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29 Apr Gota Work or Lappe Ka Kaam – Gold Ribbon Embroidery from India

Posted at 16:13h in Artisan, Culture, DESIGN, Embroidery Series, History, Sustainability, Technique by Nidhi Garg 0 Comments

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This past year allowed us to work with many embroidery techniques from India, which are traditionally practised as embroideries of gold. A few days ago, when we wrote about one such Embroidery of Gold- Zardozi Embroidery, we received a great response. Therefore we feel encouraged to share more on Indian embroidery techniques from the genre of 'gold.' One such technique is Gota Work or Lappe Ka Kaam.

23 Apr White on White Embroidery of India- Chikankari Embroidery

Posted at 16:24h in Art, Artisan, Embroidery Series, History, Sustainability, Technique by Mira Gupta 0 Comments

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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" css=".vc_custom_1619207173048{padding-right: 15px !important;}" z_index=""][vc_column offset="vc_col-xs-12"][vc_column_text]Chikankari Embroidery from India - As a child growing up in Lucknow in the 1960s, I recall being dragged along to the stores when my mother and aunts shopped. Much to my boredom. Except when we went to the chikankari shops. Even as a child, I found the gossamer tenderness and transparency of the craft fascinating, and I'm not alone in this. In 1903, George Watt described it as "the most artistic and delicate form of the indigenous needlework of India." Laila Tyabji compares it to a dragonfly wing.

02 Apr The Story of Cotton in America and How it is linked to Cotton Production India

Posted at 11:31h in Cotton Series, Earth Democracy, Farming, History, Sustainability by Nidhi Garg 0 Comments

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SEED SELECTION AND GROUND PREPARATION FROM HISTORY OF SUSTAINABLE COTTON

READ MORE ON OUR COTTON SERIES I will talk more about the India story at the end of this article. Let us first look at the Story of cotton in America.

28 Mar Phulkari Embroidery of the Women of Punjab

Posted at 15:01h in Artisan, Culture, DESIGN, Embroidery Series, History, Sustainability, Technique by Mira Gupta 1 Comment

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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" css=".vc_custom_1616956674552{padding-right: 15px !important;}" z_index=""][vc_column offset="vc_col-xs-12"][vc_column_text]If there is any embroidery that is solely in the realm of women, it is phulkari, and that too the women of Punjab. Translating to 'flower work,' it is vital in the history and culture of its state of origin, steeped in its history, its customs, and rites of passage ceremonies. More than any other embroidery of India, it is significant- less for commercial reasons and more for the insight it offers into women's lives historically.

15 Mar Seed Selection and Ground Preparation from History of Sustainable Cotton

Posted at 16:05h in Cotton Series, Earth Democracy, Farming, Sustainability, Technique by Nidhi Garg 0 Comments

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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" css=".vc_custom_1615836859728{padding-right: 15px !important;}" z_index=""][vc_column offset="vc_col-xs-12"][vc_column_text]Sustainable Cotton: As I turn through the pages of the book 'A Frayed History. The Journey of Cotton in India'. I find nuggets of great information, which I plan to compile and share succinctly in a series of articles starting with this one. Cotton, the wonder fiber, was at the start of history, found in two parts of the world—India, and Peru, as has been inferred from the study of old inscriptions and arts. Sir George Watt, a Scottish Botanist who worked in India as a reporter on botany, has shared very early research that says cotton was considered sacred in India. In those times, the word used for cotton was 'karpasi.' The sacred threads of a Brahman were made of 'karpasi' to put on over his head in three strings.

World’s Most Famous Carpet Traditions from Persia

21 Feb World’s Most Famous Tradition of Persian Carpets

Posted at 21:22h in Art, Culture, History, Sustainability, Technique by Mira Gupta 2 Comments

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31 Jan NATURAL INDIGO DYE INTERESTING GLOBAL HISTORY IN BRIEF

Posted at 01:16h in Art, Culture, History, Sustainability by Mira Gupta 0 Comments

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The Singh Twins painting of the story of indigo, showing both its value as well as the suffering caused[/caption] NATURAL INDIGO DYE: Blue is the color of the sky and the sea. It is the color of the sapphire and the tanzanite. It is a color we take so much for granted when we wear our denim and fleece that we forget that at one time, it was worth its weight in gold, worn only by the richest and royal. Indeed it was called Blue Gold. It also has a turbulent history associated with famine, slavery, and human suffering.

08 Jan The Fascinating Textile Crafts of Japan

Posted at 15:25h in Art, Artisan, Culture, DESIGN, History, Sustainability, Technique by Mira Gupta 0 Comments

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02 Oct The Materials & Processes related to the Cultural Textiles of Africa

Posted at 15:28h in Artisan, Culture, DESIGN, Sustainability, Technique by Mira Gupta 0 Comments

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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern"][vc_column][vc_column_text]Textiles of Africa [caption id="attachment_2947" align="alignleft" width="380"]

A Kuba chief in formal attire. Note the cut pile border. Image from The Worldwide History of Dress.[/caption] Textiles of Africa occupy a unique spot in the history of world textiles: Their use ranges from clothing, tent awnings, wall hangings, and bed covers: they also indicate the wealth of the owner, and in many cases, his social standing and possessions. Historically, textiles in Africa have also been used as currency. Therefore it is a pity that most western perception of this genre centers on its 'craft.’ Of course, African textiles are craft-based, but they are so much more than that. Africa is a massive continent, with immense cultural and geographical diversity, so the only way to examine its textile traditions in such an article is to divide the elements under heads:

25 Sep Handwoven Diaphanous Muslin, The Story of the World’s Finest Fabric

Posted at 14:17h in Culture, History, Sustainability, Technique, Technology by Mira Gupta 0 Comments

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[vc_row css_animation="" row_type="row" use_row_as_full_screen_section="no" type="full_width" angled_section="no" text_align="left" background_image_as_pattern="without_pattern" css=".vc_custom_1601061701764{padding-right: 15px !important;}" z_index=""][vc_column css=".vc_custom_1601056653257{padding-right: 15px !important;}" offset="vc_col-xs-12"][vc_column_text]Muslin- The word ‘Muslin’ is believed to derive from Marco Polo’s description of the cotton trade in Mosul, Iraq. Another view is that of fashion historian Susan Greene, who wrote that the name arose in the 18th century from mousse, the French word for “foam.” The word is most likely derived from the port of Machilipatnam, called Masulipatnam earlier, from where muslin was exported to South Asia, the Roman Empire, Ethiopia, and Egypt, where it was famously used to wrap mummies. It was often traded for ivory and rhinoceros horn by Greek and Arab merchants.