Cacophony of color and voices. Overwhelmed. Women dressed in their elegant best. Where it feels like an over-sized FabIndia showroom. Where new-age khadi and linen fabrics overshadow kanjivaram and banarasi sarees. That pretty much sums up my first day experience at Vastrabharana: the handloom exhibition organized by Crafts Council of Karnataka. It is an annual exhibition that happens in the last week/first week of September/October. One for which women save in the months leading upto it so that they can splurge to their heart’s content.And I’m not kidding. The queue at the cash/credit card counter was longer than the entry line to Chinnaswamy stadium to see you know what. What does this exhibition have? Fabrics: ajrakh, hand-block printed, kanjivaram, pochampally, ikat, kalamkari, linen, andhra khadi, kantha, banarasi, chikankari, tussar, raw silk, chanderi, maheshwari etc Saris Blouse material Stoles in silk and cotton Silver and other handmade jewellery How is this…
People are willing to go to great lengths to give their homes a unique look. Identical furniture, similar accessories have flooded the market. And the ease of buying them online means either your home looks like a page from a catalog or similar to dozens of other homes. Custom furnishings have the power to transform the looks of a home on a minimal budget while giving it a one-of-a-kind look.
This is what Vaaso does. I met the lovely ladies from Vaaso at Sampoorn Santhe held at Chitrakala Parishat a few weeks back. The stall stood out for its block printed fabrics in electrifying colors like fuchsia, cobalt blue. You know how some stalls draw the attention of passersby because there is someone bargaining hard and loud for something. That was the case here. There was this gentleman accompanied by his family bargaining hard for a block printed table lamp. Anyways, I was happy to have stopped by.
Hello everyone! Hope you all are having a great week. I’m back to the grind today after a 4-day vacation in Goa but refreshed and ready to go. Though the weather was not sunny, it wasn’t bad. While going through the FB archives, I saw an update from Dastkar about their new online partner iTokri and wasted no time in checking it out. Yes, another online site but pleasantly surprised as most brands are the ones that pull you like a magnet to these numerous exhibitions like Dastkar. If you can’t make it to one in person, you can shop for it online. I’m talking of products from brands like Jugaad, Haathi Chaap and a few others from Dastkar that are hugely popular. My favorite picks from the site on first scan are: A tarshi patchwork bag from Jugaad for Rs. 249 Unstitched fabric from Dastkar at Rs.280 for 2 meters…
Have you ever wondered how nice it would be to have a virtual shopping assistant – one that had all the answers to your shopping queries from where to buy the finest applique cushion covers to finest cotton bed spreads? Some times isn’t it so frustrating to find the simplest of needs that is high on quality like a ethnic bed spread. Mushrooming of so many decor stores and malls has made one’s choice all the more tough, don’t you think? You hunt all around only to find it at your neighborhood roadside handicraft shop.
My question to you today: where do you buy your ethnic hand block printed bedspreads from? From the numerous online fabric and craft stores (I love so many of them but either they aren’t not in Bangalore or don’t have shipping), handicraft exhibitions like Dastkar or ones that happen at Chitrakala Parishat, or from traditional stores in your city?