Graphic Circle Set

Graphic Circle Set

Creative travel with craft workshops

Why Kerala?

Kerala is a beautiful state of India sandwiched between the emerald waters of the Lakshadweep Sea and the stunning mouthing ranges of the Western Ghats. It is noted for its famous works in metal and wood carvings and will be a focus on this craft tour. Here are some of the treats you can look forward to on this special trip.

 
 

Kutthampully handloom village

Kutthanpully (sometimes spelled Kuthanpully) is a traditional cotton weaving village in Thiruvilwamala Grama Panchayat, in Kerala. This is the source of the famous Kuthanpully Sarees, which feature such unique boarders. Almost entirely populated by the Devanga people, a Brahmin caste. Their oral history tells of weavers being assembled here 500 years ago at the behest of the Kochi Royal Family.

Kuthampully is noted for their use of the kasavu hand loom, with which they create the Kasavu Double Dhotis, Set Mundus and Veshti. Here, you’ll have the chance to learn to use this ancient weaving tool for yourselves, and learn a new (to you) way to weave.



 

 

 

 

Bee Keeping

Kerala is famous for many things, but one of the most interesting is apiculture, or bee keeping. Bees have been semi-domesticated for thousands of years, and Kerala is one of the ancient centres of this art. They even have a unique type of bee, the Trigona tripennis, AKA the Stingless Bee. Thes are not truly without a stinger, but the sting is poorly developed, and they are noticeably less aggressive than other varieties.

Colouricious has arranged a workshop where you can learn how these unique bees are kept in Kerala State, and of course taste some of the honey that is only produced here, in small batches.

 

Screw Pine Weaving

Another of Kerala’s traditional basket weaving techniques uses the leaves of the screw pine plant. This is traditionally a women’s craft, and has a history of at least 800 years in the region. The most common item woven from screw pine leaves is an ornate mat, such as might be offered to an honoured guest for sitting, or larger mats for sleeping. Other artisans specialise in making fine wall hangings with the all-natural material.
 
 
 
 
 

Coir Making

Coir (also known as ‘cocos’) is a fine, natural golden fibre which is woven into hundreds of textile and handicraft products. However, few who wear these materials outside of the region know that the soft, lustrous material they are wearing is derived from coconut husk. You will get the chance to learn how this lovely and amazingly ecologically friendly fibre is made, and just how many different things can be made from it!

 

Colouricious Holidays

Colouricious Holidays offer a organised crafting trip with crafting destinations, hotels, coaches and guides all arranged ready for your arrival. Now running for several years, many of our guests have met creative friends for life and have come back year after year! Relaxation is a key part of any holiday. We always find creative people need space to let their mind wonder. This wonderful but gentle adventure also offers yoga as a way to calm the body and mind learning from those who know it best.



To stay up to date with our creative holidays follow are newsfeed or visit our website to book a place!

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Colouricious holidays craft tour

Come on a craft tour to Kerala

Colouricious Holidays offer you the opportunity to travel the Kerala region of India and delve into the wonderful craft culture that has been thriving there for centuries. On this craft tour you will visit crafting centres participating in a a range of creative workshops all organised for your enjoyment. You won"t have to worry about a thing! Here are a few of the crafts you can expect to experience, ready to takeaway new skills for your own creative home projects.

TASARA Centre for Creative Weaving

The TASARA Centre is located in the Beypore village of Kerala,along India’s west coast. ‘Tasara’ means ‘weaver’s shuttle’ in Sanskrit. The centre works to bring together both contemporary and traditional weavers and other textile artists to encourage both a respect for traditional forms and real innovation. The TASRA centre’s Artist in Residence programme has given studio space and facilities to support to artists and artisans throughout India for more than 25 years. And has jump-started the careers of many successful textile artists and painters.

TASRA also provides extensive training opportunities in weaving and both traditional and batik dyeing, using natural dyes and pigments as well as modern chemical colours. Its annual textile workshops have become a gathering place for weavers and textile artists throughout India to meet, network and collaborate.

Pottery Making 

Kolenchery is a small town in Kerala State, specifically a few kilometres east of Cocin in Ernakulam district, near India’s west coast. One of its most important features, as far as Colouricious Holidays is concerned, is the Pottery Making Unit which focuses on the traditional terra cotta pottery techniques of Kerala State. Not only is this an opportunity to see the works of some of India’s premier workers in terra cotta pottery, it is a chance to gain insight into the way this traditional crafting material (and a mixture of traditional and modern techniques) can be used to create art that is both thoroughly modern yet truly timeless.

