Quilts, quilts, quilts

Quilts! Quilts! Quilts! Quilts!

Women all over the world took up the responsibility of keeping everyone warm against the cold through the art of quilting. 

Quilting by its very nature is a sustainable craft form.  The use of scrap or old materials to be stitched into beautiful quilts to provide warmth for the family for generations to come can be seen in cultures across the world.  

Bengal Kantha is no different. It is one of the oldest forms of embroidery and a perfect example of sustainability within textile production.  When the saris which were made from the world renowned Bengal cotton and silk, became too old or worn to use as clothes, the women thought they were too beautiful to simply throw away, so they were turned into the Kantha quilts we know today.  

The Sanskrit word kontha means ‘rags’. One legend links their origins to Lord Buddha and his disciples, who used to cover themselves with garments made from discarded rags that were patched and sewn together.

Today "Kantha" refers not only to the finished quilt, but also to the traditional style of running stitch.
As one of our suppliers so eloquently puts it.
“Kantha comprises of the simplest stitch in the language of embroidery – the running stitch. It is the way in which this stitch is used, in different arrangements, that forms the complex vocabulary of kantha.”

At Sustle we are proud to continue supporting this traditional craft by offering new quilts made by small artisan communities in West Bengal and beautiful coats upcycled from semi vintage kantha quilts by a small family run tailors in Jaipur.