Hi everyone,
Be warned! This post is full to busting of fabric photos. I make no excuses, my jaw is still on the floor since my daughter arrived home from India last night. I have been spoiled, THOROUGHLY spoiled and I just had to share some photos with you so you can imagine what I will be getting up to over the next few months. You have got no idea how pleased I am that she travels light with a large suitcase!
She was very fortunate to be invited to spend two months with her wonderful local host who made sure she ate well, travelled widely and generally got a taste of what life is really like in India with lots of fun along the way. It has to be the best way to see a new country, sample local culture and customs and make the most of any trip abroad.
If you want to read more about her trip, you can find it in her blog Sun and Cake.
Where’s the fabric, I hear you call….
The instructions were simple, please bring me fabric, sari silk, cotton, batiks, anything that I can make into lovely things. Here are some of the sari silks which are all from Salem in southern India.
I’m going to have so much fun with these.
The photos really don’t do them justice. The shimmer and lustre and silky softness is gorgeous.
Aren’t those tassels lovely?
There are several designs on each piece and they are all huge!
Now for the cottons, also from southern India 
.
Exciting times are ahead!
The quality is fantastic, perfect for patchwork and quilting.
This style can be found on wall murals and works of art.
This one has an interesting chequered weave which doesn’t show up to the naked eye.
Some are block or screen printed with one or more dyes.
This one uses the batik technique with wax. There’s a whole rainbow of underlying colours.
This one is hand painted with gold dye.
The purple parade. You all know I love purple
And finally, some hand painted cottons from Jaipur in northern India.
The pattern is very sparkly
The north Indian fabrics are the same good quality, brilliant for all sewing projects.
Now for your puzzle….
This was another of my requests and I really didn’t expect my daughter to find one, let alone bring one home. I’m going to show you a few detailed photos and I want you to guess what it is that she brought me for my birthday which was on Valentine’s Day while she was away. All of the embroidery has been done by hand.
It would be impossible to show all of the details here so I’ve only picked out some of them. I have no idea how old it is but it is definitely not new. I can only imagine how many hours went into all of the stitching and I’ll treasure it forever .
So, do you know what it is? Would you like to guess?
Have fun guessing!
And finally…. have you heard of the Holi Festival? If not, you can read about it here and see images here.
This is a photo of my daughter on the right and her host (the best tour guide in India) on the left during the Holi Festival. Fun, fun, fun
Oh, to be young again!
Avis x
Sewing Beside the Sea 
Carole
/ March 19, 2014Wow! What gorgeous fabrics. I cannot wait to see what you make with them 🙂
No idea on your puzzle item but the embroidery on it is breathtaking. I’m hoping for a pic of the whole thing in a future post.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014I just keep looking at them and they make me smile 🙂 The embroidery has some wear but I think it adds to the charm. It’ll be going up on my wall 🙂
witchylin
/ March 19, 2014You have been spoiled and you deserve it. Such a wonderful array of beautiful fabrics. Have you managed to wipe the smile from your face. I can just see you as you saw all those fabrics. Boy are you going to have some fun turning them into beautiful things.
As for guessing what the final pictures are, could it be a quilt that you can hang on the wall? 😉
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014Thank you Lin. No, I’m still smiling and I think I will be for quite some time. I still need to get my hands on a couple of her tunics. The scissors are ready and waiting LOL. Yes, the embroidery is a wall hanging or maybe could be laid over a bed. I’ll be hanging this one high up above the stairs I think 🙂
minerva
/ March 19, 2014What wonderful fabrics she’s found. There’s no end of fabulous projects you can make with those although it seems a shame to cut some of them up…..No idea what the embroidery is but I can’t wait to find out!
Alison x
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014I don’t have any problem cutting up fabric 🙂 She knew that was the intention from the outset. Her hosts Mum knew where the best fabric shop was in town and they headed straight there. Local knowledge certainly helps. All will be revealed on the embroidery very soon 🙂
rutigt
/ March 19, 2014You really have a wonderful daughter! Can I borrow her (LOL)?? So many nice fabrics, yes you should do a happy dance and hug and kiss your daughter!!!!
Gun, Sweden
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014Be careful what you say Gun. My daughter never refuses an offer to travel and she hasn’t been to Sweden yet LOL. The fabrics are really lovely 🙂
Clare
/ March 19, 2014Oh my! What a wonderful collection!
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014It certainly is! Lots of fun in store 🙂
fallfromgrace349
/ March 19, 2014You have an amazing daughter! Those fabrics are a treat for the eye! 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014It was lovely to have her back home again after such a long trip and opening the suitcase was a real treat 😉
fallfromgrace349
/ March 20, 2014Hehe I bet 🙂
Isabel's Needleworks
/ March 20, 2014The fabrics are gorgeous!!!! your daughter chose some really fabulous designs for her mom 🙂 as for your puzzle ..I have no idea but I can tell it’s amazing !!!
Izz
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014I just asked her to buy bright and/or interesting patterns. I particularly love the ones with the little men in spirals. The answer to the puzzle will be revealed soon 🙂
Blu
/ March 20, 2014What a wonderful lot of fabric! Your daughter picked some gorgeous designs and it looks like she had a ton of fun 🙂
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014It is gorgeous! She’s had so much fun and learned so much about life in India, past and present 🙂
stitchinggrandma
/ March 20, 2014Drooling over the beautiful fabrics. My daughter lives in Africa; and she sent me some fabrics for Christmas; which I look at every day, and have not made plans for yet. I just love to see them!! A friend of mine has some experience with this type of fabric and suggested I put paper on the ironing board and iron the fabric before washing, to remove any excessive wax residue. I plan to “wash prior to cutting” because the colors are so bright, and I want to make sure whatever I make isn’t going to be damaged by color running. I wonder about your plans with the fabric from India and if your daughter came back with “instructions” from the shops on fabric care?
My guess on the embroidered piece is a wall hanging of some religious significance.
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 20, 2014You are quite right it is a wall hanging (without a hanger) but I don’t think it is of any religious significance. Maybe you could enlighten me about that when I reveal it soon. I can imagine your fabrics from Africa will be vibrant which I love. Mine came with no washing/care instructions but I will be careful and do some testing before taking the plunge. I don’t usually wash fabrics before using them for quilts but it is a possibly it with these ones. I think it’ll depend on whether I’m making quilts or wall hangings, we’ll see. I suspect the gold paint on one of my fabrics is wax from batik which is unfinished. I’ll soon know the answer to that when I iron a small area. I definitely won’t be washing the silk first.
stitchinggrandma
/ March 22, 2014It was a wild guess on my part that it was a religious wall hanging.
Teje
/ March 22, 2014Hi Avis! I missed this post and I’m so happy I saw it now, just amazing – everything looks so beautiful, fantastic, gorgeus!!! I can’t even guess what your mystery is – I didn’t read yet your next post – no – I give up and go to read it… x Teje
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ March 22, 2014He-he! I’m so pleased you didn’t peep first 😉
thesewingwren
/ April 14, 2014You lucky lucky thing! What beautiful treasures your daughter brought back for you, she a treasure herself (but you must know that!) I bet you must be quivering with excitement of what to do first… Thank you sooooOOoooo much for sharing all of these gems with “us” readers. I am now off to read about her adventure…
Best wishes, Jay TheSewingWren
Sewing Beside the Sea
/ April 14, 2014Yes, she’s home now but still telling stories about her travels 🙂 I’m still looking at all the fabrics myself. I keep taking them all out and putting them back again. I have far too many ideas at the moment so it will be a while before I decide to use any of them. Thank you for your lovely comment and for visiting my blog 🙂