Large Format Embroidery — Online Exhibition — Quilts from Sindh, Wall Hangings from Kachchh
We work with a lot of stitch work at Maiwa. Sometimes what we see is so incredible that we like to call it out in a special way. That is why we have put together this online gallery post.
Like a hand-drawn line, a stitch is a simple thing. But as you repeat them over the surface of a cloth something truly remarkable happens. The piece begins to sing in a voice that is so much more than thread. With these embroidered quilts from Sindh, the result is colourful, geometric and meandering. No line is ever exact, yet the pattern has complete unity.
With the embroidery from Kachchh at the bottom of this post, the feeling is completely different. There is a jewel-like exactness to the stitches and the incorporation of mirrors brings light into play with every movement of the cloth. Here too, when you look closely you appreciate that each tiny stitch has been placed by hand. They build up like words in a story being told by the woman stitching.
We have chosen to hold this exhibit in our online store, where you can easily browse through the embroideries and also see additional photos and high-resolution images.
All pieces are for sale.
As part of our commitment to encouraging exceptional needlework we commission large format embroideries. For many ambitious stitchers, these works give the necessary breadth to express themselves. A single woman designs the play of motifs, the border elements, the colour palette and they set to work. Embroideries of this scale may take many months to complete, as the women do not embroider as a full time occupation. Rather, this embroidery is done among other family tasks, or while visiting in groups with other embroiderers.
Noorjehan Bilgrami travelled the length and breadth of Pakistan, from the desert sands of Tharparkar to the remote mountainous regions of Baltistan in her search for the extraordinary crafts and craftsmen that give the country its magnificent living heritage. She visited secluded areas where age old methods are still practiced and the rhythms of everyday life are reflected in handicrafts of great beauty and value.
The book is grounded in the environment as it acknowledges and explores the context in which each craft is practiced. The simple lives of the craftsmen, their devotion to their craft and the very texture and colour of their lives is illuminated by the accompanying text and a wealth of visual detail.
The Crafts of Pakistan is a timely book in that it documents a rich diversity of products and materials at a time when modernization and the machine made products it brings in its wake are threatening the very existence of the traditional crafts. The book highlights the need for urgent intervention to change this course and avert the danger posed to the craft heritage.
Noorjehan Bilgrami is an artist, textile designer and researcher. Her interest in traditional crafts led to the formation of KOEL in Karachi, an atelier that pioneered the revival of hand-block printed fabrics in Pakistan. She is one of the founders of the Indus Valley School of Art and Architecture and was its first Executive Director.
To our U.S. customers – don't forget that the exchange rate works in your favour, it's like an extra discount.
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