History of Tapestries, how it all started

 

A tapestry is a beautiful form of textile art which is hand woven. This brilliant piece of artwork has all wrapped thread hidden. Each colour is interlinked and weft back and forth in its own tiny pattern. Tapestry is made using natural warp thread like pure wool, linen or cotton. Sometimes it may also include silk, gold, and silver.

Tapestry has a close connection to painting and is done in big scale. In fact, best Tapestries were created by renowned painters and artists.

History of tapestries

The Tapestries are alluring wall-hanging which enhances the overall beauty and interior of your home. The history says tapestries came into existence from the ancient Egyptians. It has been known for more than 100 years and it is said that ancient Egyptians and the Incas buried their dead loved family members in tapestry woven clothing.

In fact, the big civic building of the Greek Empire had walls decorated with tapestries. The French medieval weavers brought the craft of tapestries on large scale. During the middle ages, Tapestries became status symbols and was used in insulation for castle walls, covering tiny openings and giving privacy around beds.

Moreover, Kings and nobles choose to carry Tapestries during travels from one castle to another as a form of prestige. After King’s battle Tapestries changes hands and was with the one who got the victory. Tapestries were used to add more beauty to the victor’s door and window openings, it was used in all size and some Tapestries were cut up and joined too while using as a hanging to cover doors/windows

Lady with the Unicorn tapestries was created back in the 15th century in the Loire valley, more than 5,000 people were employed in medieval tapestry weaving and this piece of work remains immortal. The tapestry weavers passed their skills from one generation to another. A team of skilled father and son duo can weave 1 single square foot of tapestry in 30-35 days.

The Tapestries are made using pliable fibre and can be quickly rolled up and carried as compared to the traditional framed paintings. Every tapestry contains soothing colour, the medieval weavers extracted their dyes from plants and insects. They have more or less – different colours. Like the red shade came from madder, poppies or pomegranates, for blue they used woad. The weavers used their imagination and sometimes senses of humour to turn it into beautiful wall decors.

Creative uses of Tapestry

1. Home Decoration

People love to decorate their home and offices with wall tapestries hanging.

 

2. Covers

The alluring Tapestries can be used as a decorative cover for the bed, chair, and sofa. In fact, you can show some creativity and use it as a tablecloth.

3. Room Curtains

The Tapestries can be converted into beautiful room curtains. You can also use it as a sliding curtain next to the windows, add some sturdy curtains rings to it and attach them on the top of Tapestry.

4. Meditation wall hangings

The overall benefits of meditation are immense, meditation reenergize your body and soul. Use Spiritual tapestries for your meditation room, it will give you much-needed calmness entire day.

We would look forward for your comments.

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Cheers!

Everything You Want to Know About Kalamkari Textiles

India is a hub of rich handicraft and variety of designs. There is a beautiful history behind every art form and we Indians are extremely proud about it. One such beautiful traditional handloom variety is Kalamkari. The art is extremely traditional and the prints are alluring too.

The Term Kalamkari

The word Kalamkari can be divided into two words i.e. Kalam and Kari. The term Kalam is originated from Persian literature and it means pen. Whereas word Kari means the artwork or we can say craftsmanship. The word Kalamkari together means artwork using the pen.

Origin of Kalamkari Art Form

Kalamkari is a beautiful hand printed work on textile which is originated in India. You will be amazed to know that Kalamkari was born in the form of storytelling. During the ancient time, folks loved to travel from one village to another and loved to narrate beautiful stories.

Many stories were drawn in the canvas, that also includes historic stories like Ramayana, Mahabharata, Tenali Rama, Panch Tantra. These wonderful stories are illustrated in the form of the picture via Kalamkari art form. This is how the wonderful handloom Kalamkari was born.

History of Kalamkari

In the Kalamkari art form, a bamboo stick is used to create beautiful patterns instead of a pen. These pens are sharp and pointed. The art form is both hands painted as well as done in printing form.

