Worth of a Woman ….
“A female slave, skilled in embroidery is worth four oxen” – Homer, 2nd Century BCE We’ve come a long way haven’t we? Or have we? [To be fair, besides female … Continue reading
Some Doors for My Future Tent
Perfect for my future tent! A set of three old tent doors / dividers / perde curtains (most likely converted from grain sacks?) from the homes of Yoruks or nomads … Continue reading
Daily Art Fix – Gorgeous Thirma Bagh
Who could have guessed that the base of the silk-floss embroidered wedding cloth from Punjab is white!! From the wovensouls collection. May 2015
To Choose or to Not Choose! Innovation in Swat Hazara Textiles
“Alice came to a fork in the road. ‘Which road do I take?’ she asked. ‘Where do you want to go?’ responded the Cheshire Cat. ‘I don’t know,’ Alice answered. … Continue reading
Triangles of Passion – A Special Textile
A Bagh textile with a thousand triangles – created with love and passion
Superfine Weft Warp Embroidery from Kohistan
Embroidery from the Kohistan people never fails to intrigue me. Someday I want to watch them do it. The Kohistani shawl has two separate layers that are stitched along one … Continue reading
DAILY ART FIX – Gujarat Textile Art
Vintage “Chakla / Chaakda” Wall artwork in the form of cotton embroidery. From Gujarat, India. [VTI-719 on the wovensouls website. ] jm Jan 2015
Embellishments in Traditional Asian Textiles
Strange & interesting bits and pieces have been used as textile embellishments. In the decade of collecting textiles, I find that non-textile embellishments are most common in South Asian Hilltribes … Continue reading
Mystical Banjara Textiles
What does one get when the women of a social group have a strong intellect, happiness in their hearts and time on their hands? Art. Art that is used to … Continue reading
Double Sided Embroidery 1 – The Technique
While doing some research on newly acquired textiles with double-sided embroidery from Rajasthan & Swat valley, I came across this fantastic article. The Su double-sided embroidery from China is different … Continue reading
BOOK OF THE MONTH – KANTHA EMBROIDERY
Kantha is a traditional art from Eastern India. Old pieces of textiles – usually worn out saris and dhotis (usually made of mulmul or thin cotton cloth) were layered and … Continue reading
Spectacular Embroidery Art from the Patel Community of Kutch
On all my trips to the Kutch, I have only seen 4 such saris. Motifs & Color that are similar to those from the North West Provinces – but … Continue reading
Rooband – The Tadjik Veil
What a fantastic word to describe the veil ROOH = Spirit or Soul BAND = Shut or closed For it is the the soul that must be captured, it is … Continue reading
FANTASTIC BAWAN BAGH PHULKARI – A WEDDING TEXTILE
A Bagh (phulkari) textile with 52 motifs created by the family as a canopy for the bride. Created by reverse embroidery!! Precision AND creativity! Art AND craft!! All while working … Continue reading
Dowry of A Mother’s Love – The Bagh Textile of Punjab
THE DOWRY A young girl leaves her home to join another family of which she knows very little. She has spent her childhood and early youth sheltered within the large … Continue reading
Textile Art of Gujarat
I grew up in the Gujarati community of traders. A community in which the critical success factor is ‘data mining’ within the community. Fathers, father’s brothers, mother’s brothers, neighbourhood elders, … Continue reading
Textile Artwork Curated for Esplanade Theatre, Singapore
Esplanade Theatre, Singapore has commissioned Jaina Mishra to curate a a series of Tribal Textile Artworks. These will be on display from Nov 23 – Dec 2, 2012 on the … Continue reading
Quill Art of the First People
A short slideshow on the Quill Art of the first people of North America. But first some interesting facts about quillwork : Quillwork, the oldest form of embroidery of … Continue reading
New Acquisitions of Kutch Textile Art in the Wovensouls Collection
The eye learns with every new exposure and becomes more discerning. Now I value the unusual form more than I did earlier. In the world of textile art everything can … Continue reading
Textile Art of South East Asia at the Asian Civilsations Museum
An album from a forgotten visit in 2007 to the Asian Civilisations Museum …. taken with a camera I do not even remember. A photography experience that probably made me … Continue reading
