Pakistan School Named for the Market

Thursday, February 04, 2010
Posted by: Folk Art Market

Quilters from the Lila Handicrafts cooperative living in a small village in the Sindh province of Pakistan have recently launched the Santa Fe Desert School in a single room in their village using their earnings from the Market. 

The school in the village of Kaloi in the Tharparker District was named to commemorate their connection to the Folk Art Market - Lila Handicrafts have attended the Market every year since it started in 2004.

Plans are underway to build a more permanent school based on the unique architecture of Santa Fe that will serve as a permanent building for the 24 children of the artisans there.

The cooperative previously used funds earned at the Market to send the artisans’ children to the Brightening Stars School, a private school in a neighboring town.

Ralli quilts are made in the remote regions of Pakistan and Western India by women artisans, many of whom will not travel out of their own village without their husbands or another male.

The quilts are patterned textiles made of old cloth from discarded clothing and household fabrics that are sometimes hand dyed to give them a new appearance.

The cloth is torn or cut into geometric shapes, then stitched together on a palm mat on the ground using a large needle and cotton thread. Three quilting methods are used: patchwork, appliqué and embroidery.

The basic designs and motifs of rallis have been passed from mother to daughter and woman-to-woman for centuries. The creativity of the artisans is seen in the color combinations and unique patterns employed in individual quilts.

Designs typically include geometric patterns, floral motifs, waves, or images of animals and trees.

You can learn more about Ralli Quilts here, and you can look forward to seeing artisans from Lila Handicrafts and their work at this year’s Market.