Nature in Print

by Divya Agrawal

"Nature is what we see,

The Hill, the Afternoon -

Squirrel, Eclipse, the Bumble-bee,

Nay - Nature is Heaven.

Nature is what we hear,

The Bobolink, the Sea -

Thunder, the Cricket -

Nay - Nature is Harmony........"

 By Emily Dickinson (1830-86)

It is the small things in life that give the greatest joys. A thoughtful gesture, your child's loving embrace, moments of quiet and reflection - all are filled with solace and joy. So is a stroll on a tree lined avenue, where one can admire the riches of nature - flowers, leaves, birds - blooming and bountiful, brimming over with life.

Marimekko, on our feature today, is an acclaimed Finnish design house well known for its brightly colored prints, many of them nature inspired. Here's a selection of few that I found delightfully eye-catching. Browse and revel in their beauty in a moment of silence. Wonder at the ways Nature inspires us and the shapes it can take in our imagination..

 

Images: Copyright Marimekko

Text & creative layout copyrights: On the Design Boat  ( www.onthedesignboat.com )

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I N D I G O    D e l i g h t s

by

Divya Agrawal

We are in the midst of Monsoons - four long months that spell 'Water'. This is a season of renewal.  Trees are sprouting new leaves, the dust all washed off. Puddles of water call out for some child like splashing. Hues of blue and green color nature, inviting one to marvel at this stunning transformation. 

Amongst the many variants of blue - Aquamarine, Indigo, Teal, Carmine and Celadon, Indigo holds endless fascination for me. It is a deep, mysterious color that conjures up images of the natural. Used in tapestries, garments, ceramics and more, this color lends a unique hue to create memorable objects. 

Here's an ode to this special color and Monsoon - a handpicked selection of beauties, which I'm sure will tug at your heart too!

Images: 1. Anne Woringer; 2. Yasha Butler; 3. Etsy tomoandedie; 4, 5. Etsy HonestAlchemyCo

Indigo and Madder, both natural dyes are used to a diaphanous effect in this lovely silk scarf. Anne Woringer's artwork "Crop Circles" with orange hand embroidery would be every indigo lover's delight. So would these Ceramic dishes be, reminiscent that they are of nautical forms.

Images: 6. foromicologico.es; 7. Etsy LupenGrainne; 8. Etsy bomobob; 9. Etsy TraceyCapone

This board celebrates Indigo in nature - the Indigo mushroom Lactarius Indigo (had my kids in raptures - who ever knew about blue mushrooms!) and blueberries in snow.

Images: 10,11. Bandhani, Ajrakh gaatha.com; 12. Shibori apoolew2o @ Flickr; 13. Batik Etsy Dellshop

Textiles are perhaps the largest canvas for this color. Indigo dyeing has been practiced across many of the ancient civilizations with India being one of the earliest production centers. 

Bandhani, Ajrakh block printing, Batik and Shibori are some of the traditional techniques used to create unique and much in demand fabrics. I loved 'One Dark Circle' (above), a series of vertical Shibori discs.

Images: 14. Dosa; 15. Etsy WanderingNebula; 16. jillaikoyee.com; 17. Etsy PapiersPrecieux

Being an admirer of Christina Kim's work, I couldn't help including this gorgeous Indigo dress from her label 'Dosa'. The kimono card (Japan also has a long tradition of Indigo dyeing) and hand dyed journey dress are lovely!

Images:Etsy (18. DavisVachon; 19. claycafe) 20. Broste Copenhagen; 21. Etsy (DatedandAntiquated; 22. Delftbluecufflinks)

The ceramic dishes (above no. 20), from Broste Copenhagen's collection 'Nordic Sea' have some unique patterns that conjure up images of frozen landscapes.

Images: All Etsy: 23. LunarBelle; 24. dyeing2meetU; 25. PoleStar; 26. InnerWolf

I am partial to natural stone jewelry - love these neck pieces incorporating agate and quartz.

Images: All Etsy: 27. katyshoestring; 28. scabbyrobot; 29. VLiving; 30. nativevermont

What an unusual Indigo hare!

Images: Works of:   31. Le Corbusier (La Tourette); 32. Carlo Scarpa (Brion Tomb)

Indigo in architecture: In the works of two great Architects, Le Corbusier & Carlos Scarpa. At La Tourette, a Priory in France, Corbusier incorporates one of my favorite palettes - Indigo, ochre and madder.

Images: 33. wewastetime.com; Etsy: (34.  lespetitesmainsS; 35. royaldesignstencils; 36. DekDoi; 37. IndigoMoonLove )

Indigo for kids too! A gorgeous patchwork & embroidery quilt, a little doll in an Indigo dress, tribal weave boots and a tiny Shibori dress, all of which can find a place in this ochre stenciled wood cabinet :)

Images: 39. arumfellow.com; Etsy: (38. bookBW; 40. PerroPaperCo; 41. Aloriam; 42. KONKADA)

The Ikat upholstered chair would be a center piece of any living room. The batik print cushion cover reminds me of Palampore patterns. More of Shibori, now on a greeting card..

Leaving you today on an Indigo high :)

Text & creative layout copyrights: On the Design Boat   

  

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W h e n    M i n d   m e e t s    M a c h i n e

Text: Divya Agrawal

Sewing has been a hobby of mine since long. 

