Blind Date !

I am so excited to be finally introducing the BLIND DATE @ 'The Square Inch' ! An idea that has been long brewing at the back of my head.

Er..no..no...not this sort !

Oops...not this sort either !

A blind date with other sewing enthusiasts over some fun learning and a pot luck . Now is that interesting or what?!

So who's ready for BLIND DATE FRIDAY this October 9th at The Square Inch with fellow sewists? Admission fee - Rs.500 plus one pot luck dish for lunch. You get to learn a surprise fun technique and play on the BERNINAs. Time - 1030 to 1500 hrs. List of items to be carried will be mailed to confirmed participants. To register, write to the.square.inch@gmail.com.

I can promise you one hell of a day ! Until then, stay awesome !

You deserve to Dye !

We at The Square Inch, are getting ready to host a Batik workshop over the next two days. The instructor is the awesome Batik Artist, Kanal Shah of 'Creative Batik & Indian Textiles'.

Kanal Shah is architect and designer from Baroda, India, living and working in Switzerland. Having learnt the art of Batik early on from her mother she has been creating different works in batik art in Switzerland since 2004, combining the traditional art with contemporary patterns and proportions. She has since then hosted and participated in different exhibitions displaying and teaching her work. 

Batik is both an art and a craft, which is gaining popularity in recent times as a wonderfully creative medium. The art of decorating cloth in this way, using wax and dye, has been practised for centuries. 

The upcoming two day workshop comprises of painting through handling of wax using different techniques and colouring with dyes. Each participant gets to create his/her own piece of batik as a take away. The workshop fee is inclusive of all material. Just come in with a creative mood and unleash your artistic instinct through medium of wax.

You can take a look at some of Kanal's work here too... http://www.kanalshah.com/exhibitions/exhibition_2005.html . 

If you'd like to register, we still have a spot that's just opened up. Do call Tina on +919551655776 or write to the.square.inch@gmail.com.

2 mangoes, 1 stone

Orey kallu le erandu maanga! I know this will bring a wistful smile to Tamil speaking readers as they fondly remember their childhood summers spent pelting stones at unripe mangoes on the neighbours' trees in an effort to knock them down for a bitter-sour-sweet treat with equally mischevious friends ! The line when transliterated means knocking down 2 mangoes with 1 stone, meaning getting two jobs done with the effort of one. Which is exactly what I have done with this block.

This is a block, the Fractal Mandala, I tested for the insanely beautiful MMDQ BOM (Madhu Mathur-Desi Quilters Block of the month) series, designed by the beautifully insane Madhu, a dear friend and quilter par excellence. You can find complete instructions to the other blocks here.

It involved a lot of paper piecing, like all the other blocks in the series, but the end result is striking. I chose a soft palette as these are not my usual colours and I did want to do something different. It so happens that we are having a medallion quilt swap on my FB group 'Desi Quilters ' and this block would be perfect to pass off as a medallion center with a 4 sided border ! So there, 2 mangoes with 1 stone, see ?!

Apart from a half a dozen points that don't match, I am pretty pleased with it. Here it is under different lighting...

Actually this isn't the first time I've done this whole 2 for 1 thingy. One other MMDQ block, the Evening around the Pond, that I made earlier got converted to this cushion cover for another swap :-)

 

And these are the 2 other MMDQ blocks I have made so far..the gorgeous Dahlia and its ribbon version..

Do hop over to Madhu's blog 'Betukbandi' for a lot more eye candy. I shall go and enjoy my mangoes :-)