100 Day Project - Day 11

 

The Hundred Day Project - Day 11

deconstructed serendipity diary

Kantha quilt scraps

Vintage kantha quilts are made of three to seven layers of cloth, no batting, held together with kantha stitching: lines of running stitches, hundreds upon hundreds. One of my favorite things to do is to discover those hidden textiles. Usually, they are worn, stained or patched, living another life as  warmth-giving layers.

 

When I remove the stitching to get at them, I never fail to take a moment to think of the anonymous hands that put together the original quilt, that threaded the needle, that made those lines and lines of  tiny stitches.

I've begun a practice of taking a small square of a kantha scrap, deconstructing it, and stitching each piece to a backing in the order in which it was stacked together. 

This is the record of three kantha quilts. The top and bottom pieces are the seen layers. The middle pieces are what was hidden inside. It's all random, what appears on the inner layers, which part of a pattern, the colors. Serendipity.

 

100 Day Project - Day 10

 

 

 

The Hundred Day Project - Day 10

 

Pin. 

Kantha quilt scraps.

 

 

 

100 Day Project - Day 9

 

The Hundred Day Project - Day 9

 

Pin. 

Kantha quilt scraps. 

100 Day Project - Day 8

 

The Hundred Day Project - Day 8

 

Pin.

Kantha quilt scraps. 

 

100 Day Project - Day 7

 

 

 

 

 

The Hundred Day Project - Day  7

 

Pin.

Kantha quilt scraps.

100 Day Project - Day 6

 

 The Hundred Day Project - Day 6

 Word Bit.
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“I loved, was loved, the sun kissed my face”
-Amado Nervo

100 Day Project - Day 5

 Pin.
Kantha scraps.

100 Day Project - Day 4

 

The Hundred Day Project -Day 4

small stitchery. scraps of vintage kantha quilts.
I cannot take credit for the small running stitches that (to my mind) make this stitchery lovely.
I work with scraps from artisans who work with bigger scraps. Upcycled X 2.
And I always take a moment to admire and say thanks to the unknown stitcher who made those tiny running stitches on a piece that was originally of a size to keep a person warm in bed.

 

Stitch kit for travel

For travel, I've found I can get a lot of stitching mileage in this little 6" X 8" packing cube.

A quart baggie of fabric bits and bobs plus this tin for thread and other tools gives me ample creative time with needle, cloth and thread.  And it's so compact that it easily slips into my suitcase or backpack wherever there might be a wee bit of void space.

Essentials in the tin: #9 & #10 needles on magnets stuck to the lid, a pin or two; folding scissors (though there is enough room in the cube to include my smallest Fiskar's and I usually do), needle threader (two, because if one breaks I will never be able to thread a needle), and a variety of thread and floss. 

A lovely amount of fabric scraps can be stuffed into a quart bag, too.

If I wanted to be really minimalist,  I could leave the baggie and just take the tin. A couple of these would fit, folded into the tin, and I'd still have much stitching amusement.