Textile Workshops

Textile Workshops

Whether you are looking for a textile course, class or textile ideas you will love Colouricious Holidays textile workshops. Ranging from block printing to embroidery you are sure to love the creative inspiration that awaits you in India! Colouricious Holidays specialise in creating bespoke craft tours from organising 5* hotels to the creative itinerary. Every workshop will be shared with you r workshops always lovely atmosphere with great teachers

Colouricious Holidays’ Golden Triangle Textile Treasure Hunt is less than a year away! No matter if you"ve been on  many Colouricious Holidays or your a first timer, you will have a fantastic tour of India seeing the beautiful fabrics in the textile heartland.

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The Golden Triangle is defined by the notional triangle drawn between the cities of Dehli, Agra and Jaipur, the triangle also includes a must-see locations such as the Taj Mahal,the silk factories of Varanasi, and the carpet weavers of Agra …to say nothing of the striking desert landscapes of Rajasthan. Here, the weaving and dying arts stretch back to their earliest incarnations, many of them developed by the Indus Valley Civilisation. The Golden Triangle boasts dozens of museums and study centres where the ancient arts of the region are still taught in their traditional forms, and preserved as cultural treasures.

A few of the workshops made as part of the Treasure Hunt include

Chikan Embroidery workshop

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Chikan literally translates as ‘embroidery’. It is a style that developed in Lucknow, and the village of Chowk in that region produces a great deal of it. It involves white thread embroidered onto pastel-tined muslin and cotton garments.

Slightly ‘modernised’ versions of the Lucknawi chican style include coloured thread, bead, mirror work, and other embellishments adopted from related traditions. The base fabric palette has also been expanded to include chiffons, silks and other light, soft materials.

 

Hand Block Printing Experience

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Northern India has long been famous for its continuing wooden block printing tradition. The ‘blocks’ are kind of hand-carved stamp which is dipped in dye and applied, again and again, to a silk, cotton or linen fabric to make a pattern. It can be very simple or extremely ornate, depending on the tastes and the exact tradition of the artisan.

This is an excellent opportunity for you to learn the technique from traditional craftspeople, and make it a part of your own work.

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Weaving workshop in Sarai Mohanna village

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Sarai Mohanna is a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi District, most famous for its silk weaving tradition. The Banarasi saris made here are considered to be among the finest and most desirable in India. Such a traditionally hand crafted sari can take as much as 6 months to create.

 



Of course, that is just a taste of what you’ll experience as part of the 2019 Golden Triangle Textile Treasure Hunt. Over the next few weeks we’ll highlight more of the one-of-a-kind events, locations and experiences you could visit.

If you would like to learn more about the Golden Triangle Treasure Hunt in particular, just visit the Colouricious Holiday website. But hurry, holidays like the Golden Triangle Treasure Hunt fill up quickly!

Learn, create and be happy!

Craft inspiration for your craft projects

Craft inspiration around every corner!

Creativity is a passion to create and you won"t stop creating on this craft tour. With a different and unique craft arranged for you throughout your travels, you will learn ancient techniques that has been kept alive through generations by the creativity of others. You can apply any of these crafting skills to your own art and craft projects. It refreshing to try new thongs that you would never think to try. Take a look at only a few of the destinations that await you on a craft tour to Kerala, India. Get creative and have fun!

 

A Trip to the Vellar Craft Village

Vellar is a hamlet nestled into the rocky countryside of Thiruvananthapuram not far from Kovalam. It is one of the region’s newest craft tourism destinations, and boasts traditional handicraft stalls, modern shopping and recreational facilities and eateries of all kinds.

Having recently received an upgrade and remodelling costing more than 700 million Rs, one of its biggest draws is a large covered theatre where there is training in a variety of local handicrafts – including the use of local coconuts and coconut shells. Several governmental and government-related agencies and projects give their support in order to bring these traditional local crafts back into the public eye in the Craft Village.



 

Palm Leaf Weaving

Southern Kerala is known for its weaving and basket-making using palm leaves. Young, tender palm leaves are harvested and their ribs removed before being dried in the sun. They are used to make all manner of handicrafts, including bowls, shades, folding fans and many other ornamental and practical objects. You can learn the techniques of palm leaf weaving that have been handed down in distinct families for generations.



 

Mannar & Aranmula Bell metal crafting centres

Kerala has long been associated with traditional metalworking crafts, including iron, silver, gold and bronze, but also ‘bell metal’. Bell metal is akin to bronze, but it has a unique ratio of 78% copper to 22% tin, and is traditionally used in the region for temple bells, lamps and religious statuary.

It is heavy yet extremely durable, and is particularly prized for its ability to withstand heat and fire, which is why it is also used for cooking pots and utensils. At the bell metal crafting centres of Mannar and Aranmula, you can learn how these items and more have been crafted for generations.

