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
lovelucie1
/ March 19, 2014Wow! Didn’t she do well. And you’ve lots of pieces that work well together. No idea what you beaded item is. You will let us know?
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014She certainly did :-) Yes, all will be revealed very soon!
Denby
/ March 19, 2014Wow!! Fantastic. You’ll never be out of your sewing room now. Can’t wait to see what you make.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014If only someone would lock me in there. I’d promise not to bang on the door or try to escape ;-)
treadlemusic
/ March 19, 2014Back in the early ’70s I did lots of embroidery on the clothes I made for myself……afterall…..it was the “Age of Aquarius”!!!! LOL! And I do spy some embroidery framed mirrors on the puzzle piece. The mirrors I used were imported from India!!! The silks are………….ahhh-maze-ing!!!!!!!! It will be a while before you dare to take scissors to any of them, I suspect!!!!!
What a fantastic trek for her!!!!! And a very belated “Happy B’day”!!!!! Hugs…………………….
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014It was an amazing trip made so much more fun by the local people who made her so welcome. About the scissors….no they were destined for the chop before she even bought them and she knew that was the intention. I even had my eye on a couple of tunics that she bought to wear while she was out there. I haven’t got my hands on them yet but I will ;-)
treadlemusic
/ March 20, 2014:-)
Eleanor Gordon
/ March 20, 2014You will not!! :p
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Oh no :-(
Eleanor Gordon
/ March 20, 2014Oh yes! You should have ordered tunics as well if you wanted to cut them up! ;)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Ah but I didn’t know they were soooo nice ;-)
Audrey-58daydreams
/ March 19, 2014I LOVE fabric!!! Thanks for the cool post :-)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014It is beautiful. There’s so much fun to be had with this lot!
katechiconi
/ March 19, 2014I’m suffering from severe fabric envy…. and the embroidery detail on your Mystery Object is just stunning.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I’ve tried to count how many different types of beads there are but failed. As for your fabric envy, I know the feeling :lol:
mtetar
/ March 19, 2014Beautiful Fabrics sure worth posting. Blessings, Mtetar
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Thank you Mtetar. I’m still looking at them and don’t want to put them away yet :-)
Granny Maud's Girl
/ March 20, 2014My mum and I are dreaming of and planning a trip to India. If I showed her your fabric photos, she would be packing her bags today! Beautiful!
How did your daughter get all that in a suitcase? How will you decide what to make? How will you bear to cut them up? (I saw a lovely bedspread in a recent edition of Period Living magazine.)
I have no idea what loveliness your mystery gift is.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014So many questions LOL! She travels so light. I’ve known her to go abroad for two weeks with a laptop sized back pack. That way, there’s no need to wait for luggage at the other end. So, this time, she was sent away with a large suitcase, virtually empty and came back with it just inside the weight limit :-) I have several ideas already but there is plenty to play with. The sari silks are all 2.5 metres and the cottons are mostly 2 metres with a couple 1 metre bits. I have no problem cutting up cloth once I’ve decided what to do with it but I’ll be a bit more tentative with the silks because I know they won’t be easy to sew. I imagine fine needles and tension adjustments will be required.
Granny Maud's Girl
/ March 22, 2014I envy those who know how to travel light. Enjoy playing with all your treasure!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 23, 2014I will ;-)
Amanda
/ March 20, 2014Wow! What treasures!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I know! Fun, fun, fun :-)
Jule
/ March 20, 2014Gorgeous fabrics! I’m sure your daughter has got a sore back now from carrying her suitcase. :) I’ve got an idea about your mystery object because I’ve seen pillow covers made like this. Suppose yours is a little larger than that. ;)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Yes, it is larger than pillows. All will be revealed soon :-)
Maryanne
/ March 20, 2014Oh my goodnes…..I am in fabric heaven!!!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Me too :-) As soon as she let me know she’d been fabric shopping, I just wanted her home LOL!
Maryanne
/ March 23, 2014hahaha, I can imagine….what a wonderful daughter you have!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 23, 2014Correct in one ;-)
sonyamayhem
/ March 20, 2014They are beautiful! I’m going to guess – and this might be completely ridiculous – the headdress or blanket from an elephant?? I know, that’s just crazy….
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014Your are so close and yet completely wrong at the same time. You’ll see what I mean when I reveal the whole thing soon :-)
claire93
/ March 20, 2014I think I’m going to send MY daughter to India with an empty suitcase lol
Wow – loads of gorgeous vivid fabrics, you really have been spoiled. I’m guessing the embroidered and beaded piece is some kind of long dress/tunic?