The best part about Kalamkari art form is the richness of colours, the organic options are used to bring out beautiful shades. The colours in this art form are developed using vegetables, leaves, flowers, roots, and plants.  To incorporate unique colours minerals and salts are used which are derived from tin, copper, aluminium etc.

With the change in trend people love to incorporate Kalamkari prints in cotton fabrics since the material is breathable and perfect for everyday use.

Kalamkari To Enhance Your Home

Kalamkari art is perfect for decorating home, it gives a elegant and graceful look to the entire area.

1.     Bed Sheets

A bedroom is a place where you want to experience a comfortable and peaceful sleep, in short, it is the comfort zone of your home. Style it with eye-catching Kalamkari bed sheets, You can also opt for a sober looking Kalamkari bedspread to invite beautiful sleep. Nothing is as amazing as a charming bed with gorgeous Kalamkari work.

2.    Wall Hanging

Invest in a magnificent Kalamkari canvas art for your living room wall. It adds instant grace to a regular looking home. The Kalamkari artwork is done with great precision, it will surely fetch great appreciations and compliments from your friends visiting your home.

3.    Cushion Covers

Vibrant prints of Kalamkari art form can enhance the beauty of your living room sofa and deewan. Alleviate the style quotient by selecting vibrant cushion colours, let the lively living room do all the talking.

4.    Table Cover

The table cover is an essential component at every house, Kalamkari prints can be used to enhance and decorate the regular tables. You have plenty of choices, be it bold or a calm print of Kalamkari, the final masterpiece will awestruck your visitors.

 

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5 Unique Flamingo Inspired ideas to decorate your paradise or wardrobe!

The pink feather, sleek neck and long feet have taken the entire style world by storm. The Flamingo patterns are trending everywhere. You can find it on wallpapers, dresses, cushions, shoes, mobile phone cases and even on crockery. If you recently visited the USA you would be well aware of the flamingo fever, it is trending globally.
But the million-dollar question is why flamingos?? It is majorly due to the good looks and their physiques are deeply special. These cute looking birds add beauty to the parks and garden. These pink beauties make any image stand out from the rest. These designs can be incorporated into a variety of products includes textile patterns and website backgrounds.
Here are some amazing ways to add more beauty to your paradise and wardrobe with Flamingos.

1. Wall Pattern

Gone are those days when pink wall patterns were for girls. You can add more beauty to your living room by including Flamingo patterns, you can mix and match the subtle pink flamingo birds with grey and yellow tropical leaves. The entire decor will make you fall in love with your home again. If you are little sceptical, you can try out a single small corner first. You surely are going to fall in love with this pattern.

2. Go Bold with Bedspread and Cushion

The cute Flamingo pattern on bedspread and cushion are soothing and classy. It literary gives peace of mind when you are back home after a busy day. With Flamingo pattern you can mix a variety of other colour and styles like palm tree leaves, flowers etc. You can also include the watercolour approach to give a final artistic look, works great for cushion covers.

3. Dine In Pink

The flamingo patterns look ravishingly beautiful on crockeries too. These patterns would add beauty to regular looking coffee cups and boring drinking glasses. If you are good at hand painting you can create unique and stylish flamingo pattern on décor crockeries.

4. Dress It Up

Planning for a date night and want to look uber chic?? Flamingo pattern dress is your saviour. Pair it up with pencil heels to complete the look. Moreover, if you are planning an amazing beach vacation, don’t forget to carry pretty pink Flamingo pattern swimwear. Explore the beach in style with tiny flamingo birds print. You can complete the look by wearing a glittery pink sunglass.

5. DIY Flamingo Jeans

How about creating your own pink Flamingo jeans? Just draw a rough flamingo pattern on your jean (preferable only on leg) and colour it with pretty pink glitters, you are ready to rock the evening party.

 

The flamingo craze is on, it is a visual treat and also trending print. The best part about using Flamingo pattern is, it can be incorporated anywhere and everywhere. Be it decorating your home or designing your outfit, Flamingo patterns add beauty. the solid colour and bold pattern bring out the best version of you. The Flamingo patterns are surely here to stay.