 

 

 

Kanjirappilly Plantation

The Kanjirappilly region, sometimes spelled Kanjirapally, is known for its gently rolling hills and warm, pleasant weather. Naturally, this is amazing agricultural land, and it has long been the site of many sprawling plantations. Located amidst this pastoral wonder are the Kanjirappilly Plantation Bungalows. These well-appointed homes away from home are just a few hours from Cochin, and also convenient to both Periyar and Kumarakom. While we’re there, you can even tour the plantation!

 

Ayurveda & Yoga

Ayurveda is the medical tradition of ancient India. It is said that the Hindu god Dhanvantari incarnated himself as the king of historical Varanasi to teach these arts to humans for the first time. However, modern scholars suggest that the core of Ayurvedic medicine and thought goes back much farther, possibly before the rise of the Indus Valley Civilisation which predated India.

Ayurvedic practices form the core of most modern day ‘complimentary’ or ‘alternative’ medical techniques, many of which are practiced in the UK. Here, you’ll get a chance to learn about Ayurveda from traditional practitioners directly.



To stay up to date with our creative holidays follow are newsfeed or visit our website to find the right holiday for you and book a place!

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!

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!



 

 

 

 

Kantha stitch embroidery

Orissa Textile Art

Orissa is a must go destination if you share a love for textiles. It’s home to many unique textile techniques with fabrics being produced all over the state. It is mostly famous for silk ikat weaves through the process of Bandha creating unusual patterns and vibrant colours keeping it in popular demand all over the world today. It"s fabrics are also rich in kantha stitch embroidery, a wonderful technique to embellish any of your old fabrics to create beautiful textile design projects.Kan

Kantha embroidery

One of the sensational stitching techniques seen in Orissa is Kantha embroidery. It is one of the most important textile arts in Eastern India. Like most traditional textile techniques, it is both a fine art and a household craft, and a form of personal expression for the artist.

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Origins of Kantha stitch embroidery

Kantha embroidery began 500 centuries ago in West Bengal and Orissa as a method of reusing and recycling dhotis, sarees and other pieces of clothing Bengalis were reluctant to throw away. It was a means of creating useful household items from used fine quality muslin and cotton saris. Yarn salvaged from worn clothing was used to embroider large repeating motifs and designs across whole pieces of fabric. This is a wonderful process to transform your textiles receiving world wide demand. Even Hillary Clinton feel in love with the exquisite displays of Kantha embroidery.

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What is Kantha embroidery?

Kantha embroidery is unique because of its extensive use of the running stitch (which is called ‘kantha’ locally). This is one of the basic hand stitching techniques suitable for beginners, threading the needle up from the back and then down again. Usually the stitch under the fabric should be shorter than the one above leading to the distinctive wavy wrinkled look to the fabric. Remember the closer and tighter the stitches, the stiffer the fabric will feel compared to the stitching being further apart.

Traditional Kantha embroidery involves running stitches across the whole fabric design normally in a single colour but there are various standard styles for stitching this. This is classified broadly into two categories aligned (JOD), not aligned (BEJOD). Butti is usually denotes a small motif placed throughout the fabric.

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How to apply the Kantha stitch to your craft projects

This delightful stitch can be applied to all light and medium weight fabrics although cotton and silk are best suited for this embroidery. Colouricious first bock print the fabric to create a stunning base to stitch across. You can also block print the specific motifs and design ot act as a template to trace with your stitch and acts as an fabulous embellishment. There are many different applications for Kantha. These can be categorised into a few of the below:

Lep Kantha - generation of warm and heavily padded quilts using kantha stitch.

Sujani Kantha - creating blankets or spreads for ceremonial occasions.

Baiton Kantha – using square fabric pieces stitched to produce coverings for valuable objects or as wraps for books

Oar kantha – to develop pillow covers

Archilata Kantha is used for covering mirrors

Durjani Kantha is small pieces of fabric inside of a wallet

Rumal Kantha which is used to cover plates

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Try Kantha stitch yourself!

There are so many ways to wonderfully apply this technique to create your gorgeous textile art. Just be creative as you don’t have to worry about going wrong as this embroidery is adaptable. One of its great attributes is you can keep this project going for months, not having to worry about keeping to a pattern. It is a great way of repurposing any old fabrics you have laying about along with block printing. Hand or machine washing would be adequate to maintain the longevity of the fabric and embroidery.

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Colouricious Holidays

You will witness the women in India hand sew and embellish beautiful fabric pieces used as Kantha sprees and Kantha quilts. You will enjoy the company of like-minded people enjoying a creative and inspiring textile holiday learning about different hand printing and sewing techniques that you will then explore yourselves. Visit www.colouriciousholidays.com to find out what amazing adventure you could be on next!

