Back again and into it!

It is lovely to get away, I hope you have a little sense of being with us when the Instagram pictures comes through.
Such fun
but
now we are home payback time. Praveen and I  have been working like crazy...off the train at 6.00am and into the office by 9.00am yesterday.
We have moved mountains, really covered some ground together
perhaps tomorrow we can start to sift through tour details and work on our itinerary, we have a trip by car planned in August to other parts of Gurgurat and then can polish up the new tour

A real pleasure was catching up with Lisa Hall, she lives in Bhuj.
Out of her tiny studio comes beautiful clothes, utilizing the amazing textiles around her she produces well made pieces that would look chic anywhere.
Take a look at some of her work.
Anna our artist-in-residence had a great idea, to ask if the old embroidery she had bought in the village could be given the Madame Hall effect.... we have left the embroidery with Lisa with the request to make a tunic and send it onto Anna, can't wait to see what it looks like.

 Peaking around Lisa's tiny workshop while Anna confers over her bespoke tunic.

We have asked Lisa if this might be a possibility for our guests when we bring our tour group. As young Chritsy, Anna's assistant might say "Totally Awwwwsooommmmme"

I love stepwells and Gurgurat has many, always a sense of peace, found another one to add to our list.

Food is really important, Praveen and I enjoy regional differences, this area with fresh fish is delicious.... this restaurant we went back to twice, Muslin run, the mutton curries and fish fry were amazing.... then in the back of the market and out on the highway are 2 Hindu run vegetarian Guajarati thali places, hard to say which is more delicious....basically spoilt for choose food wise in Gurgurat.

Sunday we were at the Palace in Mandvi, selfie time with lots of friendly locals...all enjoyed it. Love travelling around to see what we might see, now madly sorting out tours for the next few months, trying to get to my new samples....and not making it yet!
lots to do
a good way to be
Do what you love, it makes going to the office and wading through a hard days work easier....
mantra of the moment is "think about being away on tour- like a holiday with friends along"
other one is reminding myself one day soon I will have time to get onto some of the new ideas I have in mind! bursting as usual :)



 

Steamy

We really are a sweat shop today.
I like to make jokes about it because we are so un-used to humidity, but a few showers of rain and we are all wilting.
Not enough rain to ensure a crop but it is a start and we all hope the Gods will be kind, break this drought, please!
My glasses keep steaming up.
Our artist-in-residence, Anna Reynolds is a tough cookie, she keeps on going and is working up a storm, piles of samples, raiding the offcuts piles transforming sari silk offcuts into spectacular jacket, shrug type things.... playing with her new wood blocks, a very happy visitor.
Lots of fun and laughs abound.

 We've been out to see our old mate Om-ji and order some handmade shoes, it has been ages, in fact not since our Indian Inspiration Creative Camp When we work it out we say " Tthhhhhaaattttt Looooonnnnggg- doesn't time fly?"

Madly, madly working, new samples need to be made...I am trying to bring an element of handstitch into our khadi work, it is an extra little touch, I love the texture and lift it gives items and most importantly it involves our women and creating work for them.

Got a suggestion from someone who would like to organize trunk shows in the US, like a Tupperware party idea [that is how I would describe it as an Ozzie] we make up a kit of our latest samples, it is purchased by the person who will organize parties- party leader! sounds like a good title. Orders are taken and we then make and send to party leader who delivers.

Do you have experience with such ideas, comments suggestions very much appreciated :)

Praveen is steaming up his glasses sorting out silk for the etsy shop...it has slowed down and when we look that is because it is nearly empty!! Heard back from many who have received our little envelopes of offcuts and such, can't wait now to see what they do with them!

 

Got a new office guy, who seems to be working out well, early days but please, please, please let it be true.

Accurate record keeping is so important but being left to me, I have no time for the juicy, interesting stuff and I must admit I get grumpy and frustrated not following up my ideas and making new things.

