Unknown Maker, Atri

The saris and bag featured here were made for ceremonial purposes such as matrimony. They come from the same region of India as the quilts on view and display similar design features. Note the almost identical resist-dyed patterns of the silk sari and scarf to the fabric used in several of the patchwork quilts. Scraps of printed cotton saris and scarves similar to these were collected to incorporate into the quilts. The process used to create these intricate patterns is known as bandhni, which means “tying.” Very small knots are made in the fabric to create areas that “resist” the dye. Each of these knots then appears as one of the dots making up the larger design.