Share your pictures showing your flamingo love!

Cheers!

Top reasons why Palm leaves prints are trending!

We all would have noticed that the pretty palm prints are in trending the online world. The greenery is everywhere, therefore palm prints are the first choice to use it as a home decor and to carry a style statement. The palm leaf prints are eye-catching and awesome, it is a beautiful way to bring the tropical vibes into your personality. The green beauties are warm, inviting and refreshing.
Moreover, they match perfectly with almost all forms of styles.
Dressing up, decorating the home is an art, it actually reflects our personalities and interests. The charming palm leaf prints are bold, beautiful and can complete both masculine as well as feminine look. You can find these beauties everywhere starting from clothing to footwear.

These are the top reasons why people are going gaga over the spectacular palm print
1. Tropical Feel

Everyone loves to be by the breach exploring beautiful island rather than staying at home or at work. How about a gorgeous palm print adoring your wall? It will give you a refreshing feel altogether. These beauties work as a perfect reminder of tropical getaways.

2. Fresh Look

The overall look of palm print brings out positivity. It adds freshness into the atmosphere. If you are planning to decorate your home, palm prints are the perfect choice as they represent fresh-cut plant leaves. It can instantly brighten up the neutral looking living room. Adding some bright colours will complete the look.

3. Attractive Colour Scheme

The palm prints are usually in the green and blue colour leaf pattern, it initially adds beauty to the regular white background. You can include some creative element and work on the colour contrast to give the entire home a magnificent look. In fact, the bluish green leaf pattern dresses are trending due to the striking colour scheme.

4. Soothing Effect

At the end of a tiring day you would just want to relax on your couch in a nice and calm
environment, the palm tree patterns add sophistication to your home. Even a minimum artwork can add instant calmness and peace to the entire environment. The entire aura is relaxing, and you will feel like spending time in the tropical islands.
5. Classy

The palm prints are classy and stylish at the same time. It is the perfect choice to add warmth and vibrant colour to any room. Moreover, you can embrace the inner wanderlust and incorporate the classy print into your living space. It is a perfect companion for all the rooms in your house.

The palm prints can simply decorate your home and workspace, it gives the amazing effect of island vibes and warmth. The interiors bring out the tropics indoors. It adds much-needed sophistication to your home instantly. You can try plan leaf decor in pillows, beddings, and wallpapers.
Decorating your home and workspace with palm print will add a beautiful splash of colour to every corner. The room is never going to be the same again. enjoy the tropical love.

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Popularity of Indian Handicrafts

India is a hub of handicrafts, across the globe Indian handicraft stands out the best. The rich art and craft are applauded everywhere. The skilled folks across India make the handicraft sector vast and full of unique creations. The crafts are made out of different materials like clothes, paper, clay, rocks, metals, and even shells. The list is endless and the handicrafts are priceless.

A handicraft is something which is handcrafted and can be used as a decorative object across home, office and the place you desire. The handicraft items are truly artisanal talent. A handicraft involves applying a lot of creativity and designing active so that final product can be spectacular. It is totally one’s hands and skills which makes the final work magnificent.

Here are the top reasons why Indian handcrafts are popular!!

1. Customization

Everyone loves the personal touch, it adds more beauty to the final product. The main reason of popularity of handcraft is the fact that it can be customized as per user’s preference. The shape, size, and color can be modified as per individual’s demand.

The little modification in designs and preferences make it absolutely personalized and significant. A handcrafted item makes a perfect gifting option as it possess huge sentimental value too. It has a magnificent charisma to stay connected with the individual.

2. Worth Each Penny

Many people find handicraft items to be overpriced, but you can never underestimate the amount of hard work, time, patience and creativity behind it. The efforts are incredible which cannot be calculated in terms of money. D

o not forget to add the seller’s tax which eventually artists have to add into their final pricing. The price which you are paying is truly less and the final masterpiece is worth each penny.

