Qissaa Our Legacy

✨ Every stitch tells a story...
This one began in a small village in Bengal, where generations of women have passed down the ancient art of Kantha embroidery — turning old saris into soulful, one-of-a-kind quilts.
A stitched Kantha quilt, lovingly crafted by women artisans in rural Bengal. Each piece is a unique work of art, telling a story through intricate running stitches
Traditionally made using layers of vintage cotton saris, this Kantha throw is one-of-a-kind – no two are ever the same.

• Material: 100% Vintage Cotton
• Technique: Traditional Kantha hand-stitching
• Size: 60x90 inches
• Care: Gentle hand wash or dry clean for best longevity. Air regularly. If needed, gently hand wash, preferably dry clean.

Each Kantha we share is hand-stitched with love, tradition, and time — no two are ever the same.
Perfect for your bed, your sofa, or your soul. 🧵🌾

🇮🇳 #ᴍᴀᴅᴇᴡɪᴛʜʟᴏᴠᴇ

Baby swaddle or throw

Kantha literally means rags. Old sarees stacked together and stitched over with a running stitch. Super soft, mother’s sarees, sarees with all the careworn smells and emotions of a mothers love filters through. Children know surely and instinctitively, their mother’s touch, her breath, her heartbeat. My sister always slept with my ma’s saree clutched in her hands. Once when my parents were travelling we stayed at my aunt’s place. We forgot the saree. No other saree pacified her till we got the original, a tattered piece.

The power of mother’s love sewn together for generations.

A stitched Kantha quilt, lovingly crafted by women artisans in rural Bengal. Each piece is a unique work of art, telling a story through intricate running stitches
Traditionally made using layers of vintage cotton saris, this Kantha throw is one-of-a-kind – no two are ever the same.

• Material:  Cotton
• Technique: Traditional Kantha hand-stitching
• Size: 60x90 inches
• Care: Gentle hand wash or dry clean for best longevity. Air regularly. If needed, gently hand wash, preferably dry clean.

WA 9830933434 for details

Khadi a canvas at Tri Art Gallery

The Charkha revolves. It goes round and comes back. It starts right there. Gandhi revolutionized Khadi. He brought handmade to our homes.

Gaurang Shah and Lavina Baldota have just created a masterclass in artistry. Khadi a canvas showcases Raja Ravi Verma possibly the first pop artist of the world. His iconography of Gods Goddesses Women Mythology created a stir and his art work was transferred to daily objects. Calendars, matchboxes. Every Indian home w***y nilly have his art in some form

This has been now showcased in Khadi. The palla depicting his paintings. The colours, the play of shadow, detailing. The sitar strings at an angle are completely symmetrical. It looks easy but it ain't.

The project started with developing the colours and dying the yarn in Kutch. The weavers were unsure about this canvas. Mr Shah took 40 tribal women, trained them and they have executed these with perfection. The facial expressions, detailing like translucent pearls under the saree.

The show stopper is a replica of the painting given to the Royal Baroda family. Made to size it was too big to fit on a regular loom so it was woven sideways. One cant distinguish between this and the original

It is devotion. It is sublime. These icons on textiles are a superb adaptation. A true labour of love.

Mr Gaurang Shah, Lavina Baldota, the Tri team a shout out. A wonderful gift for us

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/14/style/new-york-sara-historical-exhibit.html?smid=nytcore-android-share

New York Historical’s Sari Exhibit Shows Political Nature of Garment The “New York Sari” exhibition at the New York Historical, which runs through April, shines a light on how the garment is more than just fashion.

In India Kantha originated from the Sanskrit word kontha, which means rags, as the blankets are made out of rags  using different scrap pieces of cloth. Nakshi kantha consisting of a running (embroidery) stitch, similar to the Japanese Sashiko is used for decorating and reinforcing the cloth and sewing patterns. Katab work called in Kutch. It is popularly known as Koudhi in Karnataka. Such blankets are given as gifts to newborn babies in many parts of India. Lambani tribes wear skirts with such art.
Patchwork is also done in various parts of Pakistan, especially in the Sindh region, where they call it ralli.
Patchwork is also common in Azerbaijan, where it is called qurama.

