Others

Lace & Crochet Embroidery

This traditional craft and has been practised in India for the last three to four centuries. The oldest centre, Jamnagar in Gujarat, has involved the womenfolk in this craft since the time of the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. This craft is also prevalent in the delta of the Godavari River.

The lace industry at Narsapur in Andhra Pradesh is famous world wide for over 300 kinds of designs which are made by the women of this region who are mainly from the fishing community. Their familiarity with net-making helps them with the crochet work. It was the Dutch and Portugese missionaries who introduced lace and crochet embroidery in both Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

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Arts & Crafts

Laisingphee of Assam

The lasingphee or quilted cotton material is woven on a fly shuttle loom. These are extremely warm and soft. This quilting material has an inner lining of cotton, which is stuffed at regular intervals between the parallel strips of weft cloth. In Assam bamboo sticks are sometimes used for stuffing instead of cotton. weavers of Cachar district are highle skilled at making these quilts.

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Arts & Crafts

Indian Cork/Kuhila Koth of Assam

Kuhila koth (Indian cork) is one of the main handicrafts of the Batadrava area of Nowgong district. Kuhila is cultivated in the low-lying, marshy areas. The portion that remains below the water is what is utilised. The fibrous outer covering is scraped with a knife and then dried in the sun. It is then cut lengthwise into small pieces, and these are then woven on a simple loom-like gadget made of wood and bamboo poles. The items produced include seats, mats, and cushions.

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Pidi/Footstools of Haryana   

Pidi is a low stool which has its seat made with strands of thread twined to form interesting coloured patterns. The thickness of the thread varies from article to article";" for instance a charpai or bed is made with a thicker twine. One of the favourite patterns is the giani chor ka chatta which is a maze consisting of a secret passage made by Giani, the famous thief. Another favourite pattern is the design of a game of dice locally called pachhisi. The reverse side of the pidi always has a different design.

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Arts & Crafts

Changeri Craft of Haryana   

Changeri is basically carried out by the women folk. Changeri means baskets with lids. They pick up the wheat grass and process it their own way. Sometimes they paint the stalks or leave it in the original shade. The wheat stalks are twisted and very pretty baskets are prepared.

The ladies today havetaken this craft to a commercial level and are busy preparing accessory items for kitchen, dressing table, mats etc.

Topic
Arts & Crafts