3. Beauty

Undoubtedly handcrafted items are incredibly beautiful and full of charm. This is why Indian handicrafts are highly in demand and it replicates the beauty and culture of a particular region, tradition and creative thinking. They are timeless, in fact, handicraft have the calibre to capture the beauty of the particular moment.

4. Decorative Nature

The handicrafts easily gets accommodated at home, workspace, hotels, and restaurants. These unique designs are the reflection of that particular area and culture. Adding handicraft to your home is a beautiful way to stay connected to the art and cultural heritage. It adds more value to the home interior.

In short, handicrafts are timeless and ravishing, it makes the entire space attractive. This is the prime reason they are enormously popular across the globe. Everyone wants to own at least one precious handicraft in their lifetime, it adds glory to their home and personality. Hence, when it comes to popularity, Indian handicrafts tops the chart.

 

Types of fabric printing in India

The printing process is an age-old tradition which is used to enhance the beauty of textile. India is a country which is high applauded across the globe for rich handicraft and textile arts. The fabric painting are unique for different regions.

The best part is almost every region has unique techniques and texture to provide a classy output. Every fabric painting has a unique style which is very much evident from the final output pattern. In India, initially block printing tools were used, but the area is very well progressed now and the concept of printing has seen a huge revolution. This is the reason, the handicraft industry is blooming.

1. Bagh

This spectacular printing technique has originated from Madhya Pradesh. The print got its name from Bagh district where this technique was originally practiced. Bagh is a hand printing technique where natural colours are used. The Bagh originated when the Khatri folks decided to migrate and make a living near Bagh River. The design is highly inspired by flora, mushrooms and spectacular paintings in and around Taj Mahal.

The Bagh painting also includes geometrical designs using bright colours. The shades are unique and it can be formed on cotton, silk fabric. The Bagh print looks drop dead gorgeous on chiffon and bamboo materials.

2. Ajrakh

The gorgeous looking Ajrakh printing is done in shawls, this is highly popular in western states in India. This block printing is done by stamps and it is said to be originated back in  Mohenjo-Daro civilisation.

The Ajrakh techniques in lovely woodblock printing, it includes eye catchy geometric shapes. Earlier vegetable dye and natural colors were used. In fact, Ajrak is an art form which preserves the locality’s rich culture and heritage.

3. Kalamkari

Kalamkari is one of the classy and tending design when it comes to hand printed materials. The beautiful pattern on cotton fabric looks fabulous and adds more beauty to the final picture. The art form originated from Andhra Pradesh. It is said that in olden days the singers and scholars used to paint part of stories from Hindu mythology, this has given birth to a beautiful art form called Kalamkari prints.

After the dyeing stage, wax is used to dye the blue part and rest of the areas are hand painted with bamboo stick brush. Majorly, Kalamkari art form replicates Ramayana and Mahabharata.

4. Dabu

Dabu is another spectacular type of fabric printing which originated in Rajasthan. The hand block printing follows mud resist printing technique. Dabu is time as well as labor consuming printing technique, but the final output is ravishing.

 

It is said that Dabu originated in China as it is similar to “batik” printing style. The beautiful block printing form replicates plants and flowers.

5. Bandhani

Simple and elegant Bandhani dyeing technique is dated back and came into existence from the Indus Valley Civilization. Folks go gaga over this simple yet magnificent printing technique. The beauty has grabbed its place in ancient texts of Harshacharita.

The Bandhani fabric involves cloth plucking by fingernails and then the tiny binding is dyed. The primary design is made with dots of various size and the background colour is usually bright and gorgeous.

6. Leheriya

This is again a magnificent masterpiece which is extremely popular in Rajasthan. The graceful striped textiles are available in gorgeous bright colours. The strips are usually printed on cotton and silk cotton cloth. Earlier 5 distinct colours were used along with natural dyes.

The fabric printing pattern is called Leheriya because it is in the form of waves. The colour is dyed only in a particular pattern which is similar to waves.

