Hello Sewing Friends!
This weekend I am happy to bring you over 100 dazzling additions to the ARTISAN KANTHAS collection featuring a stunning selection of new and vintage cotton and silk kantha shawls and quilts.
It is a veritable kanthaton of exceptional quality one-of-a-kind scarves and throws handmade in India. These vintage gems are the ultimate in up-cycled fashion—some up to 100 years old.
In India, kanthas are a time-honored family tradition. The dreamy double-sided quilts are passed down mother to daughter—each generation patching new pieces to create ever more magical mosaics. Each kantha is utterly unique. No two are alike.
Here is a little decoder to help you understand the acronyms I used in the names.
AVQ
Antique Vintage Quilt
heavier weight — featuring up to 7 layers
heavier weight — featuring up to 7 layers
FVQ
Fine Vintage Quilt
lighter weight — featuring 2-3 layers
IVQ
Indigo Vintage Quilt
lighter weight — over-dyed in natural indigo
The cotton and silk shawls are all approximately the same size. The modern quilts are also similar in size to each other. The vintage quilts vary in size, so make sure to check measurements and weight.
Inspired by my friend and renowned textile artist Diane Ericson, I decided to make a garment using one of our new kantha shawls. After a few false starts I finally settled on working with V1808 design available now from Vogue Patterns. Scroll down to see the resulting vest and read my latest blog post to get sewing tips on how to make something similar for your wardrobe.
I love these new kanthas. I hope you do too!
Happy Sewing!
