DIFFERENT APPLIQUE WORKS OF INDIA

PIPLI APPLIQUE WORK:

 yes,you are right I am talking about those gorgeous coloured fabric patch work motifs.Applique of Pipli derives its name from a small village of the same name situated near the beach city of  PURI, Orrisa.Almost every house in this city is engaged in  this vibrant colour business,in local called CHANDUA.

 It is interesting to know that this village was established by the king of orissa to accomodate the skilled craftsmen who design appliqué umbrellas and canopies for the annual Jagannath Yatra.So as many handicrafts of India this applique work also originated as temple art and reached its peak in 11th century under the nobility of the King. But soon this enchanting form of fabric based patchwork, well known for its geometric motifs and stylized birds, animals and flowers cut out of brightly coloured cloth and sewn on contrasting backgrounds found its way in a wide range of household,decorative and ceremonial products.

The craft is traditionally practiced by a community of professional tailors, known as ‘Darjis’. Their beautiful work is considered a service for the Lord, or “seva”. The community, led by a chief, is well organized, with annual meetings to resolve any social or other problemsThe basic design of all three is similar, being a combination of narrow and wide stripes while on the four sides above the openings, there are appliquéd mythical motifs like Rahu, Chandra as well as motifs from nature. It is these eye catching appliqué covers which help identify the chariots of the three deities from far away when thousands of pilgrims throng the main road of Puri on which the gods make their annual sojourn in the chariot festival. Appliqué work is also used in making seats and pillows for the deities and also for their ritual dresses.

 

The choice of applique items of Pipli origin for a prospective buyer does not end here. Manufacturers in Pipli and Puri are nowadays flooded with offers from star-rated hotels and resorts to supply applique made side walls and garden umbrellas. Upcoming designers are also considering it a new way to express their creative visions. Accordingly, the fabric used for this typical patchwork has undergone a refreshing change. It is no more the same thick cotton base that is used to elaborate a certain theme; now experimentation is done with fabrics as varied as velvet, satin and Georgette.

The motifs used consist of stylized representations of flora and fauna as well as a few mythical figures. Of the morecommon of these motifs are the elephant, parrot, peacock, ducks, creepers, trees, flowers like lotus, jasmine, hallf-moon, the Sun and Rahu (a mythical demon who devours the sun)

A growing demand for Pipli art, especially by foreign tourists has resurrected this previously neglected cottage industry. Machine stitching has also caught up with the artisans of this town which is a proud achievement for these workers. But the people of this town are mostly proud of their handcrafted achievements because that is the purest way of keeping their art heritage alive.

APPLIQUE WORK OF BIHAR:kathwa work

The neighbor state of Orissa..Bihar..we can find the'kahatwa' the applique work of bihar used to craft decorative tents,canopies,shamianas etc.In those lovely vibrant colours they design persian type trees,flowers,animals,birds,local stories,For conopies the whole design with circular central motif is cut out of a single cloth.

A thick fabric and Geometric patterns are used while making the Tents on important occasion or functions. The cutting and designing are done by the men while the women do the stitching work Apart from tents, Kathwa is also used in decorating women's garments. In this case the applique work done is more artistic. This work is so fine that in past it was used by kings,emperor and the nobility.

Applique Work Of Rajasthan:Gota and Kinari work

Actually you do not need to ask 'is this from rajasthan?' because these craft pieces will be labelled with the magic of Rajasthani beauty. Beautiful colours as Red,Orange, Pink,Yellow and as bright as you can imagine are available here.The base is prepared first in the square shape, rectangular and circle shape or even in oval forms sometimes. This works as the background for that art piece. The `Applique` motifs of contrasting colours are then cut into various shapes like that of animals, birds, flowers, leaves celestial bodies and geometric shapes. These variously shaped motifs are now stiched oh the base of these fabrics in artistic way.
In Rajasthan, `Applique` is sometimes done with embroidery to give a magical style of decoration. This is done on almost all things such as clothes, bed sheets, lampshades and wall hangings. The two the notable `Applique` works of Rajasthan are `Gota` and `Kinari work`. These `Gota` and `Kinari` are golden and silver coloured pieces and laces those are sewn on the cloth. The Muslim craftsman generally prepares these. Here in `gota` work, the embroidery is made on a velvet cloth, which gives it a unique look. The `gota` work uses the `Applique` works in both the classical and folk designs. The `gota` work is mainly done on the costumes for women. Khandela in Shekhawati mainly prepares these items.
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Lets ask any thing and you will get it here as quilts,bags,jhoomar,jhalar,doorhangings anything.Infact quilt made in Jaislamer in local known as RALLI.

The bed work known as MOTI BAHAR is also an speciality of rajasthan.

Giving several folds makes raised motifs of the `Applique`. The intricate stitches such as bakhia, guntha, turpa, chikan and other embroidery techniques are the main elegant part of the `Applique` artwork. Recently, the use of small and bright mirror pieces has become popular in Rajasthan. The last work of the `Applique` is the stitching of the borders.

 

 

Applique work of Gujrat:

In Gujrat applique work is used in decorative ideas of celebrations as well as animal trapping.The applique is carried out on red cotton cloth against a white background.In the19^th century, the Kathis, an agro-pastoral community of the Kathiawar region of Gujarat and their Muslim associates, the Molesalaams, or the landowning community are known to have produced intricate appliqué work. Some of the surviving specimens show a wide representation of stylised human and animal figures in cotton and silk cloths, bandhani (tie and dye), or patola cloth.