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Now on quilts

A Darzi came to our house every week. My ma had a stock of pattern books, Burda, Women and Home, Little Tots etc. These were the designs used to get beautiful dresses made by him. We tripped down to New Market and as I trailed behind her we shopped for laces, buttons, printed or plain fabric, thread for embroidery which she often did herself. We were easily very stylishly dressed girls. My Ma’s sense of colour and matching and an eye for quality was unique.
She was a hoarder and creatively reused outgrown dresses spiffily joined modified to make cushion covers, runners, coasters. We slept in regal splendour as sarees she had tired of were converted into Razaais. Needless to say saris she liked were upcycled to be kept forever. Borders, embroidery motifs were salvaged and put on other sarees.
The Darzi visit was a moment of eager expectation and I observed and commented and learnt. My Qissaa, the story, yarn, anecdote perhaps borrowed from her. I love all artisan and crafts and imperfections. I, like my mother repatched saree borders. With Darzis fast disappearing it was not so easy to upcycle bigger to smaller. The love lingered and is a part of my DNA. Became a part of Qissaa.
I transferred old fraying jamdanis onto tangails to make relics a keepsake of memories, not so expensive. Not only were these collected from relatives to make new ones I created them for anyone who wanted the same.
The old Benarasi sarees with very fine workmanship are perhaps showcased in museums. I again transfeered some salvaged from discarded heaps to Tussars and added Kantha. They were frail and went with a lifelong guarantee to darn, repair and return. But beautiful. Not many understood the reason why I did it with older saress. And the collection was bought by some, and some I wear with great relish and pride.

Cont'd in comments

40x60

A lap holder or a crib cover

The combination of winters and grandmother's tales, give you nostalgia?

Feel the warmth of those simpler days in our range of kantha stitched quilts.

N A K S H I    K A N T H A

Women in Bengal typically use old saris and cloth and layer them with kantha stitch to make a light blanket, throw or bedspread, especially for children. Kantha is very popular with tourists visiting Bengal and is a specialty of Bolpur, West Bengal, India. 

Empower Amina Bibi. Empower women of rural India.

Blue is not only a colour. It's an emotion. India has a rich iconography of blue. Shiv and the neelkantha, Aparajita, krishna, the heavens. Its a symbol of culture. Literal to visual an absorbing discussion by Debdutta Gupta. 

Music, Tagore's songs, the love of blue even in Ragachitra, Ragamala paintings. Megh Raga is for the monsoon with the dominance of blue. The sky river and the varied hues of blue across the Indian artisana.
It signifies revolution sometimes red.

In literature we have Thakurmar jhuli.  Neelambari and the exotic story of the red and blue eggs. The red became gold and blue became iron. The farmer made it into a sickle making an eternal connection with agriculture.  The indigo plantations and blue.

The mystique of blue from the veil of Malati evocatively described by Banabhatta. Kenchuka a blue tunic worn by a chandalika. The two contrasts in the same poem joined by blue is intense.

Van Gogh and his starry night. Picasso and his blue period are some international connects.

Darshan Shah of Weavers has chutzpah. After working on textiles of Bengal for two years and mounting an exceptional exhibition she is working on her next with these short precious interludes.

She has a library of 3000 books and as many rare textiles. An incredible archive.

I knew her when she started with a single line ad in The Statesman's personal column. She has grown from a tiny borrowed space to many floors, a building. I was wary. She is known to have a temper and maybe a bit  harsh, consequently I kept a suitable distance.

I realise now that she is as straightforward as they come. She is unapologetic about charging exorbitant prices. She gives quality and everyone benefits in the supply chain. A chat with a weaver in Benaras was a revelation and he said she was a true benefactor, giving them an appropriate remuneration always  unlike others.

She is an unabashed lover of Indian textiles and is on the top of my list of favourite people.

https://ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/the-kamalkosh-cane-mat-tells-a-story/

The kamalkosh cane mat tells a story Prabhati Dhar is a master weaver of mats that incorporate auspicious motifs like banana trees and peacocks. Weaving a kamalkosh is a rare skill and one that she is passing on to younger people here in Cooch Behar district of West Bengal

Shubho Nabobarsha
Yards of woven splendor in life

Tati | Coke Studio Bangla | Season 3 | Arnob X Oli Boy X Jaya Ahsan X Gonjer Ali Where threads dance on wooden looms, fingers become nimble storytellers of Bangla heritage. is the artisan who weaves fabrics whispering our opulent cu...