Five years after city-based quilt-making enthusiast Tina Katwal opened India’s first quilt store and studio, she is ready to take her love for the multi-layered textile to the next level. Tina, along with Chennai-based Varsha Sundararajan and Deepa Vasudevan, two other like-minded enthusiasts are set to host India’s first ever quilt festival in Chennai over three days. After having travelled the world and witnessing various quilt festivals like Quiltcon in Pasadena, Houston Quilt Show and Dubai Quilt Show, the trio came together to start the first edition of India Quilt Festival, they said “India should have its own quilt festival”, and that is when the preparation for the festival started, which was a little over a year ago.
With 20 stalls, the festival will see artisans from all over India as well as abroad for the competition. The showcase will be of different quilt-making techniques and specialised needlework. “The festival will see 161 quilters from 11 countries, who will exhibit their work as well as modern and vintage quilts from private collections, and even an artisanal showcase,” says Varsha, a former HR specialist, who currently juggles between being a teacher and being on the censor panel for short films.
From Ooty to Egypt
Artisans from the Shalom studio in Ooty, an initiative which supports the Toda tribe will be at the festival. However, there will also be Porgai artisans from the Lambadi tribe in the Sittlingi valley of Dharmapuri district and others from BuDa Folklore, a centre for tribals, in Karnataka’s Honnavar district. The three-day festival will also give a platform to the lacemakers of Narsapur from the Medak district in Hyderabad and Arun Kumar, acting as the one-man army and popularly known as the Needleman of India, from Patiala. Internationally, the Tentmakers of Egypt from Abdeen, will be there to showcase unique quilts made by using the appliqué technique (pieces of fabric in different shapes sewn together to create patterns).
Threads of change
With hand-dyed fabrics meant especially for quilt enthusiasts, the festival will also see floral precut fabrics in collections, which Varsha tells us is quite an attraction for quilters for all levels. With so many quiltmakers displaying their craftwork, it is going to be quite a colourful display of the three-layered fabrics. However, Varsha says it would be hard to pick one unique quilt, as they would all be unique to the Indian enthusiast. “Everything on display will be special because it is happening for the first time in India, so modern quilts and techniques will rub shoulders with ancient and traditional quilts and their techniques, which will be quite a treat,” says Varsha, leaving us equally excited. In all its enormity, the festival will see antique quilts priced as high as `1 Lakh, which are unknown even to Varsha, Deepa and Tina, and even the world’s longest quilt at 20 feet of coronation ceremony of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, on display for enthusiasts. The latter will be the showstopper, made by innovative quilter Maharashtra-based Shruti Dandekar, who also happens to be on the board of the Modern Quilting Guild USA.
From Rs 100 onwards.
At Sri Sankara Hall from January 25-27.