HAND CRAFTED MATERIALS

Item's made by hand and require a certain level of skill to create are known as hand-crafted materials. Different materials are used such as textiles, rigid or flexible materials, paper, plant fibres, plastics and metals. Many craftsmen also up-cycle mass produced materials to create unique artisan products, a trend on the rise with people becoming more in tune with the earth and being eco-friendly. Traditional techniques are more commonly used to create practical, ascetically pleasing items for personal use and also to sell.

Quite often there are cultural, religious and even political significance in hand crafted materials. Like fashion, crafts gain popularity over periods of time and then fade away as trends change. For example, patchwork was popular in America during the Great Depression in the 1930's. It was a favourable household accessory, keeping people warm in bed at night for over a decade and only declined after World War II was over and the economic boom took over.

There are many different techniques within this trade and some I am going to focus on for this project are:

• Bagh Print
• Embroidery
• Patchwork
• Quilting
• Couching

Bagh Print

Bagh Print is an Indian handicraft, it started in 1962 by Muslim Khatri artisan who originated from Sindh (now in Pakistan) but later migrated to Bagh, bringing the block printing technique with them and it is here where the technique got it's name. To achieve this result the craftsmen treat cotton and silk cloth in a corrosive mix of Iron, Alum and Alizarin. Traditionally, highly skilled craftsmen would fill in the design by hand before washing the fabric in the river and then hanging it out in the sun to dry. Floral and geometric motifs are mostly complimented with red and black colours when creating these beautiful fabrics.

Embroidery

Embroidery originates all the way back to the 5th-3rd BC in ancient China. It was traditionally used to mend or reinforce cloth but it was the development of different stitching techniques how embroidery was created.  The different types of stitch used are chain stitch, cross stitch, satin stitch and blanket/buttonhole stitch. Ends of fabric would be reinforced with running stitch, back stitch, stem stitch and whipstitching. Later the technique began getting used to decorate fabrics using needle and thread, beads, sequins, knitting wool and metal strips. It can be made in any colour and today craftsmen most commonly use the technique on collars, cuffs, dress shirts, hats, blankets, rugs and denim.

Patchwork

Patchwork requires sewing many pieces of fabric together to make one large piece of fabric and if done creatively, a piece of art is made. The earliest samples of patchwork date back to around 5000 years ago in China and have also been found in Egyptian tombs. Other examples have been found from the early middle ages where soldiers used layers of fabrics to keep them warm and protected in their armour but it weren't until the 11th to 13th centuries that the technique began appearing in peoples homes where people patched together fabrics to help keep them warm in bed at night. Patchwork made a comeback in America during the great depression and the trend lasted over a decade before fading away after World War II.

In India, patchwork is seen as art and is commonly known as Kaudhi where different pieces of fabric are stitched together to create garments such as blankets for new born babies and skirts for Lambani tribal women. Lambani women are known for their 'Lepo' embroidery where they embroider beads, coins and bits of mirror onto fabrics creating beautiful decorative fabrics.

Quilting

Quilting requires a minimum of 2 layers of fabric stitched together to create a thicker material. Most commonly, wadding or some other sort of stuffing is used in between 2 fabrics and stitch together to create a padded piece of fabric. Quite commonly stitching runs throughout the material and can be done in a decorative way. The technique is used for jacket lining, bed spreads and wall hangings as it makes for a great insulator. With quilting, other techniques are needed to complete the product and those techniques are binding, appliqué and piecing to name a few. The origin of the technique is unknown but it is estimated the earliest findings of quilting have dated back to 3400 BC to a carved ivory figure of a Pharaoh of the Egyptian Dynasty. Another finding dates back to 100 BC where archaeologists discovered a Mongolian floor covering in 1924.

Couching

Couching is a type of embroidery which requires zig-zag stitching over a piece of knitting wool to create a decorative finish and it dates back to the late 1070's, where it can be seen in the Bayeux Tapestry. The technique has been proven to be popular in Bethlehem where it is used for wedding dresses and formal attire. Sicily, Japan and Central Asia are also fans of the technique and it has showed up in Italy and France on rare occasions too.