The Kawandi Style Mini Quilted Wall Decor

 

And here's my first finished quilt of 2021. A mini wall hanging which took me quite a while to finish:)

I started making the Bali batik background in 2019 I think. The plan was to make a panel for a tote bag. I even drafted the bag in detail! But then lockdown happened and we stuck at home. I know I won't need a tote bag! I kept the panel in my UFO Bin and got busy making face masks and whats not :D

And then the Kawandi class happened and I'm hooked to the Kawandi style of quilting. It's therapeutic to just do running stitch round and round, and the result is always satisfying! 

So I decided to make a mini wall hanging. And as I browsed Suzuko Koseki books, I saw the cherry blossom applique quilt. I made the applique before for my kindle cover and I decided to add applique. I chose a chikan white fabric which I have in stash and started making the applique pieces. I have not done applique for a long time so it took me a while to get finish the first flower. Well, practice makes perfect, the second one came out pretty quickly. 

Unlike my previous hand quilting projects (THIS and THIS) where I used cotton batting,  this time I decided to use needle punch batting. Actually, I tried using polyester batting but after I started quilting it, it shifted so much even with a lot of pinning. Although I quite like the result when I did the outline stitching around the flower. 

this is using polyester batting

So I unpicked the whole stitches and changed the batting. The best part about hand quilting is unpicking stitches is so much easier :). Well, there are a lot of learning experiences here, as I incorporated the Indian Kawandi/Gaudi style of quilting and the quilting from Suzuko Koseki's book. In her Playful Patchwork book, she did outline stitching around the applique and then quilt the background in diagonal gridlines. The Kawandi style quilting is done from outward going inward in a circular motion. In this quilt, I did the quilting by section as I quilted circling the appliques. Sometimes, I did the quilting from the back as I can see more clearly :)

As I was finishing the quilting, I drew the last lines using an erasable pen to keep track of where I should go. Oh, by the way, the quilting is around 1/4" apart. It's quite dense :).  While the kawandi quilt doesn't have binding, I used yellow and white stripes as binding here. It gives a good contrast with the indigo block print fabric at the back, doesn't it?

Well, I am happy now it's done and probably I will frame it! I will keep practicing hand quilting this year, Insha Allah, and let's see how this year will unfold. No more resolution for me. I will go with the flow, doing what I can, and hopefully, I can share more tips with you all.

I posted the video on my Youtube Channel from the process and a more detailed view.

Quilting Stats:

Finished Size: 15" x 15" 

Fabric: Bali Batik for background, Indigo block print for the backing, chikan cotton fabric for applique. 

Thread: Anchor Pearl Cotton No. 8

Thank you for stopping by!

Take care & Happy Sewing!

Elvira

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Hand quilted Trivets - Moonshine and Valentine

 Here are some 9980 hours to mastering hand quilting 😃

I'm a big fan of Suzuko Koseki and I collected a few of her books. The one I particularly love and want to learn from is the Modern Quilts book. It has an interesting quilt pattern from simple to complicated ones, or at least it looks complicated to me :D. 

In these 2 mini quilts, I am using Indian Handloom fabrics in high contrast colors. I was not sure in the beginning but once done, they turned out really pretty. Sometimes, we have to try something out of our comfort zone! 

Colorful Trivet

The book only gave dimension of the block but not really gave instructions. But I supposed it was to be pieced in half circle. So I did with this teal and orange one. 

I made another one which I cut 5" square and piece quarter circle block. I don't know if this is the correct term :D. 

I called these block my Moonshine and valentine - just because it the shape remind me of the moon and I was watching C-Drama with the same title. Johnny Huang is stunning in the drama 💙! 

Mug Rug

On the back, I used glace cotton fabric in dark teal and I love the texture of the finished quilt. They turned out very soft. The trivets finished at 8" x 8" and it's just the perfect size for anything. From mug rug, doily, trivets, or even for indoor plant mat.

I am still curious about the block and plan to make more but using poplin cotton instead of handloom fabrics. Although handloom colors are gorgeous, it's a bit too stiff for circle piecing. Maybe I can do better with cotton or Bali Batiks! 

