Saturday, February 09, 2008

Saami and Ralli Quilts

Jude's lovely handquilting brought to mind the Saami quilts of Pakistan. I've never been lucky enough to see one in person, but I've done a lot of drooling on my books.

These pictures are from Patricia Stoddard's wonderful book Ralli Quilts: Traditional Textiles from Pakistan and India, which I highly recommend. "This Saami quilt has a black center field with a red border. The designs are made with various colors of thick thread that hold the layers of cloth together." Lower Sindh, mid-to late twentieth century.


"A Saami quilt with a burgundy field and a patchwork border. The characteristic right angle emboridered shapes at the corners going to the micdle are clearly visible." Lower Sindh, late twentieth century.

The book has loads of photos of lovely quilts as well as information on the makers' lives and design inspirations. I found another review of the book at Malka Dubrowsky's blog "A Stitch in Dye." She has included many lovely photos, so I figure I'll invite you over there rather than repeating them. Plus she mentioned this website, which has great photos and historical info on Rallis.

Another absolutely gorgeous book is Quilting, Patchwork & Applique: A World Guide by Caroline Crabtree and Christine Shaw. And holy cow, Amazon.com has it on sale for $13.86??? What the...? I paid a lot more than that last fall. It's on sale for 69% off. I don't know if that's a mistake, but go grab one right now, you will never regret it (even if you pay more than that).

This is a Saami quilt in their book:

And there is a Ralli on these pages:

A couple of kanthas:


The book has loads of photos in it and for the most part does a great job of covering quilted and appliqued textiles from all over the world, including Egyptian Tentmaker Applique, molas, sashiko, the Hmong's pa ndau and far more. I noticed there wasn't a single Australian wagga pictured unfortunately, and maybe there's an emphasis on the Indian subcontinent, but those are minor quibbles. Get the book. Here's another review of it.

Speaking of India, I've been enjoying Tiggy's travels in I'd Rather Be in India.

13 comments:

YankeeQuilter said...

That book looks wonderful! I brought some Egyptian applique and some Panamanian molas to my last quilting meeting.

Magpie Sue said...

This is SO not fair! I would love to have that book but probably wouldn't be able to look at it without getting sick. At that price, though, maybe I should get it and hold onto it until we can figure out a way for me to enjoy my picutre books again...

FWIW, I posted the view from my kitchen window on my blog.

Lea said...

Those stitches are so similar like a Japanese Sashiko. It's very interesting.....
My style is Primitive but I always love to see different style quilts.Thank you for sharing this book info.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

whoa! I hope that price is still good. off to check it out. thanks for the head's up.

jovaliquilts said...

Wow, thank you! Those quilts are stunning ... Amazon now has one less book in stock. :)

My older daughter is into all things Indian -- to the point of studying Hindi and applying to work there next year -- and I would love to learn more about Indian textiles. I picked up a few at the Chicago quilt show last spring, and I want to get enough to do something with. Those quilts are stunning.

Kristin Shields said...

Thanks for the tip! I got the book too. Amazon is going to wonder what happened!

Anonymous said...

I just snagged a copy too. Looks wonderful!

Quiltdivajulie said...

Add me to the list of Amazon shoppers (entering through the AAQI Good Search portal so that AAQI gets their percentage!).

These books will certainly enhance my "moodling" technique ~ MANY thanks, Tonya!

jude said...

hey thanks for this post, these books look great.

Quilts And Pieces said...

Oh very fun book. OK, it is going on my wish list!

Anonymous said...

Tonya,
The RALLI QUILTS is really a good book written on the ralli quilts.
I have got its copy last. very stunning pictures and information about ralli quilts I found in it.
Absolutely a great book.

Unknown said...

Hi guys it's so refreshing to see people still acknowledge the handiwork and these Saami Rallis are rare commodities and if you want please let me know I shall get you the best quality and a reasonable quantity too..because they take time to complete one masterpiece.

Unknown said...

My contact details are +92 337 7466555