My first foray into the wider world of stitching was a Kantha stitch kit by Angela Daymond, whom I came across at a textile fayre. I loved it. The stitches were simple, but the effect beautiful.

 

Kantha stitching originated in West Bengal over 500 years ago. It means ‘rags’ in Sanskrit. This is because it was traditionally used to repurpose old clothes into bed coverings, blankets and other soft furnishings.

 

Old saris and other clothing were stitched together in layers.

 

This was done predominantly using running stitch, often by groups of women sewing together. The running stitch (and whipped running stitch) often gives a slight ripple effect to the finished product.

 

Sequins and beads were used as decorations to adorn the bright colours often used, such as reds, yellows, greens and blues.

 

Decoration motifs were taken from the environment around them, mostly animals and flowers, which often had religious and spiritual meanings. Motifs could reveal caste, village and status, and could represent the life of the person making the garment.

 

Motifs included:

The tree of life representing growth and immortality A lotus flower representing creativity and beauty Fish representing fertility and good fortune Other motifs include peacocks, wheel shapes and elephants, amongst others.

 

If you’d like to try Kantha stitching, try the kit here – the symbol is a lotus flower, a sacred flower in Hinduism, often representing the life-giving powers of water and the sun. The lotus flower also represents luck, fertility, wellbeing, prosperity and spiritual enlightenment.

 

It is said that the women stitching the kantha garments would stitch their life story into each piece, with natural elements representing parts of their life. Their stitching was their self-expression.

 

The popularity of Kantha stitched garments and quilts waned, although gained popularity again in the 1940s by the Institute of Fine Arts in West Bengal.

It was revived again in the 1980s when Shamlu Dudeja founded Self Help Enterprise (SHE) that helped empower women and their livelihoods (reference strandsofsilk.com)

 

 

Kantha stitching brings a host of wellbeing benefits. One of the most mindful stitching techniques, it brings together simple, repetitive stitches with the beauty of creating something – especially in the true sense of kantha, repurposing and reusing older cloths and clothing.