I bought this local brand needle Jyoti Needles before I did the Kantha Workshop. I was skeptical in the beginning but the shop owner didn't have Pony Needle when I went. And guess what? It turned out really good and all the needles are sharp. I always have a problem with Pony Needle for hand sewing my wallet. But this one turned out better than Pony. I may need to stock up now.

I am still doing the quilting based on the Kawandi Quilt as I really love it. I plan to make more small kawandi quilts too, but it may take a while before I finally get down to make it. I have a few UFO quilts that I want to finish. Most of them are small quilts and a few single bed quilts. 

If you want to know how I did the quilting, I uploaded a small video on my Youtube Channel. It was recorded during my first Instagram Live. You can watch it here. 

Thank you for stopping by, I hope you enjoy your visit!

Happy Sewing,

Elvira

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Resources:

Book: Modern Quilts by Suzuko Koseki

Fabric: Handloom / Shotcotton

Learning Traditional Indian Kawadi Quilt

When there was Kawadi Quilt workshop a few years ago in Bangalore, I really wanted to go but couldn't. It's been on my bucket list to learn this Indian traditional quilt. 

When Brinda Ma'am from Moments of Quiet announced on Desi Quilters Group on Facebook that she will have another workshop, I quickly registered. And I am glad I did.

 I already learned so much during the first lesson. The story and the wisdom behind Kawadi Quilt, also what set it apart from the other form of quilts in India. Kawadi or Kawandi is originated from Siddi tribe in North Karnataka. Apparently, every tribe has a different unique design. 

We are given a list of materials we have to gather. Preferably old muslin saree or muslin dupatta. I have this pink muslin dupatta which I don't use and it's just perfect. 

Also, we have to provide some kind of saree borders. I decide to use this fancy one. Though traditionally they are using saree border. 

My stitches are not even as yet but I thoroughly enjoyed this! I finished sewing 3 lines running stitches around the border and looking forward to the next class where we will add more fabrics and special design! 

Check out the Moments of Quiet Facebook Page if you want to know more information about the next class. Choosing fabric was fun, cos I have lots of Indian mulmul/muslin scraps and pre-cuts. 

In the second class, we learned to add patches to the border and also make a special design. The special design is quite tricky for first-timer, I had to rip it several times before I managed to do a decent one. These special designs or motifs symbolizes everyday life like Kites, Angan (Courtyard), and temples. The Kawadi quilt also always has 4 flowers at the corners. This a must-have. Without the flowers, the quilt will look incomplete. 

As for the quilting, it is done by doing running stitches from the outside border going around towards the inside. We don't use any measuring tape or ruler, instead, we learn to measure using our fingers. The space between stitch lines is usually 1 finger apart and you can use any fingers. 

Another unique thing is we should "feed" the quilt before we finish with a few grains of rice. The wisdom behind it is that the quilt must be nurtured, and that is by feeding the quilt so that it will last for along time.

While doing Kawadi, I learned that I should only focus on the patch and stitches that I am working on, don't worry about how it will turn out cos this is supposed to be organic. When we reach the end of one patch, we simply pick up another one, fold and cover the raw edges and move on. We don't need a design wall. The result will always be a surprise. It reflexes who you are and how you feel at the time you make the quilt. It's liberating! 

Most of us finished our quilts before the last class. So on the 3rd meet, Brinda Ma'am told us more history about it and we kinda have a show and tell what quilt we're working on. You can check her experience when she did a residential workshop with Nirmala Akka. 

Check out these few quilts from Nirmala Akka that Brinda Maam shared with us. You can also see her Kawadi Quilts  on her BLOG.

It was a really lovely workshop and I'm looking forward to more! We need to learn this ancient art and preserve the authenticity of this art. 

I'm looking forward to making more of kawadi quilts. I really enjoyed the freedom and the hand quilting process. 

Update: This post is featured on Handmade Monday! Thank you Julie!!

Thank you for stopping by!

Stay safe & happy sewing!

Elvira

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