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 ...  :)

Saharanpur Craftsmenship in Bandra market ... Mumbai

I have been eyeing these shops in Bandra for over 1 and 1/2 yrs. ... the beautiful ornate frames were too tempting to resist ... and I knew the craftsmenship had to be from Saharanpur ... where is Saharanpur ... :) ... well ! you'll be forgiven to have missed that ... its a small town in UttarPradesh (one of the north Indian States) ... but its a town steeped in history and history that dates it back to Indus Valley Civilisation ...

This small ,dusty, polluted town ... is home, to one of the most beautiful woodworking styles of India ... the Anguri (Angur in Hindi means grapes and so Anguri ref.'s to grapevine) ... where the wood is carved into intricate grapevine ... in a melange of Mughal and Indian Styles ... (like in the frame I found above) ...

... my imagination was going crazy with the kind of possibilities with these raw pieces ... there aren't too many shops ... (if it was on your mind to ask) ... just about 9-10 of them ... but lovely workmanship ... I found myself gurgling with excitement ... ;) ... quite like my lil' Sarah goes in a toy store ... :)

... for many I meet, the possibilities of such pieces ... gelling in with different styles of interiors is a tad bit difficult to imagine. It's not so, you know ... innovative finishes, experimenting around a bit and wala ... :) ... check out some of the pictures I found for you ...

A similar carved frame with a white finish ... Hmmm ...

... Here's a picture of Designer Kishani Perera's work ... I am completely in love with her style ... absolutely ecelectic ... and in here I loved how she finished the mirror frame above the cabinet ...

Oh! these corinthian bases ... I think they were left overs from a table leg ... sigh!!! ... a failed attempt at bargaining ... O.K ,I own up... I think I was just being cheeky :) ... trying to strike a dirt cheap deal ... knowing I'm off to Delhi anyways so I'm in for loads more ... never mind loosing the deal here ... :)


... Ah! this chair here ... Sam was all ready to buy it ... :) ... wow can you believe it ... my Husband needs no prodding ... he's as addicted as I am ... infact he is quick to help, knowing bargaining is a loosing game for me ...


... the details of the chair back were really beautiful ... it can sure make such an interesting dining chair or even an accent chair ... a definite conversation piece though ...


... I walk into this next shop and there staring at me was this bed footboard ( behind it ,you can see what was the headboard... of that particular set) ... and instantly it reminded me of a similar piece Brooke Giannneti (from over at Velvet and Linen) has used in her bedroom ...


... I think it has distressed finish (I'll go back and check on her blog) ... I so loved what Brooke has done here in her room ... and the carved piece fits in so subtly ... and there's definitly great character added to the room with the piece ... do check out her blog ... I really enjoy her brand of designing ...


... a gilded piece ... I could fit that right in ... in an interior, done along modern lines ...


... I'd found this picture for the Adobe style, post I'd done ... and I remember how intrigued I was with the bed curtains hung from the carved piece ...


... looking around its amazing to discover what you'll discover ... from a console table to a cabinet ... or a door ... the frames are ofcourse .... GALORE ... :) ... just as are the options of what to do with them ...
... paint them a different ... color .... polish them an unusual shade ...

.... thought I'd add in some more inspirational picture ... just to poke you with some ideas from here and there ...

... Hmm ...mmm .. now what could I think of with that ...




... hanging them like that is the worst thing you can do to a person like me ... what with my obssessive compulsive disorder ... I can't just buy one ... and I hate to leave any behind ... Gosh ! I wonder if that's why God made me a designer ... 'Honey, go have fun ... you'll be a designer' ... wow ... I do love it ... thankyou dear God! ... :)

... and if I bought them all ... I'd probably do exactly what Kishani Perera did in this powder room ...

... I second this style ... sometimes ... I sooo ... love the frame as a piece of art by itself that ... I don't want it to frame anything ... just beautiful as it is as an empty frame ...

... for all those who aren't so sure how a carved piece would fit into a modern room ... well , I'd say fabulously ... :)

... or how about converting it into a conversational piece tray ... taa ... daa ...

... either which way ... you decide ... and in case your heart decides to make a trip and check out these shops ... well ! Here's where to go ... S.V road Bandra (W) ... its right off the exit you take on the Western Expressway to come on to S.V road (Bandra) ... to head onto Linking Road ... infact look carefully for some cane furniture shops and carved frames hanging around ... near a Mosque ... Hope you have a lovely time and remember ... there's nothing like a fixed price and there's no parking around either ... ;)

I'd sure look forward to hearing from you, if you enjoyed my lil' trip and hope you liked the Saharanpur Style ...

