Summer Quilts

Summer is almost here (I hope!) and I have big news about our summer quilts today! I've decided to focus on selling them retail and stop wholesaling them, and because of the way wholesale pricing works (you can learn more about that here), I am able to lower the retail price!

They are now available for $280 instead of the original price of $320. These are lightweight, summer quilts that I use alone during the summer and then over a comforter in the winter. Also perfect for cuddling up in during a Law & Order marathon (this statement has been tested for accuracy).

The quilts are entirely handmade in Kutch, India (read more about the trip I took to make them here). To start the process, I carved the design in linoleum, then sent it to India to be re-carved in hardwood. The design is then hand block printed with a mud-resist paste and dip-dyed in natural indigo dye. Then two layers (one printed and one solid indigo) are stitched together by hand to create the finished quilt. Just like indigo-dyed jeans, the quilts get softer the more you use them.

You can find the quilts in the shop right here. Happy almost summer!

 

 

Block Printed Quilts!

  
The quilts are here, and I couldn't be happier with how they turned out! These are lightweight quilts designed to be used alone in the summer, or over a heavier comforter in the winter. Are you sweltering at night during this heatwave? This quilt is for you (I've been using it for the last few weeks of 90 degree weather).

The quilts are resist-printed on 100% cotton, and dyed with natural indigo dyes. They are queen-sized, and reversible, with a block printed floral pattern on the front, and plain stitched indigo on the back.

The entire process is done by hand, from me carving the prototype in the US, to block carvers in India carving the hardwood block, to block printers printing the cotton, to the hand stitching holding the two layers together.

 

 

I knew I wanted to use indigo dye: I love the way it contrasts with the white print, and the way the color will fade and change with time. Just like a pair of blue jeans, these quilts are designed for heavy use and will get softer and broken in over time. I also wanted something reversible, so you could use the floral pattern, or turn it over for solid blue for a bolder look.

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

  

 

To begin the process, I carved a linoleum block with the pattern I wanted, and printed a prototype on paper. I then scanned the design and sent it to my printer friend in India, where the blocks were re-carved into wood, and used to print the cotton.

The quilts are resist-printed, which means that the design is printed with a resist and then dip dyed, so that the printed area will not hold the dye. This creates a white design on a blue background.

They are all printed by hand, then laid out in the sun to dry before rinsing. The plain and printed cotton pieces are then stitched together by hand, using a thick white thread.

You can see the quilts in the shop right here. (You'll be glad you got one when the thermometer hits 95 degrees!)

New Quilts, Scarves, and Pillows

The quilts I posted when we returned from India are almost gone, so today I wanted to re-post the remaining pieces, and add some new ones as well! The top few quilts are remaining from the original sale, and then Piece #22 and onward are brand new scarves, pillow covers and quilts. I've also added in the PayPal "Buy Now" button so you can buy straight from this page, rather than emailing to purchase (the button corresponds to the photos below it, and will take you straight to PayPal). But, if you have any questions feel free to email hello@katharinewatson.com. And now, the new textiles:

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Piece #1 is a ralli quilt from Sindh, Pakistan which neighbors Kutch. It is entirely hand-stitched and around 60 years old. The quilt uses a mix of natural and chemical dyes, dating it to when natural dyes were still affordable for people in villages. This quilt would have been made by a woman to celebrate a wedding, and is a rare piece as quilts of this style are no longer made with natural dyes and cotton. The piece has a quilted center and sawtooth applique on the edges, with small tassels on each corner. Rallis like this one are quilted with layers of fabric, so the quilt has a heavier weight, and is in excellent condition with no noticeable stains or holes, which is rare for a quilt of this age.

Measures 76" x 45". $360.

SOLD
 

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Piece #4 is a Saami ralli from Sindh, Pakistan. It was made by the Saami snake charmer community of Sindh, and this style of embroidery is unique to this group. Saami quilts use a solid background (usually black or grey, but occasionally bright colors like red or purple) with intricate colored embroidery to quilt layers of scrap fabric together. The quilts are made with scraps of fabric to make both the cover and the filling, and are decorated with geometric embroidery.

