Textile Swatches

A morning in Malleswaram

While in Bangalore, a few friends and I decided to start the morning in Malleswaram. We picked up South Indian breakfast at Veena stores and then we headed over for a picnic at one of the pretty neighborhood parks for a laughter filled start to the day!  

Malleswaram is one of the cultural hubs of the city and is one of the oldest residential neighborhoods. Filled with trees, parks, lots of Hindu temples, a fantastic flower and vegetable market and the hustle and bustle of stores and activity. It is one of my most favorite parts of the city to wander in and feel inspired. It also inspired the fictional book 'Malgudi Days' by author R.K. Narayanan. The title Malgudi is based on 2 neighborhoods of bangalore- Malleswaram and Basavangudi.

 

 

 

                                                                             

 

 

Here are some visual treats from our walk through the markets in the neighborhood. 

 

Upcoming: Sonia Delaunay exhibit at The Cooper Hewitt

I'm looking forward to seeing the exhibit-Color Moves: Art and Fashion by Sonia Delaunay  She is one of my favorite Abstract Modernist artists. Her work radiates movement and color and makes me happy! She started as a painter and was later known for her designs on fabrics and fashion. The show will feature her work from the 1920s through the 1940s when she was exploring the relationship between fabrics and contemporary art in terms of movement and color.

At the Cooper Hewitt Museum, NYC. March 18th- June 5th, 2011

I own 2 books about her work-

And have pre-ordered- the book accompanying the show at the Cooper Hewitt.

More about Embroidery...

To continue the thread about embroidery... There are so many companies, designers and craftsmen working with embroidery today. Here is one of my favorites, more tomorrow...

 JUDY ROSS. Her work combines the centuries old traditional hand embroidery technique of Crewel embroidery with modern designs. She has a Fine Arts background and this is evident in the 'painterly' style of her work. Here is an example of her work. I like her products because she has really pushed the boundaries to develop a new look for this traditional art form- she is partly responsible for the revival of this technique. 

Traditionally, we've seen crewels that look more like this- 'Himachal' from Beacon Hill fabrics.

What is Crewel Embroidery?

It is a decorative form of surface embroidery using wool thread and a variety of different stitches to follow a design outline applied to fabric. The technique is at least a thousand years old. Crewel wool has a long staple; it is fine and can be strongly twisted. Modern crewel wool is typically a fine, 2-ply or 1-ply yarn. Chain stitch, one of the primary stitches used in Crewel, is a technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Here's a link to a great book on Crewel Embroidery.