Our Brick n Mortar Store

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Crafting Kantha ... :)

 My readers who know me ... can easily guess ...' I died ... :) ... went to heaven and came back ' ... and while in heaven I had to wait for this shipment headed to Australia to get packed ... damn ... I do fall for pieces I can't get ... believe me I tried every trick in the book to get this one piece in hot pink ... :(

O.K, Rajee so what really happened. Well ! I went to my Kantha lady ... :) ... and I really did not mind waiting for her to finish her consingment headed out to Australia , what better excuse for hanging around all those beautiful thingies... ah! but that thing about hot pink Kantha stole ... all true ... :(( ...

there is a ... something of a cross between a kitty party and  assenbly line work happening  here ... one is giving the final nips to all the knots  ... other checks the edges ... yet another ... stitches in the brand tags  ... and the final one  guns in what are probably the price tags ... the muscle man ( not in the picture )  ... packs  zips and ships ... how more organised can it be ...


 ... these are women from Bengal ... they live as a family and do some of the most amazing Kantha work ... what I loved were the kantha work on silk ... an Indian saree gets transformed with simple kantha work ... but mind you, very intricate and spaced very close ... and there you have stoles and dupattas that are heavenly creations. You won't be wrong, if you think I am all dizzy with the beauty.

 There is also a loom in the background, you can see ... and they create lovely jamdhani textiles on that ... some sold as is and some that get worked on with the Kantha stitches.

 Here , is a bedspread ... getting the finishing touches ... as the work is done on the textile ... loads of knots are left all over the pieces ... because of thread ends ... these ladies then sit down and painstakingly trim each piece.

 Aahha ! ... don't miss that smile she is trying to conceal ... :)) ... she loved being photographed ... real sweethearts ...


 ... if you own pieces, machine made and embroidered ... sure it has its own beauty and finess ... but the gorgeouness of a hand made piece is to be held and felt ... the slight imperfections ... because, not a machine ... but the hands of a craftsman made it...  that adds ... aaaa ... something very special ...


 ... as I see these women painstakingly work away in their own world ... can't deny ... HANDMADE ... just gets a special place in my heart ... :)
Next time you hold a handmade piece ... feel it gently ...you too will feel the hands that worked on it and made it look so pretty that you wanted to hold it ... it surely has to be  about that human touch ...

 ... sorry about the shaky picture here, but had to share with you my loot ...

... this wine color bedspread ... wooooow! ... and you'll get to see  more of it here soon ... :)) . And i promise not a shaky picture again ... ;))

If you are interested in getting to know more about Kantha pieces I stock ... feel free to write in at rajeesood(at)gmail(dot)com ... we are open to export enquiries ... and  retail orders... :)
I really hope you enjoyed a beak - a - boo ... into an afternoon out with me ...  :)

18 comments:

Anonymous said...

Bautiful beautiful beautiful..... :) Oh, I know handmade is best, and got it`s charm. But here in Norway, ohh way too expensive... :)for me..

Unknown said...

Went to heaven and came back...The pieces look gorgeous!...the wine colored bedspread is gorgeous, something yellow at the back also looks beautiful...Rajee you and your blog are special, cos you find these absolutely interesting stuff - decor, art, etc...love it!!!
Share your pieces and I amd sure, they will be lots and lots orders coming your way...

the latin sardar said...

:) I have bought a whole lot of these from Delhi Haat recently for my room. I so love them, this is all that goes on my bed. And no, I'm not gay :D

Sreelu said...

Rajee, I love Kantha work can never get enough of it, I pick kantha work on every visit back to desh, glad to see it happening in action

Sound Horn Please said...

This is such a gorgeous post! It was lovely to get a glimpse behind the scenes... Would love to get a glimpse of your loot and can't wait to see the online store :)

CinnamonNChillies said...

oooohhh...I am all ready to join u in heaven..Love kantha work!!! Eagerly awaiting ur to have a look at ur stock...and I am not far away :-) (Delhi)

Chandan said...

simply gorgeous.. must have been quite a experience interacting with the artisans. Cannot wait to see the textiles laid out in your home..

Tequila said...

rajee, where is this bazaar??i would love to go for a photoshoot, could you help me here?

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Ege,
Let me know what you'd love to have ... we'll figure a comfortable way to have it over to you... :)

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Anpu,
You are sure one of my big source of encouragement ... you, the Lady of super talent.
As for discovering new things ... that sweetheart is story of my life ... :))
Hope an online store with pieces I love will fascinate my readers and many more... hope you are right... :)

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Praji,
A guy with a passion for a great home is a great husband in the making for a lucky girl out there... :)
Not a gay is fine too ... but I feel,those who are ... are some of the best and most charming people.

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Sreelu,
If you love Kantha that much ... I sure hope you;ll drop by sometime to check out our range of products coming soon ...:))

Rajee Sood said...

Hi There@ Sound Horn Please,
Behind the scenes is my fav. part.justlike behind the camera ... my comfort zones ... :) Its nice to credit some of the great crafting hands behind the pieces we drool over... :) Glad you liked the post... :)

Rajee Sood said...

Cinnamon N Chillies ... if you are so close, then once all the loot arrives you are specially invited over for a preview ... :))

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Chandan,
In front of all such gifted women ... I was tongue and and lost for words ... just clicked away quietly ... ;)

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Tequilla,
Sweetheart this is not a market place. It is my vendors workshop.

Tequila said...

oops:) can i come over to your vendor's place then to take some pics??please:)

Unknown said...

Wow That is absolutely awesome..... It's such a pretty Kantha work pattern!!!!

Related Posts with Thumbnails