As Karachi falls apart, some women put the pieces back together again
The Piecemakers’ Guild consists of 27 women who won’t sell their work.
KARACHI:
For Dr Samiah Ahsan, quilting, which she learnt from her mother, was a productive alternative to kitty parties. She and friend Samina Qureshi started doing it together. By 2008, they turned into a group of seven women, who either knew or wanted to learn the techniques.
The Piecemakers’ Guild, which has since grown to 27 women, held its second exhibition that opened Saturday to a packed house for one day. Their first show was held in January 2010. This time too Quilt Show 2012 put on an impressive array of dazzling, soft handmade patchwork quilts and other home accessories at the Index Living Mall in Clifton.
A combination of hand piecing, machine piecing, hand quilting and machine quilting is used. Other techiniques include colour washes, traditional rilli-making, a Japanese technique called Sashiko, bleaching, crazy patching and rag quilting. The exhibition was divided into different sections, including the challenge quilt competition, bed quilts, wall hangings, throws, and accessories. A set of judges pinned rosettes to the pieces that won first, second and third positions. But even debutants were honoured.
Most of the women who are a part of the group are professionals, some are doctors, some teachers, others school administrators, and even chief financial officers. Some are MBAs who do it in their spare time, like me, said Dr Ahsan. “I do it while watching TV.”
One quilt can take a few months to complete and the women do it entirely themselves, from the cutting to the treating to the stitching. The works are usually not for sale as they are labours of love. Sabeen Majeed, for example, would never dream of selling her quilt, which she made of her daughter’s old shirts, which she didn’t want to part with them but didn’t wear any more. The t-shirt quilt helped turn them into a piece of personal history.
Parveen Rizvi, who travels to Africa a lot, uses place as inspiration and hence some of her pieces have shades of Nairobi. She even uses African fabrics. Her piece was called ‘Masai Mara’. Others, like Aisha Wahid, worked closer to home. She made a quilted baby bag inspired by her first grandchild. Samiah Ahsan Zia turned political with a wall hanging called “To Switzerland with love” because she was inspired by the country’s decision to ban making tombs.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2012.
For Dr Samiah Ahsan, quilting, which she learnt from her mother, was a productive alternative to kitty parties. She and friend Samina Qureshi started doing it together. By 2008, they turned into a group of seven women, who either knew or wanted to learn the techniques.
The Piecemakers’ Guild, which has since grown to 27 women, held its second exhibition that opened Saturday to a packed house for one day. Their first show was held in January 2010. This time too Quilt Show 2012 put on an impressive array of dazzling, soft handmade patchwork quilts and other home accessories at the Index Living Mall in Clifton.
A combination of hand piecing, machine piecing, hand quilting and machine quilting is used. Other techiniques include colour washes, traditional rilli-making, a Japanese technique called Sashiko, bleaching, crazy patching and rag quilting. The exhibition was divided into different sections, including the challenge quilt competition, bed quilts, wall hangings, throws, and accessories. A set of judges pinned rosettes to the pieces that won first, second and third positions. But even debutants were honoured.
Most of the women who are a part of the group are professionals, some are doctors, some teachers, others school administrators, and even chief financial officers. Some are MBAs who do it in their spare time, like me, said Dr Ahsan. “I do it while watching TV.”
One quilt can take a few months to complete and the women do it entirely themselves, from the cutting to the treating to the stitching. The works are usually not for sale as they are labours of love. Sabeen Majeed, for example, would never dream of selling her quilt, which she made of her daughter’s old shirts, which she didn’t want to part with them but didn’t wear any more. The t-shirt quilt helped turn them into a piece of personal history.
Parveen Rizvi, who travels to Africa a lot, uses place as inspiration and hence some of her pieces have shades of Nairobi. She even uses African fabrics. Her piece was called ‘Masai Mara’. Others, like Aisha Wahid, worked closer to home. She made a quilted baby bag inspired by her first grandchild. Samiah Ahsan Zia turned political with a wall hanging called “To Switzerland with love” because she was inspired by the country’s decision to ban making tombs.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 30th, 2012.