Tilonia

www.tilonia.com

Tilonia is a mission-driven, social enterprise developing the entrepreneurial skills and business capacity of artisan enterprises managed and owned by rural artisans in India.

The Tilonia artisan collections feature home textiles, women’s accessories and gifts suitable for contemporary decorative styles while still reflective of Indian craft traditions. Bring the color and spice of India to your home!



Mission:  Tilonia, takes its name from Tilonia, the small village in Rajasthan that is the home of the Barefoot College. Since 1972, the College has worked to improve the quality of life of the poorest of the poor, who make less than $1 a day. The Barefoot College trains the poorest of the poor to become “Barefoot” professionals who develop their own communities. These semi-literate women and men from poor rural communities become Barefoot solar engineers, water engineers, architects, teachers, midwives and paramedics creating their own solutions to meet basic needs for water, electricity, housing, health, education and income.

Working in conjunction with the Barefoot College, Friends of Tilonia, Inc. has developed Tilonia.com for the sale of handcrafted bedding, accessories and gift items produced by nearly 800 artisans in villages where the College and its affiliates operate. We are replicating this “Barefoot” model by developing Barefoot e-commerce managers who operate the web-based platform and online store, manage and sustain the enterprise, and enjoy the economic benefit of a successful business operation.

Location:  India
Online shop:  Tilonia
Memberships:  
   Avani Kumaon
   Barefoot College
   Designing Hope
Languages spoken:  English, Hindi

Textiles from Tilonia

Tags:  Natural Dyes, Blockprint, Woven, Wild Silk, Peace Silk, Weaving, Bag, Scarf, Tablecloth, Bedding

MarketPlace: Handwork of India

www.marketplaceindia.com

MarketPlace: Handwork of India is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing economic opportunities for women artisans in India, and empowering them to bring about changes in their lives, the lives of their families, and their communities.

Our clothes are rooted in a long tradition of artisan work, rather than based on fleeting trends. Reflecting classic styling, our designs are fresh and versatile.

“Leadership By Design” sums up our strategy. Planning and controlling every aspect of production has given women basis skills that they use in planning other aspects of their lives and taking initiatives in community actions, their children’s schools, and changing relationships between them and their husbands and children, especially their daughters.

Women are involved in design workshops, executing plans for production, the entire quality control, and managing the transfer of skills. MarketPlace is currently working with 14 cooperatives, representing over 480 artisans, most of who are women. The clothing and textile products made by these groups are marketed in the U.S. through an attractive catalog, website and a number of specialty and clothing stores. Sales in the U.S. in 2008 was almost $1 million.

Location: Evanston, Illinois, USA
Online shop: marketplaceindia
Blog: marketplacehandworkofindia
Memberships: MarketPlace is well recognized in the Fair Trade Movement and was one of the founding members of the Fair Trade Federation and is a member of the World Fair Trade Organization.
Social Media: Twitter, YouTube
Languages spoken: English

Reversible jackets by MarketPlace: Handwork of India

Tags: fair trade, veggie dyes, embroidered clothing, cotton clothing, Indian clothing, economic development, Mumbai, SHARE

Coco Kulkarni

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ThreadsOfOld

http://www.etsy.com/shop/CocoBags

I have been collecting art for a long time.  All sorts of art:: paintings (oil, water, pastels, ink), sculpture (wood, metal, stone), tribal drawings (some painted on cow dung!), textiles, and even photographs.

The antique textiles I have belong to one particular region in India called Kutch. Many of them are over 70 to 90 years old.  Most of them are in excellent condition. Some are embroidered and some are appliqued.  There's a rich variety of colours, motifs and techniques. All beautiful!

My love of fabrics inspired me to make and sell handbags on Etsy.  I use wool, cashmere, leather, cottons, and some blends to make handbags with clean contemporary lines and beautiful patterned fabrics. I don't use patterns, and I stay clear of 'designer' fabrics. I free cut all my bags, so they're never really the same size or shape. My latest handbags are made from hand spun, hand loomed cottons (khadi) from India, and some have hand blocked prints on them.

Location:  Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Online shops:  ThreadsOfOld

Languages spoken:  English

Ganesh, Embroidered detail of a vintage textile from Kutch, India

Coco Bags

Tags:  Vintage, ethnic, India, Kutch, Gujarat, wall hanging, folk embroidery, folk applique, collections, Saurashtra, bag, purse, khadi

DharmaKarmaArts

http://dharmakarmaarts.etsy.com

My name is Indira. I create original yoga art in watercolor, sari wall art in mixed media, recycled silk scarfs from old Kanchipuram saris, decorative wooden boxes and jewelry inspired by my Indian heritage.  I have a successful career in higher education but have been an artist/craftswoman of some kind or the other all my life. I paint in oils and in watercolor and came to jewelry making only recently. I am self-taught in many of my crafts and what I did not learn myself, I learned from my mother.

My mother taught me to sew. She learned sewing from a Portugese woman who taught her to cut patterns precisely and efficiently. My mother once told me that during the period she was learning to sew, she made one new frock for me every week. For a long time, she sewed clothes for the entire family and as we grew older she taught us to make our clothes. It was not until our adulthood that we revolted and started getting our blouses and petticoats sewn by professional tailors! Sewing your own clothes had become quite unhip.

I got my first sewing machine as a wedding anniversary gift from my husband. Like my mother, I made dresses for my daughter till she revolted against feminine dresses for blue jeans upon entering kindergarten!

I left India a long time ago but India has not left me yet. My work is grounded Indian aesthetics, especially that of the Tamil culture. I use the colors, materials that were part of my life growing up in India and which have informed and shaped my own idea of beauty in my artistic creations.  If you have a taste for Indian culture, artwork and colors, then Dharmakarmaarts is for you.  I donate all proceeds from the sales of my products to aid physically handicapped children and adults through Sukriti Social Foundation. For more information about Sukriti, go to http://www.sukriti.org.




Location: Summit, New Jersey, USA
Online shops: 
   dharmakarmaarts on Etsy
   dharmakarmaarts on 1000 Markets
Blog: dharmakarmaarts
Languages spoken: English, Tami, Hindi

 Recycled silk scarf by Dharmakarmaarts

1000 Markets

DharmaKarmaArts

Visit the Shop

Tags:  sari wall art, kanchipuram silk, recycled

Fiona Wright

 www.creative-arts-safaris.com

I am an Australian artist living in rural India with my partner Praveen Nayak. Together we run Creative Arts Safaris; hands-on textile and cultural tours. In our home we house the Pukka Studio a place to experience some of India’s rich textile traditions as well as contemporary workshops. We also run a social enterprise, The Stitching Project, which helps to create work in the local area, an impoverished farming community.

Mission:   “Do and in doing, become.” One way to truly experience life is by getting involved. One way to experience another culture is through meeting people and  participating in its traditions; our work involves creating some of these opportunities and sharing them with others.

 Fiona Wright

Location: Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Websites: Fiona Wright, Creative Arts Safari, Pukka Studio, The Stitching Project
Web store: Our Pukka Place
Brick and mortar: Our Pukka Place, Helloj Rd,  
     Behind Shyama Hospital 
     Pushkar, Rajasthan, India, 305022
Blog: Of Daydreams and Memories
Languages spoken: English, slow French, some Hindi

 

The Stitching Project

 

Creative Arts Safaris on Facebook

Tags: tours, textile workshop teacher, India, teacher, fair trade/ social enterprise, felt, textile artist.