 

Funny year, we had so many names on our Rajasthan Tour list for this year at this time last year, yet now the we are not certain we have enough to run- what happened?

Hopefully they all turn up this week or we might have to pull the plug, frustrating for those already on the bus and us who so love the trip and seeing our mates and finding new and interesting things.

Ghana tour is looking healthier but still got a few seats- been blissing out following a Ghana food blog...some tasty things to fuel fabric lust and craft adventures

Praveen nearly has a new pile of pictures to add to etsy so I must be off....

Grrrr pattern making guy, stockroom guy and print guy did not turn up....I so rely on our staff to find things these days....with the rain staff get called out to the fields to help the family plant....my cutting guy is here and making up some new samples for me, so that is a little good.

Stay tuned.

Running in circles.

Got a new computer for the office- the old one was so slow, office guy used to cry...I just scream!
So new one comes, I have to have a Microsoft account to access it- Windows 10 thank you very much!!
I successfully download Microsoft office on it and then fetch all our files from the cloud.
We subscribe to Microsoft 365 for file sharing and back up of everything- when it works it is great, it did crash twice last year and I lost all our photos from many years tours. GRRRR
all seems fine again now.
So Saturday night I was feeling rather happy- all set up and ready to go, Sunday I could actually get stuck into some new work.
Sign into new computer on Sunday only to be told- I have forgotten the password.
Not ##%%!! likely. I am anal about writing everything down because I forget things.

So after an hour on the phone with a techy, filling password reset numerous times I am told bugger off, can't reset password, can't open new computer.
Techy did have price at hand to but windows 10 again to reinstall and reset computer.
GRRRRRR!!!

Let him go , and worked out how to reset the computer here, and now sitting next to it whilst I once again down load everything.
This costs a fortune in internet time!!
and my time.
so I am writing you a story- boring isn't it?

Here are some pretty pictures of what else we have been doing- re-tweaked our website
Happy with the new shop we have set up- the thingy that has an inventory working through Etsy, so easy to manage... we are doing the 5.00am photo shoots and will have more stock soon.

Excitement in the next few weeks Anna Reynolds is coming as artist-in-residence, I know it will be fun and stimulating. something to look forward to.

Thank you, thank you to all those who helped out with taking stuff off our hands.
There is a mountain of envelopes stuffed with hand made bits and pieces, too good to throw away.
I hope the handloom opens peoples eyes to the wonderful quality of one of India's treasures- khadi cotton.
Yes I am addict, trying to infect others...I justify it by saying how wonderful the cloth is and when fairly traded it keeps tradition alive and feeds families.
I will keep the listing FREE TO A GOOD HOME  an add more when we have bits that are too much for me to think up a new use and too good to throw away.

 

Interns /volunteers

haha no not on our tours....I already have a long list of people who would volunteer to carry our bags on tours!!
In the workshop- it is something that has come up once or twice, never had a lot of time to think about it, but it is about time we do.
Initial reaction is how great, then I got a bit nervous- Pushkar itself is a bit of a hippy town, some of the tourists really let their hair down and in the villages we work with I think there was an initial presumption we might be a bit wild or unruly. We have worked very hard and been careful to be a little conservative to create a feeling of safety and relaxation for our women and their families.
The student's lunch we hosted a while ago now was a big deal for some women to attend without their extended families.
We want to engender change in our area, and feel the best way is through a more internal process of women's self assurance growing through earning an income, through striving and being proud of quality work, through learning new things and knowing they can do it.
In the  back of our mind we know a library would assist in this....and we so hope to one day get one going.
We are just now training a women's co-ordinator Mrs Santosh, she is an older woman and we are very hopeful. I like the idea that through her I might be able to get a bit more insight into our women's lives and needs and ideas dissemination. Praveen is wonderful at trying to do this- at my prompting but there is only so much a bloke can enquire about.
haha sometimes I think it is more than he would be wanting to know.
Anyway that is off the track
Interns
yes please with the proviso they understand how we operate and what we need them to be aware of as representatives, how ever temporary, of The Stitching Project. this is the page on our site and it will lead to a full note on our request.
What do you reckon?

