Some variations in Kerala Kasavu sarees

I need not write anything about Kerala Kasavu sarees. Most of the saree loving women , own at least one Kerala Kasavu saree in their collection. This is also known as "Mundum Neriyathum". This is traditional saree of Kerala.Fine cotton handwoven sarees produced by weavers of Balarampuram near Tiruvantharam.


It has two pieces, Mundum  and Neriyattum, which is in white color or very light cream color.This has combination with Kasav( silk thread covered with gold or silver plated threads). In Raja Ravi Verma's paintings, the women he painted are mostly wearing Mundum Neriyattum.

Raja - Ravi Verma's painting- Woman wearing Kerala Kasavu saree
Image Courtesy-Pininterest

Variations in Kerala Kasavu saree

Though Kerala Kasavu sarees are beautiful, with elegant combination of white and gold, nowdays we can find many variations in Kerala Kasavu. The plain one looks very elegant and good option if anyone is planning to embroider or paint on a saree.

Plain Kerala Kasavu saree:

Plain Kerala Kasavu saree

Kerala Kasavu with Screen Printing:

As I have written, Kerala Kasavu saree is perfect for embroidery or painting. I have used screen printing on one of my sarees. Here it is :

Kerala Kasuvu saree with screen printing

This one is Kerala Kasavu , with embroidery:

Kerala Kasavu saree with embroidery

Kerala Kasavu saree with colored threads and motifs

Weavers also coming up with many designs. To make the borer and Pallu look little colorful, nowadays color silk threads are also used with golden color threads. Here are some variations with color threads:

Kerala Kasavu with motifs

Kerala Kasavu with motifs

Nowadays, Kerala Kasavu with Kerala Mural painting is in trend. I'm planning to paint a Kerala Mural on a saree. Soon share about Kerala Mural in coming posts.

Until then,

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Saree Design -With Kalamkari border again

I never get contended with collecting and designing with  traditional paintings of India. Kalmakari is one such art. I have kalmkari patches, kalamkari borders, kalamkari duppata, kalamkari saree , kalamkari hand block printed clothes etc. Still whenever I see clothes with kalamkari art, I end up buying that. :-). I have designed 3-4 sarees using kalamkari patches. First one was with Paisley designs , and recently designed some sarees with Kalamkari border for my customers.

Another saree with blue silk material and Kalamkari border was designed with a zari border. If I use zari border and cloth with zari motifs, I can't wear it on casual day. So this time designed Kalamkari saree without zari, so that I can wear it anytime , any day :-).

Here it is :

Kalamkari saree

I chose a beautiful Kalamkari border with peacock design, in light green color. Here is the Kalamkari border:

Kalamkari border

I was searching for a right cloth for this border. I could have chosen dark green or pink. But decided to avoid dark colors this time. So selected pastel color . As the border has pink color too, I chose pink color as contrast. For the pink color , I used the cloth from my mother's old silk saree.

Here are the materials I used :

The materials chosen

Attached the kalamkari patch as border along the saree, contrasting it on both the sides with small strip of pink silk cloth.

Kalamkari saree

The pink silk saree cloth is remaining . So I will use it for the blouse. Though it has some glossy silk look, but I can wear it on casual day too. Or shall I choose a blouse in cotton for this?

Designing dress with  Kutchwork, learning some more forms of crafts. Eager to share my experiments and experiences with arts and crafts with you.

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

 

Quick way to design a saree with a lace

Saree can be designed with many techniques like hand embroidery, machine embroidery, painting, printing. I have tried these techniques to design saree for my customers. The easiest way I found is screen printing the saree. It is quick also. Though hand painting, hand embroidery and machine embroidery make the saree look very elegant, these techniques are time consuming.

Another easiest and quickest way to design saree is attaching the lace/border to saree.

Nowadays different kinds of saree laces are available in the  market. I designed this saree using one such lace. The client wanted very simple  , party wear  saree. I got the material dyed with two colors  in the shop.

As she wanted very simple and I selected thin lace in antique gold matching both the colors. Here it is:

 

Within an hour I attached the lace long the border of the saree. And the saree in ready! 

