under the tree

The tree skirt is done just in time to put under our first Christmas tree.

And I think I might have seen ‘someone’ peeking from behind the tree while we were finishing the decorating…

This is last year’s picture. Even though we didn’t put a tree then, we remembered to leave a warm glass of milk and plate full of cookies on the window sill. Santa seemed to have enjoyed few quiet moments in-between climbing down the chimneys.

Some of the ornaments on the tree are vintage finds and other trinkets are from our travels in India. We had a good time unwrapping each one and reminiscing their whereabouts.

This sweet angel is a very dear present from Terri.

Now for the actual facts and figures, Santa is from a vintage kit that I got on ebay two years ago. Later I tried to locate Mrs.Claus as well but with not much luck.

~The pattern for the tree skirt is in ‘Quilts and More’ winter 2007 issue.
~The border fabric is from Wash tub’s Santa Claus Lane collection. And the fabric sprawled with toys is Nutcracker sweet. It is on sale at equilter now in soft blue.

(one of last year's window displays in New York city)

A very Merry Christmas! May all your Christmas wishes come true (* u *)

Joseph's coat

I’m imagining a spring quilt just when the winter whites are setting in.

It all started when Kellie at Don’t look now proposed a quilt-along of Joseph’s coat pattern. And this pattern sings spring to me with its delicate petals.

…since there are so many of them, prepping the petals while happily munching on a chewy gooey ginger cookie seems like a perfect way to fritter away these chilly afternoons.

I think it’s going to be a scrappy quilt with whatever I could find in my 30’s pile but also lots of dots.

The inspiration for this quilt is Eileen’s adorable dolly quilt that I came across many months ago and it quickly went into my must-do ‘some day’ list. Everything Eileen creates is so sweet and charming. Each stitch she puts in is so perfect in its place. I’m in awe to say the least!

Thank you so much, Eileen (* u *)

In spite of my eagerness, this pattern always appeared too daunting to attempt on my own. But Kellie’s instructions are so detailed that I’m feeling a bit more hopeful about my tryst with appliqué.
Thank you Kellie for all the time and efforts you are putting into this lovely quilt along.
Appreciate it so much!

It’s that time again when you must be busily finishing off pretty little presents for near and dear… Happy holiday crafting!
Have a wonderful season filled with delights of snow-flakes and candy canes ( ' v ' )

cascading blocks

I adore everything Nanette does… fascinating quilts, soft-delectable fabrics and little cute things she makes for her cutesy kitchen…

When I look at her work all I could think of are merry-go-rounds, clouds of cotton candy and happy colored lollipops… the light hearted kind that makes you burst into a wide grin instantly!

I was so happy when I found out one of her patterns got published in Baby Quilts magazine and scampered to the book shop, the very first chance I got.

And this is what came out of it...
The pattern is very versatile and lends itself nicely to a variety of fabrics. And the cascading blocks were so fun to play with.

The only change I did was to add to the width of the panels just to use more of my favorite flowery fabric. It is for a friend’s baby who is due any day now. If it’s a boy, I hope he doesn’t mind few flowers fluttering in his cozy blanket (‘_`)

I used fabrics from ‘Look and learn’ by American Jane. The prints are so sweet and I have some more left to amuse myself with again.

The backing is a toile of bunnies playing in the garden. I’m guessing they are Max and Ruby… the cutest bunnies on the block(don't you think?)!

Thank you Nanette for all the smiles & the sweetness and for allowing me to use some of your pictures (^ v ^)

~ pattern from Fons & Porter’s Baby quilts magazine(winter 2008).

Vermont in Fall

This is the third fall season we have been to Vermont and it never ceases to amaze me. I hope you enjoy these pictures.

A toy train at an Antique Mall on our way back home.

I love the New England fall mornings with its crisp and absolute still weather. I managed to take a picture of Venus in the early morning sky.

The real beauty of Vermont is visible only on the backroads. As we were driving on the backroads, we found these barn animals staring at us taking pictures of them. They seem to know what we were doing.

Wishing you all a wonderful Deepavali as colorful as New England fall.

~ Kalyan

funky monkeys

Another quilt that I made in preparation for our trip to India in June. It is for a friend’s toddler.

He seemed to like their funny faces and promptly settled in for his afternoon nap in the living room… of course that game didn’t last for long ^_^

I used organic cotton that I found at Jo-ann’s for the sashing. I love the texture and feel of it but it frays easily.

~Block pattern from Paper Piecing with Alex Anderson book.
Even though I was new to paper-piecing, the instructions were very simple and easy to understand with clear pictures.

