Kantha is a Bangladeshi word for cloth, and a particular way of stitching embroidered quilts made from the good parts of old worn out saris. A wealth of kantha designs are eloquently drawn with running stitch. These designs are filled with pattern and colour and then surrounded by quilting. I will bring historical and contemporary examples for you to handle and study
In this workshop we will develop our own designs first by simply outlining interesting shapes in subtle variations of running stitch, and then by surrounding these shapes with the rippling textures unique to kantha quilting. Your own design will be based on a composition of simple drawings of birds, animals and plants set up in the studio or templates of designs found in traditional kantha which I will bring with me.
You may like to use a design for kantha you may have made in previous workshop with me to interpret in a different way. I would be delighted to see any kantha you have completed or examples from your textile collection.