Category: Textiles

  • Second Skin

    She is beauty, she is grace, she is elegant in every step. She is gentle, she breathes passion, she is life in every thread. She is ancient, she is timeless, she turns at each whisper of her name. From time long past, and into the future unseen, she will hold countless stories, within the folds…

  • Home Diaries: With Anuradha Varma of MyDreamCanvas

    Thrilled to showcase a home tour of the lovingly decorated home of Anuradha Varma, blogger extraordinaire and creator of one of our favorite blogs, My Dream Canvas. For the last 8 years she has gradually and painstakingly built a beautiful abode that reminds her of home ten thousand miles away. Today’s feature not only showcases a fabulous…

  • Organic Cotton breathes a new life in Fashion

    Summer comfort is defined by light, airy fabrics that breathe. This role often rests on the shoulders of the simple yet sophisticated cotton that is often referred to as “the fabric of our lives” and for good reason. We come in contact with it in varied forms in our daily lives and it has remained the…

  • Tale Trails: Go barefoot in Sri Lanka…

    A little off-track for a series on bookstores for this one’s about books, handmade textiles, apparel, art exhibits, food and Jazz on Sundays! But then that’s what makes it so special! A beautifully laid out place, the Barefoot Café, Colombo, is a must visit for anyone who’s visiting this not-so-little island country. Founded by artist…

  • Tale Trails – A hidden haven for booklovers in Ahmedabad

    I had read about it. Adjectives like rare, tucked away, quaint, hidden gem etc. can make me visit anything, even a postbox, and this was a full-fledged bookstore. And so it was to be, in the summer of 2013 when I found myself in Ahmedabad, yet again. (It is quickly becoming one of my favourite…

  • Textile Discoveries

    Excavations at Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro have unearthed bone needles and wooden spindles, clearly suggesting that homespun cotton was used to make garments. In fact, fragments of woven cotton have also been discovered from these sites. Historically renowned for it’s textiles, India’s woven love story dates back several centuries. The first mention of textiles in India…

  • The Butchered Art of Mirrorwork

    For those familiar with an Indian flea market, the sight of a gypsy woman clad from top to bottom in beefy silver jewelry and a bright, ornate costume is probably not a new one. She may be found hard-selling here wares ranging from heavily embroidered shoulder bags, bedspreads or table runners. There’s truly nothing fascinating…

  • Peeking into the Past: Jaypore visits noted revivalist Suraiya Hasan

    Suraiya Hasan, or Suraiya Apa as she is fondly called, is a bundle of energy as she flits around her weaving unit on the outskirts of Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh. The clacking of looms fills the air around this octogenarian as she goes about instructing her class of weavers on the nearly-extinct technique of himroo weaving.…

  • In the Bazaars of Hyderabad

    What do you sell, O ye merchants? Richly your wares are displayed, Turbans of crimson and silver, Tunics of purple brocade, Mirrors with panels of amber, Daggers with handles of jade. What do you weigh, O ye vendors? Saffron, lentil and rice. What do you grind, O ye maidens? Sandalwood, henna and spice. What do…

  • My Mom Story: On Love

    As part of our ongoing contest asking for special Mom stories, we received an overwhelming response from our readers. Now we’re sharing all these wonderful and heart-warming stories with the world! Here is a beautiful story written by a Jaypore lover. —- A woman only needs five lines of makeup, my grandma would say, lining her…