Fabric is “5 Funky monkeys” by Erin Michael for Moda.
By the way, have you visited Moda Bake shop? They have the most scrumptious recipes to test drive!

Thank you for stopping by and taking a peek at what peeps are up to (* u *)

block printing by hand

Intricately carved wooden blocks dipped in dyes, painted on cloth with exactness not once but as many times as the colors needed… isn’t it intriguing to see an artist’s vision unfold so delightfully.

The craft was so snugly woven into the fabric of community that, in early days the motifs and colors in an outfit would suggest a person’s caste or place in the society and even their marital status.
Though the tradition of hand printing has sadly weathered and wilted in the past, some firms and export houses like Anokhi have been doing extensive work for its revival.

Anokhi foundation had set up a museum in Jaipur, not only to preserve the tradition but also to provide craftspeople with examples of best of hand block printed textiles from their archives.

~Detailed pics at Saffron marigold.

Sanganer, Bagru in Rajasthan; Farukhabad, Pethapur in Gujarat are some places where it is still flourishing.

Since I haven’t been as lucky as to pop in to any of these places, I was just thrilled to come across the prints so unexpectedly in a shop called Manasvi in Gurgaon.
They had a good selection too.

I’ve put aside little snippets of each piece as a keepsake before mailing them to friends and as you might have guessed, started to plot for something fun and patchy o_o

While the flowers and vines are quietly wafting through the warm winds as carefree as a dandelion snow in an August breeze… a fuzzy fluffy white slips in and spools around, and it all seem to come together in a few fleeting moments.

Aren’t these squares quick and fun?

You can leaf through some more delicious bits at Les Indiennes which I stumbled upon
on Sewn ~ so much inspiration to soak-in… eeks!

p.s. Nanette,Stephanie.. thank you so much for everything! I appreciate it all, more than I could ever tell in words (* u *)

Hyderabad, the real Koh-i-Noor

I cannot stop feeling mushy whenever I step my foot in Hyderabad. No other city makes me feel so connected than Hyderabad. This is a tribute to all the things that I love about it.

Hyderabad is not complete without its city buses in the hustle and bustle. Isn't it amazing to see a lady ticket collector all clad in a saree and garlands of jasmine which is traditionally dominated by men?

Summer is synonymous to wedding season, mangoes, jasmine blooms, and sugarcane juice in South India.

A piligrimage to Gokul Chat, a fast food place, is a must for any Hyderbadi student and families alike. So much so that this tiny place in the heart of the city was target of terrorist attacks.

For the sweet tooth, there is always Famous Icecream and Karachi Bakery at Mozamjahi Market.

Ganesh (Elephant God) temple in Secunderabad (the twin city of Hyderabad) for the devote.

Begum Bazaar in Afzalgunj is a place to go to buy anything at wholesale rates. These huge utensils are meant to cook food for wedding cermonies.

Hyderabad is not complete without its 400 hundred year old Charminar referred to as the Arc de Triomphe of the East. Hyderabadi's literally revolve around this beautiful limestone monument.

(thanks to Nataraj for posting this video on my facebook)

Historic Laad Bazaar (Bangle Street), Makkah Masjid and the Nizam General Hospital near Charminar.

We may have lost our Koh-i-Noor but for us it is right here, the city itself!

Happy Birthday India.

~ Kalyan

pinwheels

We all have fond memories from the days gone by, which were filled with endless fun of gilli-danda, ikri-dukri, ice-pice, current-shock…
…and when the weather isn’t feasible for playing outdoors; we could always fall back on playing with paper.

There is something so amusing about taking a small piece of paper and creating enticing shapes with it. Pinwheel being one of them.

Here is a how-to just in case you want to reminisce…
…but of course we never bothered to use up our pencil stocks.
Instead, when the paper wheels were folded just so, we would sneak into the backyard… untie granny’s broom to gather some silly little sticks and would hurry back before she caught us in the act!

Now all that was left to do was to fasten up one of them to the wheel, wait for the rain to clear up…
…and then proudly run from this end of the street to that end with a twirling pinwheel in hand and a huge big smile on the face.


The pinwheels here are for a friend’s baby boy except the pink one in there, which is for my dear friend who is very fond of pink. I hope she has as much fun playing with it as her baby boy does with all of his rainbow colored ones.

I got these 30’s prints from my lovely friend Jane. She’s the sweetest ever!


What were your favorite games that you couldn’t wait to play when school’s out?

~ Pattern from Better homes and gardens “Quilts & Gifts to give“ 2008 issue.
~Ice-pice : I think it's 'I spy', but somehow we always called it 'ice-pice'.
~Ikri-dukri : a variation of hop-scotch.