Creative articles about sewing

BERNINA Worldwide Traveldiary 7, Impressions and a SariShop (India)

It’s still Tuesday, 21st  April, 2015

The workshop “paperlamination” was successful and we achieved great results at Tina Katwals “The Square Inch” in Chennai.

Early evening and time enough to look around a bit.

A friend of mine wrote me via Facebook during the trip “Jutta, you should buy a Sari and change it into your version!”

Well, that would be lovely, but where should I get a Sari from, at this time? No problem, said Tina. We are going to visit a Sari-Shop tonight. Just sat in the car and have been chauffeuered to “Nalli”.

There is no comparison to the fabric market in Seoul, of course, but thats not the thing I am talking about. I was overwhelmed by fabrics, patterns and colours, that were combined in the most artistic way. Hundreds of Saris were folded and layered in the wooden shelves of the shop.

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or hung up:

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Tina explained the structure of Saris. A Sari consist of approx 5-6 meters fabric, starting with material on one end, part of the “choli”, the stitched blouse, the pallu, the shoulder piece that is created on quite striking motivs, the body of the sari, wich can be performed either very simple or decorative and the ending, with a decorative border at the seam. Knowing this, you can see theses long fabric panels with differend eyes.

Due to the different seasons and changing temperatures, saris are made in all sorts of materials. Delicate and light cottons, chenille, crepes de dhine and silk in different thread counts and qualitites.

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The very kind employees very happy to open the folded saris to show their beauty….

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and then were re-folded to be placed over the shoulder to demonstrate the pattern…

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I kept on being amazed and dreaming…..

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this very special sari was in Tina’s interest. So simple it seemed, so complicated was the line guided nodules batik.

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not to know, where to look at first and next to….

 

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What a gem!

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A little “fabric department” was next.

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Silk, wherever you look….

 

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All sorts of accessories, scarfs and blouses….

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Well, I found a Sari, that I bought. When I told the employee, that I am going to cut it into pieces he was a little shocked…

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We finished the evening in another nice Indian restaurant and kept on talking and talking and talking.

 

Wednesday, 22nd of April 2015

Travelday, again. Return flight to Mumbai, hotel check-in, baggage needed to be entirely repacked for the final return flight to Germany.

But first, I liked to have a few impressions from the immediate surroundings of my hotel. I walked outside before breakfast, took the narrow road down to the beach. But not for too long. At this time in early morning I was already embraced by a sweltering heat and high humidity. Later, I was told, that already around 11 in the morning there was 41 degrees in Chennai.

Without many words, I would like to show now some “eye-gaze” that I have taken.

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A little later, just a few blocks away, I met Ajay Gupta of BERNINA India and Tina Katwal at “The Square Inch”again, before Ajay and I flew back to Mumbai again. But I had a few more minutes and could quickly step into the road – this time, however accompanied by our driver.

India, contrast changing.

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Sweet and fruity smells pulled me to the other side of the street. There was a fruit and vegetable trade……

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Coconuts

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different bananas

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Cucumbers and beans…

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and Mangos – it was just Mango season in India!

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Papayas

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and lots of fruit, I have never seen before.

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the daily shopping

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and just another few meters down the road…

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getting some nice and fresh coconut water:

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And then it was time to go. To say goodbye again. This time, to my beloved friend Tina. To those wonderful hours in Chennai.

With some delay Ajay and I arrived in the early evening in Mumbai, Deepika was already waiting in my hotel, so we were able to spend a few hours together. The hours passed just too fast, during storytelling and remembering the last few days, with all workshops and happenings.

With great gratitude on both sides and deep friendship affection we all left one another now. But we will all meet again. Perhaps in Steckborn in Switzerland at BERNINA, or once again in Mumbai at BERNINA India.

Thursday 23rd April, 2015

Even this day India kept a little surprise for me. The driver of the hotel took me in the morning to the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport Mumbai. This new airport complex is one of the findest in the world and has recently received numerous design awards.

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If  there is sufficient time, just have a look in the newly created “Art and History Museum”. And the beautiful interior design. Asia and Orient combined very well.

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And inbetween, in this huge arc, the traditional Indian Siddi “Kawandi” (Quilts) suspended. After the workshop in Chennai I got to see one of them and was very impressed bye the traditional handcraft. And since this is part of the Indian folk, they are fortunately also part of the new museum at the airport.

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Lamps like oriental flowers….

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Art, whereever to look at:

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And then, it’s time for boarding.

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I look outside and say goodbye to this wonderful country, with its many faces and people who laugh, cry, rejoice and grieve, suffer and celebrate.

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Namaste, India.

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They were beautiful, enriching and memorable times in Asia. Still, I am deeply impressed by both cultures, with these wonderful people who live in two so very different countries. Grateful for the new friendships that have arisen. Overwhelmed by the unconditional hospitality of BERNINA Korea, Sang Jun Lee and both Mr. Kim, and BERNINA India with Ajay and Deepika Gupta and their team, also by Tina Katwal in Chennai. To be able to experience how BERNINA International operates worldwide, was unique. Thank you, Sabine Scheiner from BERNINA International, who kept all lines and strings firmly in her hands.

16 traveldays

24.810 kilometers flown

32 hours of flight

5 hotels

8 workshops

82 workshop participants

82 new friends

50 BERNINA sewing machines

countless prints on fabrics

13 artbags

24 works of paperlamination

2 BERNINA Dealerships, BERNINA Korea and BERNINA India

1 BERNINA family

 

Thank you all,

Jutta Hellbach

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