Treasure hunting in Mumbai ... Oshiwara old furniture market ...

On a recent trip , I took my co - sister to Oshiwara 's old furniture market , in Mumbai ... when you are looking for treasures for a bargain ... this is it ... a wonderful market for the collectors ... the connoisseur and the aficionados alike ... ... this was a store, where you'd love to go through a huge collection of vintage Indian prints ... oliographs ... I also saw some beautiful Ravi Verma oliographs ... collectable prints from the British Raj times ... ofcourse one will have to be cautious about the autheticity of anything claimed to be an antique ...

... you'll find pieces ,that find their way into the markets from old palaces and mansions ... and since they come from all over the country ... don't be surprised to find a Goan piece in Portugese style sitting next to a rajasthani ... or ethnic Indian artifacts from the south. I love the old European ones ... the cast iron lamps ... to garden benches ..trays ... clocks ...

... when it comes to furniture I would say most of them are reproductions ... but with the craftsmen ship and the prize tags (haggle..haggle...haggle) ... you are bound to go home feeling like a millionaire ...

... if you are like me , who gets charmed just by the site of a street like this ... you are headed to bringing home some goodies for sure ... ( I did, even though I had sworen I won't ) ...

... discovering and haggling is as much a part of the fun ... and one thing you are sure of is the workmanship ... if you look you'll find some amazing reproductions ... which do full justice to the original designs ... though some pieces like these garden benches are surely old ... and the shop keeper may ( just may ) be able to tell you where it came from ...

... most of the shop owners don't mind being photographed ... except for a few ... for reasons best known to them ... and that's why I couldn't photograph a lot of amazing pieces ...

... I am always amazed at the amount of European things you can discover in the Indian Antique bazaars ... ofcourse all of them coming from collections of old estates ... If you love Parsi furniture ... you'll definitely love your finds here ... I remember falling in love with some beautiful Parsi wardrobes ... the last time I was here ...

... that's my lil' girl running around in a store where I picked up two ladies salon chairs for her room ... she made it absolutely clear to every one she's throwing a tea party and all are invited ...( my lil' lady)...

... stacked high and low ... or upside down ... all things worth drooling over ...

... I am still eyeing this piece ... just couln't tell myself which place in the house I'd be able to fit it into ... ( I am in desperate need of a bigger house) ... sigh! :)

... beautiful old china ... my haggling skills are in need of some desperate overhauling ... I lost this deal ...

... I am pretty sure , many of you'd love to just jump right in and grab this chair ...

... these vintage lamps ... reminded me of the light fittings I saw at the palace in Porbandar ...

...all dusty ... but incredible details of this table ... made it stand out ...

... this store was filled with old chests and stools ( I love to redo the stools into beautiful ottomans ) ... and there was a whole range from traditional Indian to British Raj style ... even European and Southern Indian ...

... reproductions ... beautiful ... and a steal of a bargain ...

... this market definetly has more in terms of furniture than accessories ... barring a few shops that keep some pieces here and there ... An old decanter ... very definitely European .

... dusty old ... lovable .. treasures ...

... yep right out on the street ... so well crafted and out on the street ...

...unfinished pieces ... loads of wardrobes ... Indian benches ...

... it was mind blowing just imagining the potential of the things I saw ... with different finishes ... amazing lighting ... all done up in fanatastic upholstery ... phew ... architectural digest images go pop-pop ... in my mind ...

... was not at all surprised when I realised the basket shaped ... pot stand in the background ... was an identical to the ones I saw ... again at the Huzoor palace , Porbander ... ( http://rajeesood.blogspot.com/2009/01/huzoor-palace-porbandarindia_28.html )

... only if it were not the constraint of space ... my book collection could have found a fabulous home in some old Parsi cabinet ...

... just another one of the well crafted chairs ... you pick one and they'll give you a whole set in a couple of days ... home delivery and all ... doesn't get any better ...

... to conclude , all I 'd say is ... treasures galore ... Do tell me about your experience ... at the Oshiwara old furniture bazaar ...

Woops ... I think you'll need the address to get there ... here it is ... (this is what the visiting cards of all the dealers read )...

Ramjanak Singh Compound ,

Oshiwara Bridge,S.V Road,

Jogeshwari (W),

Mumbai 400102

... hope you enjoy and remember me :) ...