Have just returned from more intrepid fabulousness in India. The caravan commenced in steamy Kolkata, down the Ganges to the weaving villages of Fulia…then onto exotic Jaipur wading through Marigold 2 movie crews and endless marriage festivals to my gorgeous Dabu block printers and shrewd vintage traders. Flying into the madness of Mumbai, then onto the White Rann desert of Bhuj where the world of shibori, ajrakh, tie and dye and more wondrous weaving awaited me. I so much enjoy the amazingly clever artisans I work with, their endless charm and hospitality seduces me every trip. Always obsessed by indigo, this time I also experimented with electric dabu block prints and the natural textured shades of silk and wool. And of course continual stitching, stitching, stitching ….following the everlasting threads
Couldn't resist taking endless photos...
My preferred mode of travel in Gujarat
Gujarat summer palace on an island by the sea
Dabu indigo block prints drying in the sun - a 15 step process
Sufiyan's indigo clamp dying with hand block printing
My new natural dye dabu cotton block prints for dresses and sarongs
A gorgeous friendly face at Jaipur flower markets
Talisman hanging on a stunning mud wall at Shamji's compound
Indigo wool drying before spinning
Natural dyes ready for spinning
Indigo being spun
Indigo being woven at Shamji's compound
Stunning Rabari woman in her mud compound
Another ravishing beauty doing her domestics
Some amazing old textiles I bought from Nagaland - hand woven in indigo and madder
Old Rabari hand embroidery from Gujurat - will make wonderful cushions