What Is Kantha
Kantha is a home made poor villagers hand-stitched textile art that originated in every small house of india pakistan , especially in Bengal. the making process is running stitches over layers of old used cotton cloths, often recycled saris or dhotis and salwar kamez in sindh pakistan
the are basically made for home use—baby wraps, bedcovers, and as a razai kumble for poor people in the winter days and light kantha quilts is made for winter season ,now in these days it become a global export and collectible textile form and in bulk production from fresh cotton printed cloth, hand block , and pathwork kantha quilts.
Where and when Kantha Originate?
West Bengal vintage recyled kantha(India)
Bangladesh ,lohri kantha ,nakshi kantha , carpet kantha(especially Rajshahi & Jessore regions)
Sindh region in Pakistan (for sami ralli and printed ralli and specially sindhi tukri wari ralli know as patchwork ralli)
Kantha has existed since i born and my fore fathers time but in lot of books written since the 1st millennium BCE, but the documented Nakshi Kantha tradition emerged in the 19th century.
Meaning & where from origin of the Word ‘Kantha
The word “Kantha” comes from Sanskrit: “Kontha”, meaning “rags”.
It refers to the practice of recycling old clothes into new textiles by stitching.
Types of Kantha Quilts
Nakshi Kantha – Decorative with elaborate motifs (lotus, birds, paisleys)
sindhi kantha – from umerkot badin and tharparkar and used every day
Sujni Kantha – Ritual cloths used during childbirth or weddings
Durjani Kantha – Wallets and personal accessories
Ralli Quilt / sami ralli – Made by sami community Sindhi women
Baby Ralli (Ralka) – Smaller quilts for newborns with protective symbols
Guddri Kantha – Tribal Rajasthan & Gujarat version with mixed embroidery styles
Kantha Stitching Process
their is no any special or fix process of making kantha its depend upon the availably of used cloth in house so frist step is
Fabric Selection include – Vintage saris, lungis, dhotis or cotton scraps are layered.
second step is
Layering: – 2 to 5 layers are placed together.
third step Tracing Motifs:if making nakshi than freehand or chalk-drawn (e.g. peacocks, mandalas)
Designs with color ful small patches – make patch work sindhi ralli.
fourth step is
Stitching:-Done by womens of house ,girls and every one in their relatives the are using a simple running stitch called “Kantha stitch”.
Common Kantha Stitch Types
Most basic, continuous lines -Running stitch (simple) –
Back and forth, dense texture -Darning stitch
Used in border decorations-Cross-stitch
embroidery with thread painting-Motif filling –
Patterns & desgin in kantha
Flora, flowers Lotus, vines, mango leaves
animal desgin Fish, elephants, birds for baby
Geometry: Mandalas, zigzag, triangle panels for elders
Daily Life, tree of life, Scenes of village, woman, gods image
patchwork colorful applique in sindhi ralli
How to Test Real Museum-Grade Kantha?
Hand-stitched running thread with thread color may change in stitching this is because of availably of thread (not printed or machine)
100 % imperfections and uneven stitching
Made of multiple layers of old sari cloth and different colors
Naturally faded colors and damage
Design from back side visible and look like same as in front
No synthetic lining or pasting
kantha quilts are different size but not exact same or fix size in vintage kantha