7. Sanganeri

Sanganeri is popularly used as a home decor material because of tasteful handcrafted block printing. The beautiful printing technique is migrated from Gujrat to Rajasthan. In this fabric printing technique, the material is placed on table and blocks are used to print the artistic designs.

Sanganeri design includes beautiful flowers, mangoes, jhumkas, leaves on the fabric which is placed in such a way that symmetry of design remains constant.

8. Gold and Silver Dust

This is an age-old fabric printing techniques which uses zardosi and the sparkle of gold. Now affordable metals like mica and chamki are used on the fabric. Gold and Silver Dust is famous in Rajasthan.

The work is done on already printed and finishes fabrics. A gum paste with castor oil is used so that the gold and silver dust remains permanently on the fabric. The dust adds a fabulous amount of shine and glitter to the final material.

9. Batik

A batik is a form of printing which involves soaking of cloth in a colour dye for a while. The form originated in Egypt and has migrated from there to India. The technique also involves some variations like soaking the clothing, beating it and forming different patterns on it. The final step is to apply wax, it is applied to the entire cloth.

10. Bagru

The Bagru printing technique originated in Jaipur and provides breath-taking results. It is a 100-year-old technique, the technique involves washing, hard dying the fabric and sun drying it. The block patterns are formed from left to right and later sun dried. Finally, it is washed and boiled to achieve the final alluring product.

These are some alluring fabric painting techniques practices in India. The creativity, excellent craftsmanship and detailed effort makes these printing techniques immortal and trendy across the globe.

Do you know any other interesting techniques of fabric printing or any do-it-yourself ideas to print the cloth, do share with us in the comments!

Summers in Europe: Best Getaway

Folks, When is the best time to visit Europe weather-wise? Well… when is the best time to have a tempting ravioli pasta or a leisurely nap? The answer is obvious, summers!

Experience Tip: Summer in Europe means perfect weather. But it also means lots of crowds and an exodus of locals. The streets are full and everybody wants to bathe under the sun and explore the vivacious beaches all over the country.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

The weather ranges from 20 degrees in May to a hotter 40 degrees in July-August.

The hottest day ever, happened to be on July 10, 1977 when the temperature reached 48 °C (118.4 °F) in both Athens and Elefsina, Greece, setting the official European record high. There’s also an unofficial record of the temperature climbing to 50 °C (122 °F) in Seville, Spain on August 4, 1881.

The best getaway in summers is beaches and Europe has the most beautiful beaches and they are vast in number. The most spectacular beaches are here:

1. La Concha Beach, San Sebastian, Spain

2.) Porthmeor Beach, UK

3.) Makarska Beach, Croatia

Just don’t go hoping for sand. Croatia is all about picturesque pebbled beaches, lapped by crystal clear water. Zlatni Rat is the best known, and adorns just about every travel brochure, so expect crowds, but there are gorgeous hidden spots on the mainland, such as Nugal, just south of Makarska.

4.) Eggremni Beach, Greece

5.) Cala Conta, Ibiza, Spain

If you are thinking to do exotic water sports and you are a nightlife person, then Ibiza is the best place for you. Ibiza is all about clubs, parties, boat parties, bars and performances by glamorous celebrities.

These are the major clubs on the island of Ibiza:

• Amnesia- located in the middle of the island, near San Rafael
• Benimussa Park- also known as ‘the Zoo’, open-air venue outside of San Antonio
• DC-10- located near the airport on the road to Las Salinas
• Destino- located at the end of Talamanca beach
• Es Paradis– located on the waterfront in San Antonio
• Eden– located on the waterfront in San Antonio
• Heart– located very near the Ibiza Town Marina
• Hï Ibiza– located on the main Playa d’en Bossa strip, opposite Ushuaïa
• Ibiza Rocks Hotel– located in the centre of San Antonio
• Ocean Beach– located along the Bay of San Antonio
• Pacha– located very near the Ibiza Town Marina
• Privilege– located in the middle of the island, near San Rafael
• Sankeys– located in the heart of Playa d’en Bossa
• Ushuaïa- located on the main Playa d’en Bossa strip, directly on the beach

6.) Nissi Beach, Cyprus

7.) Rabbit Beach, Italy

8.) Elafonissi Beach, Greece

Greek beaches consistently place in the top ten for best European beaches and best beaches overall, and for good merit. Each island has its own unique characteristics, so I encourage you to visit as many as you can. Some have crystal blue waters, while others are more turquoise in color. You might come across a beach with soft billowy sand, yet another with be covered in small pebbles or even seashells. The weather is perfect for beach outings from May through October.

