Upcycled Kantha Stitch Bunting

Description

Upcycled Kantha Stitch Bunting is perfect for any celebration, be it a street party ( yes, they are back!) garden party, or indoors-anywhere that needs an 'upcycled uplift'. Sure to add colour and panache to any affair. No plastic, no waste. Just Vintage.

Giving new life to old textiles is in itself cause for celebration and is the reason we bought this unique bunting. Kantha is a beautiful traditional textile art which can be traced back 500 years, find out more in our 'Technical' tab. Every one is entirely unique as they are made from different pieces of upcycled materials. 

This bunting has been given a beige stonewash which brings harmony to the colours. Pass it round the neighbourhood to your friends when they need to borrow your "hipster cool" for the day. This is a bunting that lends itself perfectly to being shared by the community.

Specifications

Approx size 200 cm.
Made from upcycled pieces of fabric. 
Kantha stitched.
Beige stonewashed.
Made in India.
Fair trade.

Technical

What is Kantha Stitching?

Kantha means patched cloth. Pronounced “KAHN-taa. It is a small straight running stitch that can be clean and simple or multi coloured and elaborate. It’s a beautifully simplistic technique that can be compared to the Japanese Sashiko stitching.

Both techniques have their roots in recycling and giving new life and purpose to old textiles. Kantha is a style of stitching found in Indian embroidery, originally found in Bangladesh, Bengal, Odisha and Tripura, although there are similar styles of this stitch found all over India.

Classically created by stacking old saris onto each other and hand stitching them together using a simple running stitch to make a thin cushioned layer. Traditionally Bengali women layered together old discarded clothing with the simple kantha style stitching to make a bedspread or bed cushion, repurposing the old into something useful and protective.

Over time the kantha stitch has grown into a traditional Bengali craft at the heart of their culture. It has become a skill passed down through generations of Bengali families. Quilts and blankets are made and designed from the family's recycled textiles by the women of the household to be given as wedding or new baby presents and eventually becoming family heirlooms.

Each piece being made from recycled saris or dhotis that hold stories from a member of the family. Sometimes within the designs the maker even sews in their hopes and dreams.

Kantha stitched embroidery is one of the most important textile arts in Eastern India. It can be traced back 500 years as a way the Bengalis recycled old saris, dhotis and household textiles. By using the kantha technique they up-cycled their old textiles into quilts for warmth and comfort. Even the yarn used to make the embroidery was salvaged from the other textiles and clothing.

Story

Shared Earth's mission is to improve the livelihoods of disadvantaged people in developing countries, benefiting local community projects and keeping alive traditional skills that would otherwise be lost.

Shared Earth aims:

• To pay fair prices for the products we buy
• To always offer 50% payment upfront to overseas producers
• To ensure working conditions are acceptable
• To provide advice on design and product development
• To support our suppliers and their local communities
• To avoid child labour
• To commit to long term relationships with our suppliers