which was stunning and had no artificial colors. I also happened to see an example of Mashru weaving which is only done in Gujarat. The weavers blend colorful cotton and wool yarns to create a typical striped print that is done on a pit loom. It is mostly worn by women as blouses under sarees.

Check out the video showing the embroidered purses,beaded jewelry (artisan Meena in background), Kharad carpet and artisan Dayabhai, and Mashru weaving handloom and sample.

I also visited Shrujan, Khamir and Qasab which are organizations driving the development and preservation of textile arts. Stay tuned for more details on them.

Vidoe Quality

Hi everyone,

Please bear with me on the quality of the video. Since I am currently in a small town, the internet connection is not the greatest. I will upload higher quality video once I am in Ahmadabad in a few days.

Discovering Bandhani (Tie and Dye)- Part One

Bandhani is the art of tie and dye particular to the regions of Gujarat and Rajasthan. Since my early age I have been using fabrics tied and dyed in a vivid display of colors for a variety of traditional clothing. Tie-dying has a long history in India where the technique is used in many variations on a wide range of fabrics, from course cotton to fine silk. For those of you not familiar with Bandhani, it is a special art form mainly practiced by women even today. The women artisans will laboriously tie the fabric into small knots using cotton thread. The knots can be widely placed or can form intricate patterns on the fabric. The knots are then covered with wax and the entire fabric is dyed in the color of choice. The knots will retain its white color that helps create beautiful white designs.

The finest Bandhani is usually from Kutch, which is why my first stop was at the city of Mandvi. Mandvi is a quaint little shipping town with a beautiful beach and rich textile industry. I visited a Bandhani manufacturing unit and shop called Khatri Ibrahim Siddik and Co. (all Bandhani fabrics are usually manufactured by Khatris). Attached is a video that was shot at this shop showcasing Bandhani prior to dyeing so you can see the hand tied knots prior to dyeing, as well as the look of the design post dyeing when the fabric is first untied. The identity of the true artisan, the women laboring on tieing knots, is strictly hidden. It is my goal to go find them if I can in my few days here. Stay tuned:)

Jewelry from Himachal and Lac from Jaipur

Today I am bringing to you a different element of fashion-jewelry. Jewelry is also one of my passions and I love to buy unique pieces that not only stand out, but also offer stories and deeper connections.

Attached are photographs of jewelry from 2 different artisans in India. The necklaces are made in Himachal Pradesh by women who emulate various tribal and Tibetan designs to make beautiful and unique pieces. This art is being promoted by a non-profit organization called Manushi who wants to help economically empower women by encouraging them to make jewelry at home as they look after their children. I fell in love with the beaded necklaces and some stunning silver sets.

The bangles are made from Lac. Lac is a resinous substance that is secreted by a female insect on specific trees such as soapberry and acacia. The substance is melted, dyed and molded into variety of forms. This craft is practised in mainly Northern India. I picked this from an artisan from Jaipur, Rajasthan who has been practicing the art of making lac jewelry for seven generations. The pieces I picked are pretty modern which is more my taste. However, there were a variety of traditional bangles, necklaces and even earrings.

Art of Warli

Hi everyone,

Its been a long break, but I have been in search of various cultural arts that can be showcased in different ways within the fashion industry- be it in garments or accessories.

Today, I wanted to bring to you the art of Warli painting which has been in India for over 1200 years (some people believe its been around since 2500 BC). Warli painting is the tradition of the Warlis who are tribal folk from Maharashtra (India). Traditionally, the women of this tribal group would make delicate geometric drawings, based on their everyday lives, on the walls of their mud huts. Powdered rice would be used as the coloring agent and thin reed like sticks were used as pens. In recent times it is the men who practice this art form. Currently, the paintings are mainly drawn in white on paper smeared with cow-dung paste.The geometric patterns and detailing is very unique and has evolved to be more intrinsic and labor intensive. The Warlis have also expanded their art onto cloth, from wall hangings to beautiful sarees and scarves.

In the fashion world one can visualize these beautiful graphics as replicated prints or even original paintings on cloth (which is very time consuming and logistically difficult). The hope is to keep this art alive by proliferating it into the western world.

Attached are some photos of Warli art that I picked up at an artisan exhibition held in Mumbai. The pictures include both cloth and paper examples of the art.