What are Kantha Quilts?

When speaking of maintaining tradition and craftsmanship in upholstery, Kantha quilts would indeed be on the top of our list as it fits well defining both. Kantha quilts with its everyday regular usefulness and the comfort it provides also adds to the aesthetical value to our interior for instance in bedspreads. Lets learn about the origins of Kantha quilts and how they are made.

Origins of Kantha Quilts

Kantha is a Sanskrit word that literally means Rags while Kantha itself is a form of embroidery style, perhaps one of the oldest hand embroidery methods that originated in South Asia, mainly India and somewhat in Bangladesh. Kantha embroidery, as simple as it is, is not an intricate form of stitches but just the basic running stitches used to create amazing designs.

This is where the quilt gets its name from, as these Kantha quilts are made from three to two layers of recycled sarees that are attached together and handstitched into one artistic piece of quilt using Kantha stitches. Traditionally these are cotton sarees but some may also be created using silk sarees. The outer layers of the Kantha quilts have unspoiled sarees on both sides making it reversible and used both ways. While the middle would have small patches of fabric laid out and spread equally. However, if the outer two layers of sarees are thick enough to be developed into a quilt, a throw or a bedspread, the middle layer is then not required.

As eco-friendly and organic as this old age traditional quilt is so is its popularity among the users. It is still the most famous, widely used and available type of quilts in the rural areas of India. These handstitched quilts are popular and admired mostly because of their simplicity, ingenuity and yet still being aesthetically pleasing for the users. In order to keep its traditional value and exclusivity intact, Kantha Quilts should not be produced commercially but made exactly the way they have been sewn together with love, care and hard work by the Indian women of the rural regions since ages.

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