running with stitches

Here is a glimpse of a project in the works...



Kantha stitching hails from Bangladesh, among other places, and is an ancient form of patchwork often meant to re-use worn saris and give them new life as quilts and other things. Many are simple, patchy, and rustic, while others are quite elaborate. I've come across these in various places, but most recently in some trendy clothing stores where "bohemian" "eclectic" and "ethnic" are the cool catchwords of the moment. It was there I saw chairs, reupholstered with primitive Kantha stitched patchwork fabrics. They have texture and they break all the rules about symmetry and colour coordination when it comes to home decoration. Even better; the running stitch is dead easy and relatively quick. I had to try it.

The furniture it's destined for is a very old child's photography settee -- it, and the red floral fabric above -- were very special gifts from my mother-in-law and they seemed perfect partners. The settee itself has interesting details and is a bit patch-worked too, made up of different woods a few repairs... 

A few key additional screws have made it much more sturdy than it was, and a plywood base for the upholstery will help too (yes, I am breaking more rules here, but this won't really be something that is sat upon very often).

There's still sanding and painting and more stitching and assembly to happen, so don't hold your breath, but I'm hoping to finish this soon!