Applique or Katab

Applique or Katab is another form of decorative needlework, more pronounced in Saurashtra where women from the darzi (tailor) community prepare it for commercial use. Its origin relates to a tailor’s wife who saved the cloth remnants in the shop, which finally created quilt covers, and other decorations. After all, in the land of scarcity nothing should go waste. Unlike the Pipli works of Orissa, here it is done in patchwork based on pieces of coloured and patterned fabric, which is finely cut to serve the motif and then stitched on to a plain background to produce quilts, curtains and wall hangings. Patchwork quilts from Kutch are worked upon by neat running stitches and are quite popular with tourists. The higher the pile of quilts, the higher the owner’s status for it is an indicator to the owner’s status which establishes his ability to accommodate the number of guests simultaneously.