Vintage hand made Indian Kantha Silk quilt
Maker - Unknown
Era - Mid 20th century
Measurements - 150cm x 205cm
Acquired - by Second Sunrise in 2017
We love quilts and I think it's mainly because they have an aesthetic value while still being a functional textile! They look great either if prefer to hang them on the wall or use them as bed covering, and if you get cold you can use them to keep warm.
The words "patchwork" and "quilt" are mainly used to to describe two pieces of fabric that are stitched together with a filling layer in between them that adds warmth. Through the history, quilts have been made in a lot of different cultures and they have served as bedding to sleep in. They were often made of pieces of worn out clothes or other leftover fabrics that were stitched together in combinations that formed different patterns, making the blankets useful and beautiful at the same time!
Kantha is a kind of embroidery typical of south-eastern Asia and the word is also used to describe this kind of quilt. It is sewn in rows of running stitch that cover the entire body of a piece of fabric, layering old worn out textiles together to make something usable out of them. In other words, it is very similar to the Boro tradition of Japan!
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We found this Kantha quilt in a local store dealing with vintage carpets. In the corner of the shop the owner kept a stack of old quilts. The fabrics made an eye catching pile where they were folded and I could feel how my excitement was starting to build up just by the looking at the colors! So the owner and I started to spread out the quilts on the floor to examine them and as we went through the pile he told me that he usually only deals with hand knotted carpets, offering them for sale and also doing repairs in his small workshop but when he travels to India to look for mercantile he sometimes find old quilts as well and brings some back just because he likes the look of them and the story told by the hand quilted stitches.
When we got to this quilt I was completely thrilled about how the pattern was made and the intense colors used to make it! I remember that the owner of the shop stopped and told me that "this is the kind of quilt that makes you happy" and I think that those words make up the exact feeling I get of just looking at this piece of craft.
We are unsure of the exact age of this Kantha but we do know that this kind of work has been made for ages in eastern south Asia and according to the owner he said that this quilt was most likely made in the early 20th century. If you know more about dating vintage Kanthas we would be very happy to here your thoughts about this one!
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The back of the quilt is just as beautiful as the front. It is obvious that the maker was focused on making a beautiful patern on the front of the quilt but if one has an interest for hand quilting, the story of the craft behind the kantha embroidery is easily to see on the back of the quilt.
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The center of the pattern and a close up showing the different colors of silk fabric used. Each square measures approximately 5 x 5 cm and they are hand stitched to one and another, so no there is no machine stitch what so ever and I think that's what gives the pattern a unevenness and a texture that makes it more interesting for the eye to behold. According to me one shouldn't strive for perfection, the beauty lies in the flaws that tells us about the time and effort put into making this kind of craft.
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Another close up of the front. The rows of stitches have about 6 to 10 stitches in each square, and if one makes up the math it's easy to see that this work has taken quite some time to create.
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One of the four corners of the quilt where a lot of patterns and textiles meet.
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The folded corner in contrast to the dark fabrics used to make up the back of the quilt.
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Detail of the kantha stitching on the back of the quilt. Make sure to notice the different color on the thread that has been used. This also adds beauty to the textile as it makes up an interesting pattern.
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The rows of running stitch changes direction in some places, making up a square shapes that grows. I do suspect that the maker started quilting in the middle of the quilt moving out on the edges. In that way the resulting quilt will be flat and you will avoid the fabric pulling and creasing.
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The back of the quilt is made of 15 larger pieces of silk fabric in different shapes and shades, stitched together by hand.
We keep this Kantha quilt as part of our archive in the shop and if you are interested to have a closer look we will be more than happy to show it to you over a cup of coffee! That goes for all the things we have in our archive and we hope that they can serve as inspiration.
If you want to add anything about this kantha quilt please give us a comment so we can learn more of the history behind it!
Last week we showed you a pair of children's Levi's jeans from the 50s and if you want to read more about them you will find that post here!