This particular quilt is a blue-grey with a black stripe along the edge and has bright geometric embroidery in a range of colors, and the back of the quilt is off-white, as seen with Piece #5. This is an old piece at around 60 years old, and measures 84" x 58". $320.

SOLD

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Piece #5 is another Saami ralli quilt from Sindh, Pakistan, also made by the Saami snake charmer community. This piece has a black background with brightly colored embroidery, and is made of scrap fabric quilted together with bright thread.

This piece is also around 60 years old, and measures 80" x 58". $320.

SOLD

 

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Piece #6 is a Bengali kantha that has red printed fabric on one side and blue and orange tie-dye on the other. These quilts are made from recycled saris, and this piece is quilted with white thread. The quilt measures 84" x 60". $120.

SOLD

 

 

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Piece #8 is an appliqued ralli quilt from Sindh, Pakistan and was made by the Sumra community. It has a very unusual, modern style, even though it's around 50 years old. It shows the forward thinking of the woman who made it! This quilt probably uses a mix of natural and chemical dyes (it can be hard to tell sometimes what is a natural dye and what is an expert replica), with natural yellows, oranges, greens and some of the black colors using natural dyes. The electric pink applique in the middle is definitely chemical, as no plant can make a neon fuchsia dye.

The back of this quilt is made of over-dyed recycled lungis, so is completely plaid. 

This is one of my favorite pieces we brought back, I love how unique it is compared to the other traditional quilts we saw, despite the age of the piece. This quilt measures 80" x 50". $320.

 

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Piece #9 is another Bengali kantha made of recycled saris, with a pink and green color palette. It is quilted with white thread and measures 84" x 50". $120.

 

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Piece #10 is another Bengali kantha made with recycled saris, and also has a pink and green color palette with highlights of purple. This piece is quilted with white thread and measures 84" x 52". $120.

SOLD

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Piece #22 is a mustard yellow ajrakh block printed scarf, measuring 34"x78", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $38.

 

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Piece #23 is a green ajrakh block printed scarf with red flowers and geometric designs. This large scarf or shawl measures 36"x96", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $42.

SOLD

 

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Piece #24 is a red ajrakh block printed scarf with blue flowers and geometric designs. This scarf measures 22" x 78", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $38.

SOLD

 

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Piece #25 is a red ajrakh block printed scarf with blue flowers and geometric designs. This scarf measures 36" x 90", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $42.

SOLD

 

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Piece #26 is a purple silk scarf with red and gold brocade edges. This piece measures 42" x 94". $32.

SOLD

 

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Piece #27 is a blue ajrakh block printed scarf with the traditional geometric ajrakh design This scarf measures 36" x 90", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $42.

SOLD

 

 

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Piece #28 is a blue ajrakh block printed scarf with the traditional geometric ajrakh design This scarf measures 36" x 90", and is 100% cotton. Dyed and printed with all natural dyes. $42.

SOLD

 

 

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Piece #29 is a hand-embroidered silk kantha scarf, with turquoise silk on one side and off-white silk on the other. The stitching is done in red and orange thread. This large scarf measures 36" x 82". $42.

SOLD

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Piece #30 is an embroidered pillow cover with mirror work, in navy blue with yellow, white and magenta thread. It measures 19" x 20". $18.

SOLD

 

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Piece #31 is a set of two block printed pillow covers, hand printed on 100% cotton in a three color print. Each one measures 17" x 17". $38 for two.

 

 

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Piece #32 is a large quilt or wall hanging stitched together with recycled fabric in a diamond pattern. This piece uses old embroidered textiles, pieced together to create a larger quilt. Backed with solid red cotton. Measures 59" x 88". $80.

SOLD

 

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Piece #33 is a wall hanging stitched together using recycled embroidered fabrics. The embroideries feature floral and geometric designs, as well as peacocks and elephants. Backed with solid black cotton. Measures 39" x 58". $68.