 

Different Types Of Indian Silk Sarees continue

5.Pochhampalli silk saree::


Pochampally sarees are the famous sarees woven in Pochampally, a small town in Andhra Pradesh. Pochampally is the well known brand in south india because of its quality. These sarees are world famous because of its unique design and colour combination.The Pochampally Ikat sarees have a good market in India and abroad because the weavers use modern synthetic colours and create exclusive designs that are typical of the saree tradition.
                          Characteristic features of Pochampally Ikat sarees lie in the big, bold and bright patterning. The modernization of thought and choice has inspired the artisans to create modern motifs that are abstract, modernist and geometric, with plenty of brilliant colours. The most modern Pochampalli Ikat designs have origins in the rumal. The majority of Pochampally Ikat sarees are vibrantly coloured, however, and although there is a wide range of modern designs. Most of the designs still follow the rumal layout with wide plain borders, one or two plain bands marking the endpiece, and a field covered with Ikat-created designs. The famous Pochampally ikat tie-and-dye saree has won Intellectual Property Rights protection. It is the first traditional Indian craft to receive this status of geographical branding. The design won protection in the Geographical Indications category. This will protect the pochampally handloom saree from unfair competition and counterfeit.

6.Mysore silk saree::

    Mysore is the home of all famous feminine wear silk sari in india. Mysore Silk is a trademark for the silk sarees produced by KSIC(karnataka silk industries corporation). The distinguishing feature of this saree is the usage of pure silk and 100% pure gold zari (a golden coloured thread containing 65% of silver and 0.65% of gold).
  Lately many makeover steps have been attempted to make this coveted silk sari even more admired by infusing kasuti embroidery and bandhini designs, or adding on richness in the woven pallus. A wide palette of exciting vibrant colours like lilac, ecru, coffee-brown and elephant-grey have also been introduced.This saree will give you a buttery soft feeling with its rich crepe silk material.

7.Patola silk saree::

Patola silk is often termed as the queen of all silks. The Patola saree produced in Patan, North Gujarat, is another type of saree that is well known. These sarees are handwoven and involve traditional patterns such as leaves, flowers, parrots and dancing girls. Patolas are generally produced in the red color with white, dark green and yellow patterns. Patola sarees are also considered to be wedding sarees. Simple traditional looms are used for weaving and natural dyes made from vegetable extracts and other natural colors are made use of. These colors are fast and do not fade easily.
      There are two types of Patola sarees:  
                                                   Rajkot Patola: This is only vertically resist dyed (single ikat).
                                                    Patan Patola: This is horizontally-resist dyed (double ikat).The designs of this saree principally fall into three types that comprise purely geometric forms, reminiscent of Islamic architectural embellishments and ajrak (complex geometric print designs of the Sind), such as the navaratna bhat (nine jewels design).

Different Types Of Indian Silk Sarees

1.Banarasi silk saree::

The Banarasi silk sarees are among the most expensive and popular sarees woven in Benaras. It is usually made of gold thread and therefore is very expensive. These sarees are popular as bridal wear and includes four varieties mainly: the kora, the katari, the sattir and the georgette.

  The history of banarasi saree dates back to mughal era.The designs and motifs are so very much inspired by the mughal time.The banaras brocade motifs are densely patterened and look three dimensional,which is quite unlike,the two dimensional pattern of deccan and south india.The traditional banarasi sarees are found in light colours that is it might be pale in comparision to other south indian sarees.Most of the Brocade designs are influenced by intricate intertwining floral and foliate motifs, kalga and bel. The signature design of Banarasi Brocade is a narrow fringe like pattern, called Jhhalar, found along the inner and outer border.

2.Kanjeevaram silk saree:;

A Kanjeevaram saree is a must have in every Indian woman’s closet and what makes it so desirable is the colour of Indian heritage which is so well displayed in these sarees.The name Kanjeevaram saree is placed after the name of a small temple village in Tamilnadu.

                                                        The vibrant shades of these sarees not only reflect the traditional favourite hue but also the new choices.These sarees are also known for their durability. The silk base is thicker than any other silk saree and this thickness makes it the most expensive silk sarees in India. It is believed that “The heavier is the silk, the better is the quality”. The most common motifs found in Kanjeevaram sarees are Peacock and parrot.  traditional.In an authentic kanjeevaram saree the pallu, the border and the body of the saree is woven separately and then interlocked together.These sarees are characterized by gold dipped silver thread that is woven on the premium quality.

3.Baluchari saree::

Craftsmen of Bishanpur in Murshidabar dist. of West bengal produce this one of the most delicate and royal kind of saree.Unlike from any other silk saree in India baluchari saree is famous for its soft colour combination,we don't see a contrast combination in baluchari sarees.

      Baluchari saree is five yards saree and is 42” wide in bright colors like flame red, purple and occasionally in deep blue. These sarees are made of silk and woven on looms. These are about 200 year old. The sarees look similar to Banarasi sarees. There is only one difference between the two sarees, Baluchari sarees use only silk threads and Banarasi sarees do use zari threads. The borders of the sarees depict stories from Mahabharata and Ramayana. The field of the saree is covered with small butis and a beautiful floral design runs across the edges. 

Kornad saree::
Kornad sarees have a distinct place in south indian silk sarees.These sarees are mainly woven in eastern Tamilnadu.The charecteristic of this saree is 10 to 40 cm wide border woven in plain colour with two narrow band of supplimentary-wrap patterening.Many kornad sarees are named after the colour of their border.The body of these sarees are traditionally in woven pattern like stripes or checks
Kornad sarees are also called temple saree as it is mainly woven for temple dities in temple.The traditional temple wear saree is also called mubbhagam that has two different borders and field of equal width.More commonly these sarees are available in traditional colors like earth shades of browns, grays and off-whites buy now days brighter shades are also available for the North Indian buyers.