As a child I would make soft toys, gathering patterns from magazines and the odd TV show (those were  pre-internet days) and tiny jackets and dresses for my dear dolls. The transformation of scraps of fabric into something with beauty and utility mesmerized me then and continues to so. 

The world of textile art is vast and magical. One can see textures, pattern and color woven across a collage of materials. Today's feature offers a peak into this world through the works of a textile artist, Sarah Walton.

Sarah is an artist extraordinaire.  She deftly manoeuvers thread with a sewing machine, over  a strategically placed patchwork of fabrics to create portraits and scenes from daily life. 

Sarah works with eye-catching, beautifully patterned fabrics and places them just right in her compositions.

These portraits also point to Sarah's fine grasp over translating human form across mediums and an eye for balance and detail.

These pieces could pass off for the works of a costume designer! I particularly like the lady in blue trousers.

A self portrait?

Exquisite detailing in the pieces above.

Sewing machine - Sarah's tool for expressing the artist within!

Some more happy moments on Sarah Walton's canvas.

We sure will be on the look out for more works from Sarah. Meanwhile, should you feel like adorning a wall in your home with Sarah's work, you may visit her Etsy shop here.

She also does commissions. You may get in touch with her here.

All Images: Copyright Sarah Walton

Text & creative layout copyrights: Onthedesignboat   

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Rediscovering  I N D I A N   T E X T I L E S – I

Text: Hina Nitesh
 

We, in India, are blessed with a rich tradition of hand woven textiles. There is something typical which is crafted in each region but which is slowly being lost to the power loom. We at OTDB thought of starting with a series on rediscovering Indian textiles and bringing them to you. Hope you will enjoy the first in the series...

A red and black hand woven silk sari gifted recently by hubby dear and with which I promptly fell in love made me pick up the theme of this post – I K A T.

Image Courtesy: 1. latestfs.com, 2. linenroom.com.au, 3.onekingslane.com, 4. pintrest.com, 5 & 6. zazzle.com

Ikat is a style of weaving in which threads are tie and dyed before weaving. Depending on where the art form belongs to, it is either the warp or the weft or both the threads which are subjected to dyeing before weaving. 

Image Courtesy: www.jadecouture.blogspot.com

The term, Ikat, finds its origin in the Indonesian language and can be used to mean thread or cord or tied. This weaving technique is popular in many parts of the world and everywhere the artisan has introduced his own nuances which distinguish the fabric from different regions.

Image Courtesy: www.graybotas.wordpress.com

To dye the thread and then weave patterns out of it seems such a difficult task but the skilled weavers are able to visualise patterns in threads. The accuracy of the pattern is checked before weaving by placing the threads on the loom.

Image Courtesy: www.textiletravels.com

Image Courtesy: www.homeworkshop.com

In India, Patan in Gujarat, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh have had a rich tradition of weaving Ikat fabrics. In Gujarat, the process involves the warp and weft threads both being tied and dyed resulting in double Ikat. 

Image Courtesy: www.tradeindia.com

The artisans from Gujarat migrated centuries ago to present day Odisha and Andhra Pradesh and discovered newer techniques. They dye either the warp or the weft thread. The time consuming process resulted in exquisite products which only the royalty could afford. In an effort to preserve the craft, the Rajkot Ikat was born where either the warp or the weft is tied and dyed. This decreases the time consumed to make the fabric and so affordable for the common man. But the patterns are not as intricate as they once were.

Image Courtesy: patanpatola.et

The Indian weavers incorporate motifs from nature that they see around them. It is common to see peacocks, elephants, fish, trees, flowers and geometric squares. Some motifs especially in saris from Odisha are inspired by temple spires from the architecture of the region. 

Image Courtesy: 1. blog.cbazaar.com, 2. gopixpic.com, 3. scraps.oriyaonline.com

These days though, the traditional sari is undergoing change courtesy designer inputs which explore more than the traditional weavers

Image Courtesy: 1&3. translate@jaypore.com, 2. srihitaexports.com

Meanwhile, around the world too the designer fraternity is in love with the feathered Ikat patterns. 

Image Courtesy: 1. omiru.com, 2. ibbdesign.com

The result is that the fabric is used by many designers to showcase their collections. 

Image Courtesy: 1. thefashionables,com 2. translate@jaypore.com

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Image Courtesy: 1. therugcompany.com, 2.christies.com, 3.promov.com, 4. taylorhowes.co.uk, 5. zahaarasanctuary.com, 6. couplehome at etsy.com

Ikat fabrics find a place of pride in homes in the form of curtains, table linen, lamp shades and other home accessories.

Image Courtesy: 1. pageranddesign.com, 2. paintedroom.com, 3. pintrest.com, 4. devieal.com

Image Courtesy: 1.aurumfellow.com, 2. mallymahon.com, 3. decorgirl.net, 4. creativelampshades@etsy.com

Some even take the fascination a bit too far like...

Image Courtesy: thegypsetters.net

Image Courtesy: confessionsofablogvixen.com

Do you have Ikat (it could be any form)? 

Image Courtesy: paperandstitchshop.com, 2. thisisjeune.wordpress.com, 3 athinaeum.com, 4. homedepot.com, 5. chd-relaunch.chdmag com, 6. en.paperblog.com

Send us photographs showcasing how Ikat products are a part of your life. We would love to publish a select few in our blog. So keep us posted.

Text & creative layout copyrights: Onthedesignboat   

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