Kantha: Sustainable Textiles and Mindful Making

Award–winning textile artist Kaul introduces readers to the art of kantha, a traditional quilting and embroidery style commonly practiced in Bangladesh and West Bengal, India, that involves stitching together multiple layers of fabric. Derived from the Sanskrit word for “rags,” kantha refers to both the practice of creation and the product itself: embroidered quilts made from repurposed cloth, created for everyday use or as heirlooms and gifts. Kaul’s designs in this book range from geometric and botanical patterns to household objects or figures and events from history and faiths. The book provides instructions for making kantha’s various stitches and guides readers through creating kantha projects. Readers receive tips for choosing fabrics, threads, and motifs. There’s also an emphasis on the mindfulness inherent in the kantha-making process. But it is the attention Kaul brings to the history of kantha—the important role it has traditionally played in the lives of women, affording them a mode of self-expression and financial independence—that makes the book particularly noteworthy.