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I happen to know your stash is quite big enough for now LOL. No, it isn’t an item of clothing….
salpal1
/ March 20, 2014Holy cow, what a lot of gorgeous fabric!!!!! I would just want to look at it, not cut it up and sew with it. AMAZING that she was able to bring it all back with her. Not a clue what the beautiful mystery is, but I can see it is a treasure.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I’m going to look for a long time and then the scissors will find it :-) Then when it is all gone, I can send her back for more!
salpal1
/ March 21, 2014she will be glad to go, I am sure. :-)
Patch
/ March 20, 2014OMG!!! Avis, what a gorgeous collection of fabrics. What a wondeful daughter you have. I have been to India but sadly didn’t take a nearly empty suitcase. It was at a time when I wasn’t sewing but I did get to buy my own sari. The ladies from the village we were staying in then came to measure us and took the end piece of the sari to make into the little top that is worn underneath. It was all sewn by hand. I am loving all your gorgeous photos. I’m not sure but I am guessing your mystery object is a decorative blanket for an elephant maybe??
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I’ve always admired sari fabrics so I’m pleased to have some now. I haven’t been to India but the more I hear about it, the more I’d love to go. Again, you are so close with your guess but miles away at the same time. All will be revealed soon :-)
linnyjcreations
/ March 20, 2014Your new fabrics are gorgeous. I bet your daughter really loved celebrating Holi. How funny that we both posted about Holi on our blogs at the same time but our inspiration came from different sources.
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 20, 2014I know! When I saw your photo I was shouting for my daughter to come and see it. It looks like great fun to me :-)
SarahZ
/ March 22, 2014Oh! Wow! Such a fabric feast!!! Thank you for sharing all those photos! I would have to guess the embroidered piece must be some kind of wall hanging..I can’t imagine a table cloth or wearable with so much embellishment! I look very forward to seeing it in all it’s glory, tho!!! :)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 22, 2014Yes, it’s going to be a wall hanging when I decide how to hang it :-) It’s coming up soon!
ipatchandquilt
/ March 22, 2014oh oh OHHHHH that is a wonderful collection of new fabrics!!! I adore the cotton the most and I gotten an idea for a piece of silk I have lying around. Thank you for the inspiration!
Esther
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 22, 2014Now I’m intrigued :-)
ipatchandquilt
/ March 22, 2014In 2001 I went to Syria for an art history trip. (Most of the places in the daily news I visited and it is heartbreaking to see the country destroyed) I bought a gorgeous green and golden silk tablecloth that has been in a cabinet ever since. What If I turn that cloth into a whole cloth quilt? I think I could pull it off this summer!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 22, 2014Oh wow! That sounds amazing. Will you quilt by hand or machine? The sari silks are going to be a real challenge because they are so slippery. Even sewing them is going to be difficult I think, never mind the quilting. I might start with some small projects first.
ipatchandquilt
/ March 22, 2014I think I will be quilting by machine. This silk is not so slippery, actually a little bit rough. I have no idea how to tackle this fabric. I will do research first. The fabric is a souvenir to a wonderful and inspiring trip and I would like to be reminded of it more often. Maybe I should turn it into a wall hanging so I will see it every day. Oh, I just have way too many plans! LOL!
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 22, 2014That sounds like a great idea :-) I’ll be interested in your progress. I’m in the “Way too many plans club” too!
candiharris
/ March 24, 2014WOW! What amazing pictures:) you could lay down and roll in it! Lol. Thanks foe sharing, what a delight:)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ March 25, 2014LOL Yes, they are really lovely :-)
squarebird
/ March 30, 2014What a fabric heaven! Those colours and patterns really are stunning! :)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ April 3, 2014I just keep looking at them over and over and can’t decide what to do with them. Too many ideas :-)
squarebird
/ April 3, 2014Yes, I bet your mind is swirling :D What a delight!
squarebird
/ April 3, 2014Did you get my message that the little chicken has arrived in Germany?
Oh Sew Tempting
/ April 6, 2014No, I didnt get the message but I know now. Thank you :-)
squarebird
/ April 7, 2014Glad you know now. There’s a great picture of the chicken looking proud on the winner’s blog :)
Oh Sew Tempting
/ April 13, 2014I’m off to take a look :-)