One of my on-going projects ...

A sneak peek at my one of my project to be reveled soon....
embroidered Kasuti motifs

Do drop by to view the completed project.....

motidana

A vintage piece .......

A beautiful motif in the mochi embroidery  or Tambour embroidery  ( done with a chain stitch using a hook ) technique from my collection . It was made more than seventy years ago by my husband`s grandmother .

                            Love the shading and the neatness of stitches .

She was an amazing needlewoman and wish I could  have learned from her . Each of the pieces she made are truly beautiful . Her metal thread embroideries are the one`s I covet the most ,  and am really lucky that my mother-in-law preserved some of them and handed them down to me. 


Till next time....

 artfully yours ,

motidana

The Beauty of Indian Embroidery - Kathi embroidery of Gujarat

Vivid and vibrant would be an inadequate term to  describe  this lovely embroidery technique . Bold and colourful motifs blend with each other in harmony ,  complementing and decorating the  plain and simple abodes of the Kathi community of Gujarat. A hardworking and industrious community , the kathis are landowners. Having a natural inclination  towards art , these creative people churn out one of the most popular ( to the world ) and beautiful  Indian embroideries.

      Believing in beautifying their surroundings , the women toil lovingly over the threads and needle and embroider unique pieces of art like door panels , door hangings , seat covers ,baby  crib covers , canopies , and not to be forgotten even decorations for their domestic cattle like camels , cows , bullocks and carts, to personal clothes like the women`s skirtcommonly known as ghagra

    Taking inspiration from the surrounding ,the themes in  embroidery are based on everyday life. Hindu God Ganesha , Sun  ,  Radha Krishna , Hanuman are all depicted in their embroidery  . Popular   motifs like peacock , parrots , elephants , camels , flowering plants ,etc are used ,  and , sometimes women filling water , women churning butter , wedding processions , Raas lila , hunting scenes are used.

  The embroidery is done with Silk floss  called Heer ( untwisted and lustrous thread ) in bold colours. .  Purple , magenta , electric blue , parrot green , lemon yellow , golden yellow and  red. fill the large areas while white or black are sometimes used to add an outline in  motifs . Stitches used are predominantly herringbone - open as well as closed ,  Fishbone stitch occassionally used and open chain stitch for outline . Mirrors are sometimes added to enhance the look of the embroidery.  Most embroideries are done on a dark and thick handwoven cotton fabric and the bright color luster of heer threads makes the embroidery come alive .

 There are two predominant type of design formations in these embroideries - one where geometric patterns are used such as the eight pointed star and boxed panels are filled with the embroidery - or- the second style where the motifs are drawn free-hand and usually have flora and fauna with animal and human figures. The arrangement of all these motifs  is so well  , that it makes the embroidered article a masterpiece - an inspiration to embroidery enthusiasts and a collectors item to all art lovers .

     And here`s my project inspired by the art loving Kathi community that I have done on my dress  a few years ago .

 Hope you found this article interesting . Do write in you comments and keep dropping by to read the continuation of this article : Motifs in Kathi embroidery !

motidana.

   

Shimmer-n-shine Shisha necklace

 Here`s another necklace using the Shisha mirror as the focal from my Shimmering shisha collection here . The mirrorwork embroidery is slightly different from the previous one and the necklace too has different embellishments.

 Lusturous royal blue medallion is surrounded with faceted crystal and embellished with beads. The vintage brass flowers scattered around are enhancing the peacock feathers that I have added to give it a royal look. The  metal flowers are backed with silk fabric to keep the look distinct yet subtle . An antique finish chain , and a toggle clasp complete the necklace .

  Though the materials I have used do speak for themselves , I have added a fringe of antique chain and iridescent glass beads that shimmer and shine with movement .

       A perfect depiction of the beautiful Peacock ! Don`t you agree?

I have tried my best to capture the shimmering colors in these photos and hence the lusturous silk back ground . 

So what do you think of this one ? Don`t you agree that the Peacock is nature`s most unique inspiration?

(  My previous posts on  Peacock - nature`s most unique design  inspiration !  )
Part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4

Another Shimmering Shisha - My WIP

Here`s a preview for another embellished shisha embroidery I`m working on . Like the previous one ( here ) , this one too , is going to be made into jewellery .

Do keep visiting to see the finished project !

motidana 

Shimmering Shisha Necklace- my latest project

Hot and Lazy summer has gone by , giving way to light Monsoon.  Dust coated trees parched for water , after the dry weather , are begining to look fresh , clean and green . There is an air of  peaceful calm before the heavy downpour of the South west monsoon starts here in India.
  My latest project , inspired by this weather of sunshine and drizzling rain is now complete. Choosing the best color co-ordinator , Mother Nature herself , I have taken the greens of the freshly washed trees and liquid sunshine , filtering through them as my color palette .

  Silk fabric strips left over from my sewing stash , mirrors or shisha and embroidery yarns , along with beautiful woven trimmings and beads completed my materials list

     Here`s a small description of how I created this piece

 

         I embroidered and embellished shisha medallion . ( you can read about the embroidery here)  The chain stitch outline is for folding the fabric and it also makes it easy to crochet the edging ( something that only struck me after I worked on  the first medallion shown below .

After embroidering the three medallions , I crocheted the edges to add a finished look using different patterns

Crocheting the back piece I assembled the embroidered medallions and aded the smaller flowers to fill the gaps .

