PAKISTAN, Sindh, Thar Desert.

ONE ONLY: Like a contemporary painting. Crisp, fresh, bright cotton 100% hand stitched patchwork and reverse appliqué with patchwork and a tiny bit of embroidery. Pakistani ralli (quilt/throw) purchased from the Meghwar tribal women of a Thar Desert village, Sindh, Pakistan. Meghwar women are renown for their exquisite needlework, embroidery, patchwork and reverse appliqué. They live in Purdah (isolation) and do not travel even to the nearest village. Their rallies are a loud and proud statement which tells the world of their existence, history and incredible skill.  

215cm x 150cm

Gorgeous contrasting colours of rich bright orange, mid purple, teal green, white, pink, black, sky blue and pale yellow. A large central rectangular panel is bordered by a wide rectangle of stylised hearts in a swirling, delicate design of narrow plant tendril shapes. The quilt is then bordered with teal green and white triangles with each triangle peak embroidered with the simple triangular KUNGRI symbol used by these Meghwar women. This is then bordered in a mid pink strip edged then with a bold black and sky blue triangular strip and finally edged in a narrow outer strip border of mid yellow.  The whole ralli is quilted in running stitch purple over the orange and orange over the purple. Backing is a wonderful printed ajrak cotton (the traditional textile of Sindh worn as a shawl by men (see photo). A stunning quilt that would suit a contemporary interior as a throw, to hang on a wall or fold on the end of a bed to add a strong design element.

Very thin wadding and no holes.