The word kantha in Bengali usually refers to a wrap or shroud made of scraps of used textiles, held together with the basic running stitch (known as the kantha stitch), to create a colour coordinated wrap. On the other hand, kantha sarees, refer to sarees that hold patterns of the running stictch which create kantha embroidery. The embroidery is hand-made, with colourful or monochrome threads, undertaken by women and depict the life of Bengal. One design pattern of the kantha is based on the flora of Bengal and hence this blog is on phool (flower) kantha sarees .
This is known as jaba kantha embroidery. Jaba in Bengali means the hibiscus or the shoe flower. The embroidery is based on a flower that is particularly widespread in Bengal. The flower has special meaning in the everyday lives of the people as it forms an intergral part of the local vegetation, temples and offerings.
Similarly the kantha based on the garden rose flower is known as golap kantha where golap is the Bengali word for rose. The golap kantha embroidery stitch is dense such that the design on the textile almost appears like a garden rose that you can smell and wrap yourself around with.
You can see that the tussar dupatta with golap kantha is an artistic representation of the rose that blooms in our garden.
Another flower that grows wild in the ponds and marshlands of rural Bengal is the lotus. Pauddo is the Bengali word for lotus and hence kantha depicting the lotus flower is known as pauddo kantha.
The pauddo kantha or the lotus pattern on the saree is created through a technique known as reverse kantha, where the kantha stictch is not in the object e.g. in this case the lotus flower and leaves. The kantha stitch is in the body and around the lotus flower and leaves which causes the lotus design to emerge from a sea of kantha stiches.
www.kalyaniscreations.com.au Browse our collection of phool kanthas.
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