Labour of love: how our cotton quilts are made

We are slowly sharing with you the stories of artisans behind all that we make at Dilli Grey (read our hand embroidery story here and our paper-making post here). It's important to us that we champion their skills and also celebrate the impact your purchases are having on their lives. We are not a charity, but by buying from a small, ethical business like us, you are directly improving the lives of our artisans and their families.

Whilst in Jaipur we popped in one afternoon to thank the ladies who do all our hand quilting for us. Out of everything we hand make, it always feels to me that these quilts are a true labour of love.

Before the ladies get to quilt them, the 100% cotton fabric, woven just outside Jaipur (it's so super soft!) has to be hand-block printed (I will be sharing this process in depth next month!)

hand block printed quilts cotton

The 100% cotton filler is then sandwiched between the two printed layers and the quilts are delivered to the ladies for them to add their magic.

It was a blisteringly hot day when we visited, but the ladies were busily quilting in the cool interior of their home, with the hustle and bustle of multi-generational living bubbling alongside them. Beds were pushed to the side and matting placed down to create a make-shift workshop, where they worked together on one quilt. 

What I love about the traditional Kantha stitching used in quilting is the rhythm of the repeating stitch, the irregularities becoming a beautiful reminder of the person behind each thread - were they distracted by their toddler? Gossiping with a girlfriend as they worked? The quilts are a tapestry of these women's lives and watching them work is always a priviledge. Not only do they have to stay focused, stitch by stitch, but they have to think of the bigger picture and constantly be visualising the pattern as a whole... a beautiful analogy for life.

Details:

Our quilts are available in a range of sizes, from baby/cot quilts that double up brilliantly as playmats, all the way up through toddler, single, queen and king.

Shop our cotton quilts and throws here.

 

 


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