Challenging Times

Well, at least in terms of getting online long enough to post anything here!
It's a week since we landed in Ahmedabad and fell into our hotel beds for a few hours to catch up on some sleep. This time the city seemed a bit calmer; maybe festival fever has abated for a while. And certainly much cooler which is a blessing for a fair skinned Scot.
We spent our first days getting money and SIM cards sorted so that we could communicate with contacts here, as well as taking in different museums and visiting the dangerously addictive Gamthiwala in the market, Manek Chowk. Inside is a treasure trove of block prints in every hue - making a sensible selection when you really want every single one a challenge... Might have to go back on my last day.
On Friday night we went to Darpana Performing Arts Centre to an amazing dance performance.

We had a long long train journey west across the state to Bhuj on Saturday and then went our separate ways. Jeni is down in the south of Kutch at Kala Raksha, while I am staying at Khamir this week. Yesterday we had lots of discussions about what I want to do and how we are to achieve it. Ghatit takes his duties very seriously and is most anxious that everyone knows the plan. This meant four different languages at one stage - Hindi, Gujarati, Kutchi and English! I met Juned Abdul Khatri, a young award winning block printer in neighbouring Ajrakhpur and he is taking forward my odd block print + resist paste + indigo dyeing requests very calmly.

Counted Down

There are only about twenty four hours left until Jeni and I fly back out to Ahmedabad. 
This time I will have in my luggage the cotton/merino yarn I have spun, khadi paper and thread to stitch onto it with, a sketchbook to fill with ideas and research as I go along and another to draw a map on when I get to Kala Raksha. 

After just a few days in the city, we will be taking the train to Bhuj in Kutch where Jeni will head off to work at Kala Raksha and I'll be going to work at Khamir.
When I get an internet connection I'll be posting pictures here again.

Kala Cotton

Lovely raw Kala cotton arrived from Khamir this week for me. My plan is to blend it with merino and spin yarns from it. These I will take out to Kutch next month where we will dye them and I will weave them with undyed cotton to produce a range of ideas for artisans to incorporate into new textiles. That's the theory so I hope it works out!

It is still very full of debris from the cotton plants, as you can see from the close-up below.

   
So I carded my first batch a few times last night to remove as much as I could before blending it with white merino in a 60%wool 40% cotton mix. Here's the first 100gm ready for spinning.

Safely gathered in

Above - burnished indigo-dyed hemp paper and 100% cotton rag squares with 4 deckle edges

Below - burnished catechu-dyed hemp paper and a variety of papers incorporating grass, seeds, straw

Most of my pre-Christmas chores are done and I am itching to get started on new work. I have built up a stash of handmade papers from various sources and selected a few space-dyed threads to experiment with. 
Perhaps I'll even have something to show you in a week or two.
First, though, there are a few festive events to enjoy and a glass or two of port to savour!

If you are celebrating too, I wish you a very happy time. 

 

Plans for February

I am really pleased with how February is shaping up.  The month is all about working on the projects we have each devised so Jeni and I will be going our separate ways for much of the time.

The discoveries I made in October about khadi and several other 'k's have fused into a plan. I have the opportunity to stay first at Khamir's Craft Resource Centre where I will be working with a dyer and a block printer to produce some large textile pieces featuring indigo dyes on Kala cotton. 

A little explanation might help...

Khadi - khadi is not just a cloth, it is a whole movement started by Gandhi who began promoting the spinning of khādī for rural self-employment and self-reliance. True khadi cloth is handspun and handwoven. Khadi paper has a high percentage of cotton in it, usually now from recycled clothing.

Khamir  -  An NGO formed after the huge earthquake of 2001 which devastated the city of Bhuj and the surrounding area. In its own words, Khamir works  'to enable rural creative industries in Kutch to become profitable and a model of sustainable economic practice.' It also provides 'a common roof where artisans and experts with a commitment to craft practice can exchange knowledge, build capacities, offer supportive services and conserve natural and cultural heritage'. Khamir means intrinsic pride in Kutchi.

Kala cotton - an old world cotton which is mainly grown in Kutch. It has a much lower ecological footprint than modern hybrid cottons. Khamir seeks to reinstate old world cotton fabrics, involving farmers, spinners, dyers, weavers and designers to create products which promote the local economy.

I'm pretty pleased that this exhibition will be in progress when I am there too...

Selling and Stitching

I have ideas in notebooks, on scraps of paper and bouncing about in my head for the work I want to create based on my experiences in Gujarat so far, but still no time to put any of it into practice. 

the old - close-up of elephants and parrots on a toran I bought in Bhujodi

Had a very successful two days at the Art & Design Fair in Kelso this weekend, which means I now need to spin and stitch up some new stock for the next events. 

the new - a contemporary quilt stitched with shot silks for Qasab

I'm not wishing my life away but seriously looking forward to Christmas so that I can start on my new ideas!

All talk...

 ..on the India front. Plenty of plans, of course, and dreams and scheming, but lots and lots of talk! I enjoyed catching up with friends at my stall at St Abbs on Saturday and more while stitching at the Woolgathering on Sunday, not to mention showing off photographs and some of my Gujurat creations and purchases. 

This Saturday I am off to Dumfries to the Guild Gathering where I'll have my stall and, yes, be yapping some more about the last month's exploits. 

 
 And then, before you know it, the Crafters Art & Design Fair in Kelso will be my home for a couple of days mid month. I'll be spinning yarns there  - both sorts.

 

More dates popping up after that and on into December.
Really looking forward to taking forward my ideas for new work inspired by what I've seen and learned so far, but NO TIME yet!