Learn, create, be happy!

 

Bagru Block Printing

Bagru Block Printing

Bagru is a small village located near Jaipur, the capital City of Rajasthan. It"s home to the Chippa community who have been practicing a unique style of printing for more than 350 years. Colouricious holidays visited Bagru, running Bagru block printing workshops, working with traditional printers and helping support this ancient craft which faces threat from globalisation.

Bagru Block Printing Process

The traditional Bagru printing process can be described as follows:

Scouring- locally called ‘Hari Sarana’
The fabric that comes from mills of handloom sector contains natural and added impurities such as starch, oil and dust. To get goods and even penetration of colours, the fabric is boiled with soap and desizing agents. Traditionally cow dung was used for scouring. Cow dung contains a lot of alkali, Cow dung and water are mixed together and the cloth (running cloth ‘than’cut in required length) is then left dipped in that paste overnight. The process of washing is a long one, generally carried out by the ladies. The next day, the clothes are washed and spread on large open grounds. Before the clothes dry completely, more water is sprinkled on them and thus they are made wet again. This process of sprinkling water and drying is repeated 5-6 times a day. This procedure is carried out unit the cloth becomes white and bright. Generally, as per requirement, this process in done for 3 to 6 days. After this the cloth is washed with pure water. Since it is tedious and time consuming, soaps have replaced the cow dung in this process.

Tannin- locally called ‘Peela Karana’
‘Harda’Washed fabric is treated with myrobalan (harda) which contains tannic acid. Tannic acid attracts the mordants, which are applied with hand woodblock. ‘Harda’ powder is mixed with water, and the cloth is submerged in it, squeezed and dried flat on the ground. Once the fabric is dried, it is folded and beaten with a wooden mallet to remove excess ‘harda’ powder and open up the fiber to accept the dye. This process in known as ‘peela karna’. The tannic acid of  myrobalam (harda) forms black colour with ferrous ( syahee )which is traditionally made by reaction of old rusted horse shoe nails with jaggery.

Printing (mordanting)- locally called ‘chapai’
The fabric is printed with two mordant- ferrous (‘syahee’) made out of rusted horse shoe nails, and alum (‘begar’). Usually ferrous is printed with the outline block (‘rekh’). As it immediately shows a black impression, it is easy for another printer to place the filler block (‘datta’) with beggar or alum. The background block (Gudh’) comes later.

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Ageing-locally called ‘Sukhai’
The printed fabric is left hanging at the printing areas for at least three-four days so that the prints(mordant paste) penetrates into the fiber structure. Longer the ageing better is the result.

Washing- locally called ‘Dhulai’
The printed fabric is washed in running water. It is important to understand the need of running/flowing water. While washing the printed fabric in running water the excess mordants come out and get washed away with the flow of water without getting stuck back to the cloth. Water shortage has forced the printers to cut short this process due to which, the colors do not get fixed up properly and later “bleed” and people think that natural dyes are not fast.

Dyeing (fixing of color) - locally called ‘Ghan Rangai’
Dyeing is a process in which the dye reacts with two mordants at two different locations on the same print giving two different shades of colors. As mentioned earlier ‘alizarin’ is used as the dye throughout Rajasthan. The colours obtained in conjunction with the two mordants are red (with alum) and block (with ferrous). Dyeing is carried out in large copper vessels (‘tambri’) which are heated by wood fire. Alizarin is filled in small cloth-bags (‘potali’) and dipped in the vessel. The quantity of alizarin dye is calculated by the experienced dyer. ‘Dhawadi phool’, a local flower is boiled along with alizarin to avoid patches and staining. Once the dyed fabric is ready (usually it takes half-an-hour), it is taken out of the copper vessel and left on the ground for drying.

Sun-bleaching- locally called ‘Tapai’

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Alizarin often”over dyes” the unprinted area giving an off-white or yellow tinge all over the fabric which makes the print look dull. In order to make the ground look ‘white’ again the fabric is sun-bleached. In this process the fabric is laid flat on a river bed, a mild solution of cow dung and water is sprinkled over the fabric. This process is repeated again when the fabric is dried. The interaction of alkali (of cow dung) and thermal heat (sun ray) bleach the ground color making it look white again. Sometimes this process in carried out before the tannin (‘harda’) treatment but due to shortage of water this process is cut short and these days the ‘off- white’ color of the background has become a part of natural dyeing process.

 



Colouricious Holidays - Bagru Block Printing Workshops

Colouricious holidays offer fantastic tours of India Japan and Bhutan and Uzbekistan where you can design your own fabrics, try out different printing techniques and take part in the wonderful Bagru block printing process. Please visit www.colourlouriciousholidays.com to find out more.

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Do you know where  Bagru actually is? Check it out on the world map!