9.) Navagio Beach, Zakynthos, Greece

10.) Zlatni Rat Beach, Croatia

11.) Tresaith Beach, UK

Hope this gives you a quick guide of how well you can spend summers in Europe.

P.S: Don’t forget to take a look at our handloom products to take along with your summer getaway:)

 

 

Hand-Knotting is real craftmanship

Let me introduce to you an indispensable process involved in the manufacturing of our hand-loom products – Hand Knotting. 

Hand-knotting is the process of manually knotting the edges of a textile product viz, bed sheet, rug, pareo, beach throw, table mat etc. to impart a beautiful shape to the whole product.

If we see the origin of fringes, they were used to prevent a cut piece of fabric from unravelling when hemming was not used on the fabric. The use of fringes is ancient but now this process has evolved so much that the people have discovered multiple ways to make knots or braids by hands.

The hand-knotted fringes or knots or tassels that you see at the ends of our products display real hard work and intricate craftmanship. In India, in general, more women are highly involved in this process of hand-knotting. It requires an ample amount of time and precision to perform such craftmanship.

These are few of our products with fringes/knots/tassels

 

#fouta #yarndyed #hand-knotted #pareo

#fouta #yarndyed #pareo #handknotted

#yarndyed #pareo #fouta #handknotted

#fouta #handknotted

#yarndyed #pareo #fouta #handknotted

#pareo #beachtowel #picnictowel #handknotted #handprinted

#bedspread #bedsheet #wallhanging #tapestries #beachthrow

Hope you also like the tassels and fringes as much as we do!

Cheers!

Process of ”Tie-Dye”

The term ‘Tie-Dye’ is simple to define but it is a process of various steps that requires tenous and extensive craftmanship. This is almost a daily process that takes place at our factory premises but we do it with utmost care as to make sure the effects of Tie-Dye are clear and look appropriate to suit with our printing designs. We do customise the effects according to the dye color and the designs.

So let me take you to our factory premises and show you the way how we do Tie-Dye on raw fabrics. First of all, the raw fabric is folded, twisted and pleated in such a way that it looks like a small bag(aka Potli), now this is fully prepared to get tied up with the help of rubber bands or a thick thread. 

And it would look something like this.↓

Tie-Dye shows different effects depending on the way you tie the fabric, it requires deep understanding of patterns and takes many hours to do so. 

The next step is to mix the dye colour in the big water tank. As we have a larger quantity, we do it in multiple water tanks. We tie at around 1500 pieces at one time and let them dip in the water for one night.

After keeping them in the water tanks overnight, it is time to take them out, untie them and let them dry in the sunlight. Few colours should not be directly exposed to sunlight as they loose their texture and the effect of Tie is not properly seen. The patterns are best seen when the fabric is perfectly dried, have a look at some of the patterns formed here:

This is just a glimpse of what we have in store under the Tie Dye section of our bedspreads. We customise as per the requirement and focus on the kind of place where the bedspread is going to be used, whether it is a beach, living room, yoga centre or dorm room.

Till next time, Cheers!!

Mandala Designs

Mandala is defined as a circular figure that represents the universe and we all know the universe is never ending. This word Mandala is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism and many of our bedspreads and wall hangings are inspired by Mandala.

Peacock Feather Mandala Bedspread

Coins Mandala Bedspread

Piuma Mandala Bedspread

Floral Mandala Bedspread

Margherita Flower Mandala Bedspread