Toddy Tapping

Throughout Kerala, toddy tapping is conducted in the same way it has been for hundreds if not thousands of years. The ‘palm toddy’ or simply ‘toddy’, is harvested from coconut palms without cutting down the coconuts – if they are instead carefully ‘tapped’, the milk inside will refill over time. In this way, a single tree can produce hundreds of litres of coconut milk each day. You’ll learn how this is accomplished, and also how to make a delicious palm toddy – even with purchased coconuts at home.

Kalaripayattu

Kalaripayattu is one of India’s oldest martial arts, and one of the oldest continuously practiced martial arts in the world. ‘Kalari’ means battle or battlefield, and ‘Kalaripayattu’ means ‘Practice in the Arts of the Battlefield’. Its written history is more than 2300 years old, but it is believed that many of the practices go back much further. It involves the use of what we would call mideval weapons, especially shields, spears, bows, swords and the more obscure silambam.

To stay up to date with our creative holidays follow are newsfeed or visit our website to book a place!



 

 

 

 

Textile techniques of Gujarat

Colouricious Holidays - learn new textile techniques!

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Following our adventures on a Colouricious Holiday to Gujarat, we take a look into the textile techniques that have kept Gujarat a recognised focal point of the textile industry. You will visit local communities to witness craft like never before. Most of the artisans have practiced these skills their whole lives from a young child till the elder years. With conservation at the heart of what we do, visiting these remote places help keeps these skills in circulation today. Take a look at our website to find the right the Colouricious Holiday adventure for you at www.colouriciousholidays.com

What is Batik?

Batik is wonderful technique for designing textiles. It’s uses a resist method to dye silk, cotton and other pure fabrics traditionally with geometric patterns. It requires a tool called the ‘cap’ which is a copper head on a wooden block. The copper rods are around 1.5 cm in width are used to apply a dye proof substance to create the design.

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The fabric is then dyed and the areas remaining covered with the hot wax retain its colour but the uncovered parts obtain the chosen colour of dye. This process can be repeated several times on the same fabric to create beautiful and unique textile designs. Once finished the hotwax is removed the cloth is ready to be sold.



Batik is a great design method due to the varying materials you can use to create a bespoke piece from different wax and dyes to fabrics. Different wax blends tend to crack allowing dark dye lines to enter/penetrate the resisted spaces, another design strength. Batik fabrics are also known for their durability with colours less likely to fade as they have a higher resistance to wear compared to painted fabrics. On textile treasure of Gujarat you will participate in a Batik workshop and learn this fabulous textile technique from these skilled craftsman.

 

Mandvi tie-and-dye centre

The tie-dyed fabrics of Gujarat, also known as bandhej, are famous for their intricate designs and patterns, which are used in wedding outfits and are considered the best produced in India. The process begins with the fabric being folded to create a rectangle. Designs are printed on with a wooden block and these areas are pinched and pushed into points, then tied into tiny knots with 2 or 3 twists of thread. The fabric is then dyed in the lightest shade first with the knotted parts remaining uncoloured. The fabric is then retied and dyed in the darker colour. The hues of deeper shades are used over the previous ones to form the coloured background of the cloth. This can continue for several rotations depending on the number shades in the final fabric design. The completion of this fabric takes around 8 hours.

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Tie-dyed fabrics are available to purchase all over Gujarat normally being sold tied up to ensure the cloth has not been printed. The price of these textiles not only depends on the intricacy of the design and the type of fabric but the number of times it’s been tied and dyed. Special fabrics will often be brocaded with fine gold thread.

 

Rabari embroidery

The Dasada village is located in the Kutch district of Gujarat. Kutch is famous for embroidery with 16 different styles being practiced all over the region. The most well known is Rabari embroidery with its incredibly vibrant colours, chain stitches and use of mirrors in a variety of shapes. It gets its name from the nomadic Rabari community who embroider in circular huts, known as Bhunga.

