Two-sided silk scarf, Abstract Rhombuses in Bandhani (tie-dye) combined on sale with Itajime clamped rectangles, and an element of Kantha highlight

"Another of the designs inspired from the African Folk Art designs I get to see during my shows at Santa Fe Folk Art Market. The front side of the scarf carries fine Bandhani work of abstract rhombuses. Each dot is hand-tied by women from Kutch.

And to counter-balance these rhombuses, I added irregular on the reverse side. These rectangles are made with another dye technique called Itajime clamp-folk resist technique

The ancient technique of Bandhani (tie-dye) combines with the Itajime clamp fold-dye technique to create this beautiful composition. And a highlight element in the form of hand-stitch Kantha work with a contrasting red embroidery on sale thread.

Dyed in the colours of red and golden yellow to create an elegant play of light and shade, this scarf design is inspired from these traditional quilt making craft from Kachchh. The Bandhani scarf and the Clamp dyed scarf are combined and quilted in a very fine hand kantha-stitch work. And quilted with a contrast of a thread colour to add a bit of tension to the composition.

Kutch has a tradition of making quilts from the left-over fabrics. Often the Bandhani crafted garments and shawls which cannot be worn anymore find their way to the quilts."


Design: African design
Technique: Bandhani on habotai silk quilted with clamp dyed satin-silk with a contrast running Kantha stitch
Dyes: Azo free silk dyes
Color scheme: blue with golden yellow

Made in Kachchh by SIDR Craft:
SIDR Craft is an artisan owned Bandhani enterprise established in 1992 by brothers Abdul Jabbar Khatri and Abdulla Khatri, belonging to the Khatri Community of traditional tie-dyers, practitioners of this craft in Kutch for centuries. They are masters in this art of creating beautiful patterns on fabric by aesthetic designing, intricate knotting and colouring fabric with complex dyeing processes.

SIDR Craft is a creative and responsible social enterprise, involving around 250 craftswomen in Kachchh, making exclusive silk & cotton stoles, scarves and shawls. They also work on customised collections for designers. The brothers have been conferred the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for standard setting quality in craftsmanship and have presented their craft in many national and international events.