Saturday, February 7, 2015

Godharis of Maharashtra

My visit to the Prince of Wales museum was a great experience. I met the author of the book, Godharis of Maharashtra. I wish you could have seen those quilts in person. They are equally beautiful as the quilts of Gee's Bend. Every single one of them is made with materials on hands for everyday use.


and the materials range from thin cotton fabrics to nylon and polyester.


Some even have embroidered patches with metallic threads.

They display the colors of daily life in India..They are bold and vibrant but also earthy because they come from used saris and skirts, shirts. The stitching is done randomly.. Most of them are heavily quilted in straight lines, very similar to the quilts of Gee's Bend. Extreme stitching gives the thin, already used fabrics new life and durability it requires during it's heavy use.


My plans to visit Rajasthan had to be postponed but because of that, I was able to visit this exhibit that ran for only three days. Also, if it wasn't for that temporary disappointment, I would not have been able to meet so many artists in person at the Paramparik Karigar show. So again, I am thankful for life's opportunity and experiencing the a true meaning of the fact, 'When one door closes another one opens up'.


Meet the author, Geeta Khandelwal. She has also served on the committee for International Quilt Study for two years. It was my pleasure to see her at the exhibition.


Appliqued triangles/ log cabin.. Can you imagine doing this by hand and then hand stitching those millions of stitches?

After spending many hours at the exhibit, I went on to visit rest of the museum.


Met some local care-takers of the museum grounds and they were happy to let me take a picture.


The window with white frame was at the right of the entrance of the exhibit. Look closely, you will see few quilts hanging in the bright sunny window. Colorful quilts soaking in all that sun! Can you imagine putting your quilts in the sunlight?

Here is the picture of that frame from Inside.


My heart skipped a beat when I saw this upon entering the hall but people in India are used to hanging their quilts on the fences, clothes line and cement walls to bleach and to air dry.

I loved the playfulness of this quilt.


If you haven't had chance to flip through the pages, I highly recommend that you do. Godharis of Maharashtra is published by Quiltmania.

Is this charming or what?


Oh what a happy day that was! My train ride was uneventful. I shared my book with a complete stranger. She was eager to know why I was taking so many pictures during the ride.




Here is a picture of the inside of a subway train. Depending on the time of travel and the train you are on, you may or may not get to seat. During the commute hours, these trains are pretty packed. The bars and handles are for support during the commute. I saw some school girls get on the train... It took me back some 35 years to my college years! Not sure if I would attempt to travel during commute hours any more.,


It is the best way to reach to the heart of city of Mumbai. I am sure I will be on the train again soon.



Hope you all enjoyed the show and tell of my day in the city.

Have a happy weekend!

20 comments:

  1. Great post, wow what a trip you are having! The colors and textures of those quilts - they are gorgeous, so appealing! I love the X and O quilt, and all those triangles! Inspiring!

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  2. Great photos! Wonderful colors. If I didn't know they were made in India, I mght have guessed Gee's Bend. I love how interconnected we all are.....quilting crosses all borders. I also am stunned by the applique log cabin....love everything about it. Thanks for sharing and bringing us along. Safe travels!

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  3. That book has been on my wish list for ages - maybe I just need to order it for myself!

    Thank you for the photo tour!

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  4. Beautiful! Thank-you for sharing your journey!

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  5. Gorgeous photos! I love the sweet lady looking at your book, that's great! The quilts are really special too. I love the log cabin with the triangles.

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  6. I'm really enjoying your pictures on Instagram but glad you took the time to write about the Godharis. I just can't get enough of them!

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  7. How lucky were you to be in the right place at the right time to see the Godhari quilts and the craft/art fair. I have Geeta's book and it's wonderful, so many amazing and beautiful quilts. It would have been great to see them in person.

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  8. Oh Sujata you made my day with all these colorful pictures! Thank you!
    Myrto

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  9. Thanks for sharing the colorful quilts and interesting architecture! At first glance, the subway photo appeared to be women hand-stitching; only after enlarging the photo did I see that they were all looking at their phones! Hahahaha! A sign of the times.

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  10. I have only just discovered your blog. Thank you so much for your blogging about your travels. I have a work collegue who travels to India each year and I never really knew why. Now I can see why, your cities are alive with colour and movement. My work collegue is a Catholic Priest and he has tried to describe how he loves to escape to such a bustling country, how rich it is, how diverse. I have to admit though my idea of holidays is usually a quiet desert island with a chair and a drink. Those local quilts are every bit as rich as Gee Bend, it's the total freedom to just use what you have and make do. But within those constraints artistry comes through......love it!! Thank you again, you have opened my eyes to a bigger world of quilting.

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  11. What great quilts! I am craving the 'face' quilt!!! Thank you for showing us this part of your travels!

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  12. How fortunate you were able to see this exhibit! I am purchasing that book so I can see them all.Thanks for posting all the quilts and photos of your day.

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  13. Wonderful, wonderful quilts, thank you so much for posting all these photos. Hope you enjoy the remainder of your stay back in India.

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  14. Beautiful & wonderful post, Sujata. Great colors, designs ...quilts. Display, architecture. I'm so glad to see bits of your journey.

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  15. great photos - looks like you are having a great time

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  16. I am enjoying my trip with you :-)
    xx

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  17. I love all your posts about India. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences!

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  18. I have enjoyed the pics on IG. You're right, many of the quilts look exactly like American made quilts I've seen in books. Beautiful!

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  19. Lovely uplifting post. Years ago I visited Delhi . From that I decided that India was one of my favorite countries..it was all about the color...Happy colors..Thank you for sharing.

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  20. Love the one quilt with the scrappy looking face, (2nd from top) and the white one at the bottom with the X's... both blow me away!

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