Wow and how exciting to have people develop new ideas with us and be excited.

Ohh I need to add a note to the note-
something about designs and intellectual rights and ownership and acknowledgement....help!
anything done here, is belongs to the Stitching Project but very happy to acknowledge who worked on the idea....type of thing
Some days....and in the background the generator is running making the sifting or words for the meanings I want so hard!
Going to run away from the noise now and sort saris.
 

So much to say....

Haha.
Same old story, so much happening and no time to Scratch,
So many stories I want to share
1. l have a new Samsung Note phone... not important except as a time saver it sure takes a long time to work out. I was just writing by hand but the **### thing won't let me correct mistakes so I am back to pecking keyboard. ...hard on my RSI.
2. But really 1. Dijanne Cevaal joined us as an artist-in-residence at the workshop for a month....she had been here for our Creative Camp got hooked on a few things and so decided to come back. It was great to spend time with her.... although it tended a little to the side of over stimulating ... simply because it was great to have someone to yarn to,to dream up ideas and what ifs...
It started off pretty quickly being a #wherethingschange moment as we gave each other a #nudge ... looking at what we both do as individuals,what we want learn, a little project we might explore together..... #creativeclout is evolving/ might evolve....we are hopeful. Not much more to say at the moment; we need to see if we can build a momentum, find an opportunity. ... keep an eye on our blogs, FB and Instagram we hope to have something interesting evolve
3. We visited Udayancare.... sorry I can't do links on my phone app...Google them. They are a group who have helped so many homeless girls get an education. .. they are building a craft and design centre to enrich their girls development and we volunteered to get them started with some simple weaving.  Great day.
If you are coming to delhi and would like to spend an enjoyable day or 2 sharing skills let me know I can put you in contact with them. Through their website you are wanting to contact Isabel.... she is fostering this initiative
3. I love our workshop.... it is amazing how an activity I have followed since the smallest child. ... making things.... can take on a whole other life of its own.... with Divali coming we have been counting up people we create employment for....well over 100 women and a dozen in the workshop.
Exciting
Scary..... responsibilities. When it was just me and my studio caring for my kids I suppose in the back of my mind was if I fail I can get a job.... now we are the job creator. ... oh boy!!!
Reminder to self... we have come along way.... we have learnt a lot and anything g is possible...  keep going one step and one small pleasure at a time.
Early morning pleasure is breakfast on the garden step....chapati  out and birds and chipmunks visiting
Happy sunday

Want to add pictures but forgotten how. ..following.  No! There it is...going crazy haha

Recreational stitching

I am certainly not a how to person... mostly I am a bit rebellious and see every recipe there as an indication to be tweaked..... as you could imagine sponges never work. You do need to follow that recipe! ....
I have been doing a bit of recreational stitching as a result of Dijanne Cevaal being here and what fun it is!
2 layers of our Rajasthan light khadi handloom (thanks to the Mr Gaffer  workshop) and patches are a delight to stitch into.... Great weight....Great little texture to finish.
Just saying :)

flocking in....

 Having a brilliant week....well it has slipped over until next week now,
new samples I am pleased with...there is a coat floating around as well....can't wait to see it finished

 Finally rains, gentle and persistent, so our 1 crop of the years planted.....fingers crossed it prospers....

 Lilli from Mullumbimbi in Australia, and yes it may be incorrectly spelt! has arrived, she has been dancing around, playing saris, groping fabrics, swooning over indigo and handloom and following a dream working with us to create her new range of clothes. Fun energy.