The designed saree on Chammak Challo

 I have designed a blouse in raw silk which is in border color. My client is very happy to see this. Hope you also liked.

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Kalamakari border- on Chanderi silk

Often this happens with me. Once I pick up one craft or art, I will make 3-4 projects in that particular craft/ art continuously. Like if I pick up decoupage, for 4-5 days I will be making projects in decoupage etc. One way it is good, I can complete the many projects , but cons are I cannot practise other kinds of arts and crafts in that time. This is what happening, designed 2 sarees one after the other , that too with Kalamkari border :)
Last week I had posted saree designed for myself with Kalamkari border

Here is the saree I have designed for a customer:

Chanderi silk with Kalamkari border

 This is an order from one of my customers. She wanted Kalamkari border on pink color saree. The choice of cloth and the border she had left to me. I chose Chanderi Silk in pink,

The Chanderi silk cotton I have chosen

and  Kalamkari print border, in peacock design.

The Kalamkari print border

  Attached the border on sides of the saree, using sewing machine.

Sewing Kalamkari Border

Just attaching the border on saree is very easy and takes very less time. She didn't want any zari or extra border for the saree, it took hardly 1 hour to complete this saree.
To design a blouse I picked up raw silk with stripes on it, in contrast color.Hope it looks good with the blouse I have chosen:

With Matching blouse in Raw silk

The customer is very happy with this. Please share your opinions too.

Working on some Kutch work designs for saree as well as Kurtis. Will share more about those in coming posts.

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Saree design- with Kalamkari border

I never get satisfied with designing saree or dresses with Kalamkari designs. From my collection of patches I had designed a  saree with Kalamkari patches. Nowadays there are many colorful Kalamkari borders  available in market. With one such border , I had designed a black saree which I gifted to my sister in law.
This saree I have designed again with similar border, but in red color.

Here it is:

Saree with Kalamkari border

While designing a saree, the color combination becomes very important. I had the red color Kalamkari border. I avoided a bright zari and chose an antique look blue silk. And a zari cloth for the border.
Here are the cloths I chose, blue silk cloth with circular motif, border ,red silk for blouse and zari cloth:

Cloths used for designing saree

Zari cloth strips

Attached Zari border first, the red color cloth strip and The Kalamkari Border. Another side of the Kalamkari border attached another lace. This highlights the Kalamkari border.
Here is the closer view:

Closer view- Kalamkari border

As the border is very wide, I used it on only one side of the saree.

Red color border goes well with blue color cloth. Hope you too liked the color combination. :)
Designing another saree with Kalamkari border, without any zari. Will share about the same in the next post.

Until then,  

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana

Saree designed with an old silk border

Last year I could  design very few  sarees. All the materials I have bought to design sarees are quitely sitting in the cupboard waiting for their turn,to get designed as saree. I could complete an order from my friend , designing Saree with screen printing . And another with paisley design.

And for myself I had designed a saree with patchwork of cloth with pritns of Jaimini Roy's paintings. Another as a gift to my sister in law, with Kalamkari Border. I have done saree designing with patch work or attaching of borders, as it is easy and takes very less time. Thinking of designing sarees with fabric painting , Kutch embroidery and Kerala Mural painting. Don't know when I can complete the designing of those sarees :)

Here is the one I designed recently:

This I designed for my mother in law. She had an old silk saree which was damaged all over the body. But the border is very beautiful and not damaged. Still the zari has the same luster.

To contrast the border I bought simple cloth in dark blue, with motifs all over in Banarasi weaving.

See how the border looks on the cloth:

Stitched the border along the length , using my sewing machine. This sewing machine is always my favorite. I have designed many sarees using this machine and made many embroideries too.

And little above the border attached  a small border made from the brocade cloth I had.
Here is my Chammak Challo ( the mannequin) wearing the saree.

I didn't have to design the blouse for this, already my mother in law had the same old blouse stitched. :)

Soon will design a saree with Kutch work embroidery. Hope I will complete that soon.

Until then,

Love , laugh and live the life to the fullest,

-Ranjana