SOCH : some new bags

Many of us have grown up with these kitschy colors, typical patterns, gallant textures and strong weaves... 

Yes! I'm talking about the Solapur chaddars! 

Worked on some new SOCH bags recently...

Unlike the boring rectangles, tried some ergonomic and trendy shapes. What do you think about them?

 More of SOCH here and here.

Hometown Love

I believe in IDEAS. I believe in FUN.
Therefore, I believe in FUN IDEAS!
As, FUN = LOVE

{Hometown LOVE + Fabric LOVE + LOVE for Bags}
=
{FUN + More FUN+ Much More FUN}

This equation is illustrated here...
Colorful and trendy, patterned and smart is what adds to this new "RECYCLED" development. Let me know what you think!
How about calling this line of products as "SOCH". SO for Solapur and CH for Chaddar!
I have thought of few more things for SOCH, those would be in different sizes, different shapes and different tastes too :)

More on Solapur Bags here.

Macrame Bag

I love bags! And old bags; I love them even more!!
Recently found this macrame bag which my mom knotted 30 years ago, before her marriage. It has just faded color from bright green to a dull yellow. But its knots are still intact and firm.

Mom is expert in embroidery! She has beautifully embroidered many things,but all before her marriage! <"sigh"> I'm sure I have got my design and textile genes from her :) Moreover, my grand-mom was a super expert in embroidery, macrame, quilting, knitting, stitching and what not. And more importantly, she consistently continued it after her marriage! I have some textile pieces which she has made, will post them some day.

As of now, I'm going to flaunt this bag all around. And I like when people ask me when I carry some out-fashioned old bags, similarly when I carry the Solapur bag!!! :)

Fun poly bags!!

For sandwiches on your way to office, for medicines while you are on travel, for sending cute small things to your friends etc etc and more over for the FUN factor!!! Couldn't stop drawing with markers and couldn't get more colorful markers!!! Make not one but dozen for yourself and keep spreading the fun!!!

All that is satin is not mashru

But this is. Another one from my sewing explorations... the mashru potli or better I call it ikat mashru potli. This makes it specific and justifies the fabric too.

Patched-up Bag

This happens with me many a times; when I am frantically looking for something, I never get that and instead I get something else which is interesting in some other way. Today morning the same thing happened!! I was looking for some old left over embroidery threads and instead I found this pretty bag. I had stitched this bag about two years back during my sewing tutorials. Made from leftover pieces of fabric, this bag uses a variety of fabrics like block prints, batik, ikat, regular screen prints, kota, extra warp patterned and other woven textured fabrics.

Kashmiri Hastakari- Bags

Sling Bag

Hand Bag

Today, I got these bags as gifts! From Srinagar!! I have a pouch of Kashmiri wool aari embroidery on a white base. Such embroidery on white cotton base is very common. Here, the embroidery is done on dyed and patched leather. It has an awesome texture. And to add, the colors are very typically fall colors of this season: aubergine, mauve and true red with brown, black and olive greens and accent of mellow rose. I love these bags!

Bag from Kachchh

The obsession of bags continues...

Hand embroidered bag from Kachchh, Gujarat

Solapur Bags

Pishvi in marathi, kothada in guajarati, chila in kannada and sanchi in teulgu, thaili in hindi or a chick tote bag… call it whatever but it remains a simple and useful basic bag of its kinds. Everyone uses such a bag at least once in life and many have their lives revolving around this.

I pass through many street shops selling such basic bags everywhere, but there is something different about such shops in Solapur. They also sell bags unique to Solapur and those are the bags stitched from chaddars. These bags are referred to as ‘Chadarichya pishvya’ in Marathi.

Bag seller @ Lakshmi market, Solapur

Variety of Bags at the above shop

These bags are made from the jacquard woven chaddar fabrics which either are excess pieces from the loom or are initial weave trials or either have some weave defects. These are purchased from the weaving units and are locally stitched on a small scale for local market sales. You might find this a very mundane thing but NO! It is an ingenious sustainable product. Made from excess/waste, this bag also adds to employment to some extent and is also very useful.
I got the above bag from my grandfather and he tells me that it is about 25 years old. And that means it is older than me! He had bought this bag for Rs. 3/-. Now you just have to add a zero to this which makes it Rs. 30/-. Striking motifs unambiguously woven into colorful stripes are simply superb. These bags are my current subject of interest for exploration. Wait for it... it is going to be legendary!!

My new Tote Bag

Organic Cotton!!!
I wanted to have once since so long, and now I have it...a big, smart and trendy tote bag purchased from Marks & Spencer.
Courtesy: Marks & Spencer