hat -making process

8/16/2019 Hat -Making Process

1/10

1

HISTORY OF THE CRAFT

Kantha is an indigenous household craft, made the rural women in West Bengal; it is a

specialty of Bolpur-Santiniketan and remains also the most creative of all embroidery

styles in this part of India.Origins:

Kantha also means throat. The name Nilakanth is given to Lord Shiva, literally meaning,

“blue throat” after he swallowed the poison that arose as a result of the churning of theocean, It is also known as the “Throat charka”. The origin of Kantha traces its history to a

period not less than a thousand years. Its images reach back to even earlier sources, pre-and post- Vedic. Some symbols such as the tree of life, the swirling cosmos, and the sun

are taken from the primitive art. The later influence of Hinduism, in the making of

Kanthas for religious ceremonies, pujas, weddings and births, gave the art its place as avehicle of significant cultural meaning. The textile printing tradition of Bengal dates back

to a few centuries. Wooden block printing on cotton and silk have achieved a distinction

in the Serampur Hooghly district. Batik printing done mainly by women have undergoneyears of experimentation. If ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must

have been in the field of quilt making. Women, all over the world, took up the

responsibility of providing everybody with the warmth against the cold. Kantha making

is a “women’s art” .It was the Bengali housewife who helped the art of embroidery toevolve. From embroidering her husband’s initials on his handkerchief to sewing pieces of

discarded cloth with colorful threads to make Kantha, the lady of the house busied herself

with needle and thread as soon as her domestics’ chores were over.The earliest mention of Bengal Kantha is found in the book, “Sri Chaitanya

Charitamrita”, by Krishnadas Kaviraj which was written some five hundred years back.

There the poet says, Sachi, the mother of Chaitanya, sent a homemade Kantha to her son

at Puri through some pilgrims. The same Kantha still can be viewed in Gambhira, at Puri,displayed in a glass case.

The second earliest reference is in Zaman’s book about the famous artist A. Tagore. Whoseemed to have encountered a woman in a village in a district of Srihatta of Bangladesh,

who recorded her life story in her Kantha spanning a period starting from her marriage to

old age. Bengal Kantha making is a little different from other quilting artistry. The

material is different as well as the stitching method.From a very long time, Bengal cotton and silk have been known in the world market for

its finesse and quality. Bengal “muslin” was an item of export even at Perecles’s time.

When such beautiful creations were worn and old, Bengal women did not see any reasonto throw them away. Beautiful sari borders were preserved, the soft dhotis were placed

layer upon layer and stitched in sari borders; thus started the first recycling art of theworld. The stitching patterns of Bengal Kanthas are simple, but it can be very intricatedepending on the inclination of the Kantha maker. Bengal Kantha makers reflect their

traditions in choosing their designs. The real value of Kantha embroidery lies in its fine

craftsmanship and vignette of daily folk life motifs being a favourite of the embroiderers.

In Bengal, Kanthas were originally used as baby’s diapers, or wrappers for layingnewborn babies in the courtyard while they were massaged with mustard oil. The idea of

using this embroidery commercially, originated more in urban groups. The number of


2/10

2

layers used to vary according to the use of which the Kantha was meant. Normally the

top and bottom layers of a Kantha were white or of a very light color, so that theembroidery done with faded threads drawn from the sari borders were not lost. At present

day, due to the high cost of handcrafted materials, Kantha making for the baby’s diaper is

not cost effective at all. However, in the early seventies, there had been a revival in

Kantha art in both the Bengals. Sreelata Sirkar derived inspiration from Pratima Devi ofSantiniketan and started designing Kanthas for teamwork. Thus, she not only received a

dying art, but also made room for a great economic activity for West Bengal women.

Kantha is characterized by the pattered running stitches.

History of the meaning: Kantha is like a personal diary, a letter one writes to a particular person, and is not meant

to be ready by all. In East Bengal the Kantha was a personal expression, an art-craft that

was made spontaneously, even whimsically. It was never commissioned by rulers, norordered by the landed gentry. No two pieces are the same. It was craft that was practiced

by women of all rural classes, the rich landlord’s wife making her own elaborateembroidered quilt in her leisure time, and the tenant farmer’s wife making her own

thrifty, coverlet, equal in beauty and skill. The Kantha is an invocation to the gods andspirits for the prosperity and protection of the family. A real Kantha is able to narrate a

story, and is much more compact in design and it is made out of used materials. It has

been passed on for generations, from mothers to daughters and is largely a “dowry”tradition.

It shows signs of decline today, beginning with the urban area, where career women have

no time for such “pedestrian” skills. The pastoral tribes, whose mainstay for the womenhas been embroidery, did not have the impetus to market their goods to generate a

comfortable income. Traditional embroidery is so interlinked with every dimension ofliving, and often an esoteric idiom, that it is nearly impossible to slot them into

categories. Very often, the embroidery traditions in each region point community reveal

caste identities, status and the village of its origin. The Hindu Kantha makers would tendto choose from religion motifs, like gods and goddesses, the “alpanas” representing lotus

flower, conch shells, various birds and beast like peacock, parrots, elephants, lion, tiger,

whereas the Muslim women are usually restricted to geometrical designs and plants and

flowers. Within that restriction, they are able to create wonderful artifacts in “ jainamazKantha”, “ dastarkhan”, or “gilaf embroidery”.

The craft is being practiced today by millions women mainly in the districts of BirbhumBurdwan, Hooghly, 24 Parganas North and South and Murshidabad. Even as it has

evolved from being a subsistence activity done for personal satisfaction and

metamorphosed itself to a viable economic activity, Kantha still maintains a strongcultural and social significance in the Bengali society. It has become a mean of livelihood

today and yet maintains itself as a household craft in many senses. Many of the women

engaged in this craft continue to practice it from within their homes.


3/10


4/10


5/10

5

METHODOLOGY OF THE PROCESS STEP BY STEP

Phase 1:The artisans design the patterns on sheets of paper; first, they learn how to cut the sheets

according to the good measures with the help of one of our volunteer; then they start practicing in the frame.

Artisans taking the measures of the sheet of paper.

Artisans designing.


6/10

6

Phase 2: Once the best designs are selected, the artisans pierce them with needle on atracing paper.

Artisans at Design drawing and tracing!!!!!!!!!

Phase 3:

The artisans cut the cloth according to the same measures that are required for the size of

the hat;


7/10

7

Phase 4:

The artisans can now print the cloth; they use the tracing paper which has been piercedand a black product – a mix of alcohol and black powder – so that the print will not fade.

But all the originality of the hats remains in the fact that the motifs are printed in a certain

disposition; hence, half of the motif is printed at both end of the cloth so that the final

shape will present the motif in full.


8/10

8

Phase 4:

The designs are colored by the artisans and the selection of the most beautiful is done.

Phase 5:

The artisans can now start stitching the cloth following their pattern.

Hat –making by Unit1 Hat –making by Unit2

The top and the brim of the Hats are then tailored and stitched to the embroideredpiece of cloth.

Hat prototype

IISD-TD-N-14 Wide brim canvas hat with Kantha stitch

done on the

Visible vertical surface all around the

hat.

Size: 23 inches


9/10

9

Unit 1 at work Unit2 at work

Instructor Jahanara begum training

Sari by Unit 1 Sari by Unit 2


10/10

10

The coin Purses are made, first by embroidering the stretch cloth for the body ofthe coin purse. Then with the use of setters, piping, buckram and card board the

purse is tailored into the final product.

Same embroidery done on different fabrics

like pure silk and Bangalore silk

Artisans communicating ably with customers

hat -making process

Documents