A paradise for textile aficionados
I found this crazy pony in a shop today (no work thanks to the elections!) and I currently think he is the coolest thing ever. Since I’m guessing a large portion of my readership is of the textiles- and craft-appreciating sort, I thought you might like to see him too.
The variety of incredible handicrafts you can find in India is completely mind boggling, and I have been trying to collect things I really love through all of my travels this year, despite not being the most enthusiastic shopper. (I also find the hard-sell approach of most salespeople incredibly exhausting. I’ll never be much of a bargainer, either.)
The pony also has a smaller elephant buddy.
This is a handloom silk dupatta-a little too wide and long and stiff to wear as a Western-style scarf, but I think the colors are amazing.
An appliqued bedspread I picked up in Jaipur. It is a double-layered fabric: the top layer is opaque cotton, which is cut away in the patterned areas to expose the sheer fabric underneath.
Blockprints from Jaipur too-one of the specialties of the region.
This Ganesha puppet was from this amazing crafts fair in Bangalore, so I’m not sure where it was made originally; couldn’t talk to the craftspeople about it very well. But he’s big (easily 18 or 20 inches) and amazingly intricate, made of parchment with tiny cut holes and painted on both sides. His legs are articulated, too.
I got this bell from the same fair, from someone who I think was from Chhattisgarh. They’re made for livestock; this one is about the size of my hand. I guess the pleasure of this is more auditory than visual (it has a beautiful low deep ring, not tinny at all), but I think the patina on it is really lovely too.