Of course, you can’t be in Another World without exploring the retail options.  India is a textile lover’s paradise, with all sorts of fabrics both hand and machine woven, ranging from the humble to the outrageous.  I can’t buy it all.  In fact, I can’t buy very much, especially compared to the vast volume I covet.  But I am keeping my eye out for special items, with special purposes in mind.

First, I’ve written about Kasuti embroidery before.  I’ve been on the lookout for an example, but so far, I’ve not seen anything.  Not so much as scrap.  Perhaps when we go to Kerala next month we’ll see some, but I suspect that given its intricate nature and simple presentation, it is not being made in quantity for sale any more, because other more showy work of less labor can sell for more.

But I did find this piece. It’s NOT hand-made.  It’s machine embroidered sari, using traditional colors and patterns on an all-cotton ground.  In terms of scale, the stitches are about twice as large as the museum pieces I saw here in Pune, and in Delhi.  But it’s unmistakably part of the heritage, and the seller was very surprised that I recognized it as such.

I have also found some trim for my long-delayed library curtain project.  The 1 inch wide red paisley at the bottom is actually hand-stitched.  I’m not sure what to do with the blingy gold at the top, but it was so over the top and of such a typical Renaissance configuration, that I had to buy it.  A use will present itself, I am sure.  Aside:  most borders and trims here in India are sold in single piece 9-meter lengths, the optimal length for application onto a standard sari.

Also at the same store as the red trim, I found some silk embroidery floss. 

This stuff is quite fine, with the individual strands being significantly thinner than Soie d’Alger, my go-to silk for countwork.  I got a bunch in assorted colors, each big bundle containing 10 skeins, and the skeins being 10 rupees apiece.  That’s about 16 cents US at the current exchange rate.  I will probably go back and get more, although the range of colors was rather attenuated.

And finally, I got a yard of real silk canvas.  My signet ring is shown for scale.  

What to make of this?  Given the silk threads above, I’m thinking of something along the lines of this piece:

This is a 17th century sampler in the collections of The Art Institute of Chicago (Museum #2008.627).  It’s worked on a gauze ground in darning and double running stitch (among others).  It’s not going to happen any time soon, but the materials are now in my hands and ready.