Stitched - Kantha Samples

Here I've got a couple of hand quilted samples to share with you! They were inspired by traditional kantha quilting from Bengal and India, which is a technique of making light blankets by layering old cloth and saris and stitching them together by hand using lines of kantha stitches (like a running stitch). In my samples I used two layers of quilter's calico behind the patchwork. Each square measures 5' x 5' - linen, cotton and vintage kimono silk scraps were machine pieced and then hand quilted with two strands of embroidery floss in different colours. I particularly love the subtle colour changes, almost like watercolour washes - makes me thinks of a London garden square on a very early misty morning...