My mate Dijanne is back, she was here to help and enjoy our Indian Inspiration Creative Camp earlier in the year and left with so many ideas she has come back as an artist-in-residence, and as a good mate has been a wonderful help too...she is currently up stairs sorting a mountain of saris into colour piles to help us out. After this the block print room will be free and I promise to keep from distracting her and making sure there is time to experiment and trial ideas....last week when we were at the indigo man's she tie and dyed a beautiful piece of dhoti handloom cloth, we are both drooling over....
I will be eternally grateful for her restoring order to the gentle chaos of the sari mountain.
She is an early bird like me and we were laughing the other day- getting up early and chatting we have generated a weeks worth of ideas come 7.00am!!
it is true.....the newest idea is to take notes and work through these ideas over time.....just planning where we are going with this.... we have a love of the same materials, processes and sharing and so come to a meeting point from there we go out in different directions...fun to see "Where things Change"
stay tuned....

been there and back- Artist-in-Residence

I feel very boring, it is always the same story, based around running like crazy, but if I actually draw breath and think about it, a little something new happened yesterday. My office guy sent me through invoices all set out correctly and ready to send on- he did it not me!!...the office work learning curve has been a huge millstone this last year... but that felt like light at the end of the tunnel.

Another observation- Praveen's job is to look after tour bookings, I do all the email/ interaction stuff because I am more vocal but he handles the organization....as you know he has been working since 8 so school really did not happen, supporting his family on a rickshaw from 12 [thought I would throw that in it always wrings my heartstrings]

When I first met him, he could read Hindi slowly but English was not possible....I was watching him go down through the itinerary yesterday on his own. He is amazing, my man. So proud of him and it is a bit more office work I can allocate to other people.....

I have this sneaking feeling next year might be a little easier....I might have more time to work on new ideas in the print room, hand stitch samples- all those yummy creative things possible in our beautiful workshop!!

It is always good to dream

 Here are some of our dreams come true, a new women gets the pat on the back and becomes a Stitching Lady....

 Really lovely to go to Bangalore and meet Kusum of Timri, kindred soul and new friend. Bangalore is amazing- felt like we were out of India, so affluent compared to where we live....down side for the locals is the traffic- 2 hours to drive 23 km.

and then we went onto Hyderabad- beautiful architecture.....want to go back...lots of handloom in the surrounding area, just need time to look for the connections.
Then off to Oz and back again- ohh my boys are gorgeous and my mates great to see.
Back again and scurrying to get through things until that moment yesterday I noticed there might be light at the end of the tunnel.

My mate Dawn chortles some days and says "Be careful what you wish for" when I am having a bit of a moan about how much work we have on for our Stitching.....
there are other days when "Be careful what you wish for " has a whole different flavour....one of those things I have wished for since I came here was a studio I could create in and a space I could share with us....thanks very much to Praveen we have a workshop we are so pleased with- space for us to be creative, a place to create work for others and now I am realising we finally have the space to polish up the Studio side of our workshop.....
Really it is already happening with our visiting student groups, workshops we do for passing visitors and our tour groups, The Indian Inspiration Creative Camp is a Pukka Studio experience.....[ still time to join us for the whole time or a few days]

3 conversations in the last week have happened upon the idea of making our space available for Artist-in-Residence" experiences.
Wouldn't that be wonderful?
We would be happy to share our workshop, but need to define the experience. Artist-in-residence suggests it is a space to be used as part of an arts practice, so there would need to be clearly defined goals, what are they coming to pursue...not just a place for someone to lob up.
If people want to learn - we do workshops, if they want to visit they can ring and be invited,
For the artist-in-residence programmes I looked at in my teaching/travelling days you applied had goals etc.
I would also ask residents bring a skill or idea they can share with our women...impromptu learning not formal it would scare them....but secretly we would like to train them up to be micro-entrepreneurs who make things of their own design- we could put them in the workshop shop for sale for them.....more dreams there.....another story.
So thanks for listening....writing to you I am talking the idea through in my head...any comments, observations, suggestions greatly appreciated. details to consider....
Applicants? drop me a note.
All the best wishes for the season
Fiona