Siddi/Kawandi Quilting

I began a textile adventure at the start of this winter that I have contemplated for many a year - hand quilting.  For all the amazing fabrics I've been fortunate to have access to, it was ultimately a humble selection of Indian garment remnants that finally stirred me to put a hand needle into quilting action.  Sourced on a joyous late summer's day at the vibrant Sussex Prairie Gardens Bazaar Indian Market, I lovingly fingered my textile treasures for some weeks and pondered how I could work with them.  As autumn gave way to low light winter days, little could I imagine how my treasures would brighten my days and I continue to look at my modest hand quilt achievement in wonder.

Whenever I have thought of quilting, there has always been a strong urge to stay true to the roots of this much loved heritage craft.  Derived from the Latin word culcita meaning to bolster or cushion, the first known example of quilting was a garment depicted on an ivory carving from the ancient Egyptian First Dynasty.  Quilting became part of the needlework tradition from the 15th century for both clothing and housefhold use.  Originally quilted items were 'wholecloth' and 'patchwork' quilting started in the late 18th century and was in many respects, the first example of 'upcycling'.  It is this repurposing of fabric that would otherwise be relegated to waste that has always appealed to me and these were my modest Indian textile remnants that started my journey. 

It also felt important to work with my fabrics in an authentic way and after a little research I came upon the Siddi women of Western India.  Early African imigrants, one of the traditions they have retained in their culture is the creation of colourful quilts called 'Kawandi'.  Made from patches of well worn clothing and often backed onto old saris, their striking and creative quilts adorn any Siddi village and are routinely used.  Others before me have been equally drawn by their tradition and have initiated exhibitions and their own quilting journeys.  This short write up by Henry John Drewel gives a little insight into the cultural setting.

As the UK autumn days shortened, I dilegently researched how this hand quilting technique was worked.  How I envied those who had been able to travel to Siddi villages and sit in person to see the technique in action.  And so one one early winter's day, I laid a piece of hand blocked printed Indian cotton on a pair of my studio tables followed by a piece of beautiful wool wadding.  After folding the edge of the backing fabric around the wadding, I started to cut, position and hand stitch my first line of blocks of varying widths - the constitant height gave me a chance to get use to constructing and hand quilting at the same time.

I had learnt from studying many Siddi quilt photographs, that there were a number of traditions in adding particular shapes and one of these was an 'L' shape in quilt corners.  Concerned at the beginning about running out of fabrics, my colour choices for these were conservative and I wished later that I had acquired extra remmants earlier than I did.  I hand stitched throughout in a perle 12 cotton thread in a light beige colour - this is much finer than the white cotton thread traditionally used.  I kept my hand stitching to a size that I could comfortably work without hooping or putting in a frame, neither of which was an option.  

I also have to admit that unlike Siddi women who sit on the ground to work, I sat at a table.  While I'm still reasonably adept at sitting on a floor, I had a strong desire to keep my work  flat to help me stitching straight lines - old habits die hard!  I also admit to using pins to hold blocks in place as I worked.  I did try to avoid using an iron to press under seams and used a wallpaper edge roller most of the time which was great for cottons and silks.  Siddi quilters use none of these things, which is something I still marvel at.

My colour palette is best described as autumnal and I wanted to keep a vibrant feel.  Where I had worked with larger blocks that I wanted to break up, I placed small square pieces that the Siddi quilters call 'Tikeli'.  I also became increasingly confident in adding flashes of 'bright' in colours that I had disguarded in my intial fabric selections.  As I started each line of blocks, I did so without a plan and chose colours and sizes one or two blocks ahead at a time intuitively.  Sometimes a whole line of blocks happened comfortably in an hour and sometimes this line took a whole afternoon!

Beyond the first row of blocks, I avoided keeping blocks in straight lines as much as possible.  I became increasing aware, however, that each folded under horizontal block edge did need to be stitched. The stitch lines are worked in rounds and turning corners generally took the most thinking.  I learnt too that some types of remnants were much easier to work with than others and that I could be kindly to myself by folding under edges on the more stable fabrics and placing the less stable ones beneath.  While the wool wadding ultimately made the quilt beautifully soft and tactile, it had a life unlike any cotton wadding I had ever worked with!  Slowly my fingers adjusted and I became increasingly drawn to work on the quilt and felt excited by the prospect of the next stitching session.

By the time preparations for Christmas came knocking, placing and stitching a round of blocks had became decidely quicker.  I felt happy with my colour choices and much to my surprise, there was only one point in the whole quilt where I removed a block - after attempting to introduce a new fabric that somehow jarred with me.  While the whole process to that point had been relaxing and medative in a way I had rarely experienced with stitching before, I felt a sense of aprehension as I got closer to the quilt centre.  I started to measure where my stitch lines would end up, which was helpful in that it gave me confidence that my 1" spaced stitch lines would work.   It did, however, make me feel increasingly concerned about what I would do at the centre point and I found myself mulling this over way too often!

On a bleak Saturday after New Year, kindly students Marie and Alison came to look at my progress and listen to my ramblings about how my centre could be worked.  While I did make a plan as a result of their helpful comments, the reality was when I started stitching again I did something completely different!  And here is the ultimate joy of Siddi quilting - it happens and is enjoyed one block at a time.  How fitting it was that I should happen upton this technique in a further pandemic year when living in the day was way easier than any form of planning ahead.  And so in the first week in January 2022, my centre was completed and I left the final stitch to be taken quietly on a mellow day.

I am so grateful to all those who suported me in my hand quilting journey.  Of particular note, are my friends Chris and Marius, who took interest in my ideas and aspirations from the very beginning.  As much as I loved my hand quilting experience beyond words, I would have made it a whole lot easier had I done what I now recommend to others who would like to learn this technique - make a sampler!  With Indian fabric remnants now in abundance, I spent a delightful Saturday quietly hand stitching this example for students.  How pleasurable and satisfying it was to stitch on a smaller scale and to try out a new colour scheme.  Plus I also included the traditional Siddi 'Phulas' at the corners - folded pieces of fabric that must be added for a quilt not to be considered naked!  Having realised that I really liked them, I went back and added these onto my main quilt.

One of the biggest suprises of my hand quilting adventure is the number of people that it has interested.  A modest creation by modern quilting standards, there is clearly something about slow stitching with fabric remnants that resonates with others as it has with me.  The many hours I sat in this seat in my studio will always remain with me and I am delighted to be inspiring others to work this technique in my studio workshops