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The fabric is usually a plain cloth occasionally lightly quilted for better durability. Cotton or silk threads in an assortment of vibrant colours are worked onto the fabric using fine accent stitches, stitch, satin stitch, running stitches, herringbone and decorative back stitching to name a few. Rabaris outline patterns in chain stitch. Mirror fragments are finely embedded with tiny buttonhole stitches for extra embellishments displaying the artist’s creativity. Beads, shells, tassels and buttons can be added for individual effect and authenticity. The complex designs often depict the changing world in the eyes of the Rabari women and therefore always evolving.

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The different style of embellished garments and intricacy of embroidered work not only define the Rabaris socio-economic stature in the community but also clearly distinguishes the person’s identity. For instance the placement of embroidery on their veils will tell you what community they are from. Embroidered borders are usually Wagadia Rabari method whereas the Kachela Rabaris have designs in the centre of their veils.

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Another amazing tradition is the preparation of the dowry for a Rabari wedding. The girl must finish all textile pieces for the wedding before she can get married. This includes embroidering clothes, bags, bedcovers and even the decorative camel cover which can take up to 3 years to complete. This tradition enables the girl to learn these textile techniques and helps these skills be passed through generations. It’s incredible to see these wonderfully vivid colours and textures against the backdrop of the stark landscape of Kutch with its thorny babool and keekar bushes.

Take a look at our news feed to read other textile inspired blogs!

Learn, create, be happy!

Textile design inspiration in Gujarat

Find textile inspiration with Colouricious Holidays

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Colouricious Holidays brings you all you need to know about Gujarat"s textiles. We encourage you to unleash your creativity and gather all the textile design inspiration you can! Offered as one of our tour destinations, Gujarat is full to the brim with incredible fabrics embellished with vibrant and colourful textures. Each day is planned to inspire your creativity with craft activities awaiting round every corner. We find the hidden gems of India to really show you wonderful hidden arts of this beautiful country. Visit out website www.colouriciousholidays.com to find out more.

Workshop on Kalamkari and hand block printing

Kalamkari art is an incredibly intricate craft and requires great skill. With Kalam meaning pen and kari translating to craft, these wonderful illustrations are hand-painted. Traditionally this textile technique was used to depict the accounts of villagers on their travels using large bolts of canvas and dyes extracted from plants.

There are 2 styles of Kalamkari, Srikalahasti and Machilipatnam. Srikalahasti is distinctive in that the pen is used to draw freehand typically onto cotton textiles filling in the colours afterwards only with natural dyes. This is the most traditional of the Kalamkari techniques with hindu mythology being its main influence in design. Machilipatnam Kalamkari incorporate wooden printing blocks into their sketches with lotus motifs being the most common print design.

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Kalkamrai is being increasingly popular for textile craft today as it’s process doesn’t include harmful chemicals but still produces incredibly vibrant fabrics. This is a wonderful technique to try your hand at in workshops lead by skilled artists in the villages the country it was first created.

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You will take part in an organised workshop where this technique has been passed down through generations. These will be in remote villages but not to worry, you will have a guide and private coach to transport you from our selected hotels to these incredible authentic workshops where you can learn from the craftsman themselves.

 

The Calico Museum of Textiles

This premiere textile museum is the most celebrated institutions of its kind in the world for its diverse collection of beautiful Indian textiles. It has played an important role in establishing the curriculum taught at the prestigious National Institute of Design for the textile designing courses. There are 2 wings known as ‘Haveli’ and ‘Chauk’. Haveli houses the religious fabrics along with south Indian bronzes and sculptures, temple hangings, miniature paintings and Jaina art whereas ‘Chauk’, is home to royal tents carpets, furnishings and costumes of the Mughal and regional courts. There are also textile techniques galleries and a library.

 

Naulakha palace

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Naulakha palace is an incredible destination to visit. It is the oldest and arguably the most beautiful palace in Gondal. It possesses exclusive architectural features such as unique spiral staircases, incredible carved arches, impressive balconies and gorgeous courtyards. The palace is located along the river bed offering the most majestic views from the balconies. The onsite museum houses a rich variety of artefacts such as huge weighing scales used on special celebrations when he used to be weighed in gold equivalent which would then be donated to the poor. The interior decoration inside the palace is also something to be marvelled at from stuffed panthers to antique Belgian mirrors and luxurious chandeliers. Another interesting scene noted near a bridge over the river is the reflected image of the palace. There are many other structures within the complex such as the Huzoor Palace where the royal family currently reside.

 

Take a look at our other blogs to for textile design inspiration and keep up date with all our holiday offers!

Learn, create, be happy!