Sometimes these were also used by students when they moved away from home and went to a hostel/ boarding schools. My Maa still packs woolen clothes in these trunks and before stowing them away she puts couple of Naphthalene balls inside the clothes. I still love the moment when I open a trunk and get welcomed by the smell of Naphthalene balls!!
Over the years this old trunk has moved to different places and has witnessed several historical milestones.It has seen partition of India and has followed the trail from Bangladesh to West Bengal. Later on along with the family the trunk has been to Arunachal Pradesh, Maharashtra and now it rests back in West Bengal.
As I opened the trunk there were few surprises.The trunk yielded old journals, family books, baby quilts and other household items. The smell of vintage fabric caught my attention. I never get tiered of looking into old fabric art. As a connoisseur of fabric arts, I was quite enthralled to discover these handmade delicacies.
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| A Kantha stitch table cover made by my mother-in-law |
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| A table cover made by my mother in law |
I recognized few of the table covers which was created by my mother in law.Bengal is known for Kantha stitch, and my mother in law was an expert in making quilts with Kantha stitch. But perhaps the greatest surprise of the day was when I came upon this white piece of embroidery on the delicate white cloth.
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| Sample white work embroidery made by my grandmother in law |
Although I am not an expert in Bengali hand weaves, but I was surprised to learn such kind of artistry exists. I am not sure about the creator of these art works. My mother in law passed away couple of years back. But I remember she spoke highly of the artistic skills of her mother-in-law. So I presume this could be made either of the two leading ladies of the house.
I had to search in the internet to find out the name and history of this stitch. Drawn thread embroidery is an old method of producing design in fabric by drawing threads from the body of fabric. Drawn thread work is also known as white work, Opus Tiratum, Punto Tirato, cut work, pulled thread work. Drawn thread work likely began in the 16th century and was popular in Italy, Germany, Sweden, Norway and England. Relics of drawn thread work has also been discovered in Medieval period of China and India. The mesh work created with this stitch can be considered as a predecessor to lace work. Traditionally White work embroidery was used as an embellishment for underclothing, table clothes, church linens, christening gowns, veils and bonnets.
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| A table cover made by white work |
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| Details of the white work |
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| Another variation of white work |
Embroidering or wool - needle was often considered a form of domestic happiness. Women would gather together in lazy afternoons and would trade patterns and carry on the needlework.
The amount of labor and love that went towards making these detailed needlework is awe inspiring.Some of the linens were so old that they had lost their pristine whiteness and have turned yellowish, but nevertheless they appeared timeless.I have never met my grandmother-in-law. But as I was examining the embroidery and trying to find out the origin of the stitch, I felt I was communicating with her. May be these pieces were embroidered while she was still in Bangladesh? Maybe I am holding a piece of history which has witnessed the partition of India?
I feel I am lucky to have such talented women in our family who made them, and preserved them with care so that we can enjoy later! What was the last piece of family heirloom that you have been handed over?
References:
https://www.needlework-tips-and-techniques.com/whitework-embroidery.html
https://textilis.net/2015/07/14/historical-reproductions-19th-century-whitework-embroidery-g-7/
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