    Stringing the beads , was a breeze................  and the necklace is now ready to wear!

  What do you think ? Is it a unique piece using traditional embroidery technique like mirrorwork combined with crochet ?  Do you think it will draw attention and make a  statement with a combination of the bold bling factor and traditional indian embroidery ?

ciao for now !

motidana
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Another Shisha Embroidery motif -My latest WIP

Here`s another embellished shisha motif that I have created .  Though it does look similar to the one posted earlier , I have been trying out different stitches on the same fabric to create a neck piece , that I will be posting soon !

Do keep visiting to see the completed project .

Till then happy stitching .

motidana .

Shisha Embroidery -My latest WIP

 Here`s a sneak peek at  latest project that I`m working on . ...... , its shishsa  embroidery again ! I`m loving this project , as I am doing this work after a long time .

Wanted to add some glitz and so I embellished it with topaz colored stones. I`m quite pleased with this effect ., as the motif now appears a little more decorative without appearing garish .

I can`t wait to see how the completed project turns out . Though I have more or less decided on the final piece , I would love to hear suggestions from you .

Till then , signing off ,

motidana

The Beauty of Indian Embroidery - Shisha Embroidery or Mirrorwork !

 Shisha embroidery , is a very old and traditional technique  done in the western regions of India. While the states of Gujarat and Rajasthan  excell in beautiful embroideries using small mirrors and beads , the Lambadi ( gypsys of Andhra ) too use a lot of mirrors in their traditional attire . And these Lambadis carefully trim small pieces of mica by hand to produce different shaped shisha or mirrors .  It is said that these mirrors were attached to dresses not only to add beauty to the garment but also to ward off evil eye .

Here`s a sampler that I had made a few years ago using stitches like herringbone , cretan , fly . french knots , lazy daisy etc Though it has discolored over the years , I still think that these  motifs are pretty even now. I have done a lot of shisha embroidery since then but this

 sampler is  my favorite .

Well , what do you think ? do drop in a line , as I love hearing fro you . And keep visiting for more on Shisha embroidery .

Yet Again - The perky little Parrot

   In context to Indian motifs the parrot plays an important just as the peacock . Wide variety of motifs in different mediums are created using the parrot as inspiration  .

      Here`s another quick project I made using parrot as the focal theme . ( The earlier post can be viewed  here   ).

    The motif style is from Gujarat embroidery, where the embroidery is done in bold blocks of eye-catching and contrasting colors . The stitch I`ve used is herringbone , on  silk fabric. I created the motif by sketching and then duplicating to get a pair of parrots

   

           
                 Now all that remains is a wooden roll on the top so that  it can be hung on a wall .

 will sign off for now

till then happy stitching

motidana
 

My Project in Embroidery

It`s been a while since I have done any embroidery . Of  late, I find myself torn between creating time for beadwork and embroidery as I want to do both . But since that`s not possible , I thought of doing a quick project in embroidery , just to begin the new year

Here`s a small cushion on maroon dupion silk that I have made for  my drawing room . The embroidery is Kantha  (a technique of creating embroidery in running stitch famous in Eastern India and Bangladesh )

I still need to make three more to complete the set . Hope to finish them soon too.


That`s all for today . Will be back soon with some other interesting projects .

Till then Happy beading and Embroidering !

Motidana.

The Perky little Parrot.

Perky ,vivacious , zesty , naughty, full of life, these little birds are a joy to watch. At the end of june, waiting for the onset of rains these little birds perched up on the branches , fill up the trees preening themselves .
 As I was taking my morning walk I clicked a couple of pix . Does`nt it  look pretty sitting on the tree top ?
A master of all it surveys ?

                      
                            ( P S I loved the colour of clouds and the silhouette effect of the parrot )

An ode to this perty li`ll parrot here`s my project in embroidery that I have done on a cotton saree

Thanks for looking ,

will see you soon !

In a mood for Mangoes .

Come the scorching summer , and the trees of  mangoes are a sight to behold..Laden with the King of Fruits , the mango trees in India are a mouth watering delight to the young and old . And I am no more immune to the lip smacking and mouth watering  fruit.than all the other Indians out here!

    The trees , respledent with the fruit , gently swaying in the cool morning breeze, and the plump ripe mangoes , waiting to be eaten , transforms me  in a  mood of  eternal happiness . It take me back in time , to my childhood days , when I eagerly waited for my school to close for summer holidays . The days were filled with playing under the shade of mango trees,  plucking the fruit ( away from the hawk eyes of the elders  ) and eating the raw mangoes . Also it was a time when afternoons were spent  learning  a new craft skill and start a summer project.

 Even today , though I don`t get as much  time   , summer is a season that takes me back to the lovely time of my life .

So .........   here`s a bouquet of various articles I have created ,  as a fond memory to all the beautiful  "Summers in my life " !

A kutchwork saree with the beautiful Mango motifs in pallu . Keeping it simple , the border has spaced out tiny motifs in a similar theme.

Here`s a  Bhagalpur silk saree  that I assembled and stitched. Though the border is machine embroidered , this combination  reminds me of  the green n fresh raw mango and sweet n juicy ripened mango ,( both mouthwatering in different ways .)


Wanted to try my hand at some paper and wire jewelry and this is what I came up with

A mango shape that I cut out from an old wedding invitation and outlined with wire wrap . I wrapped wire around the punched holes to hold the paper in place .

, So what do you think? Does the summer hold similar memories for you too?