Here are some stories of the ‘magical hands’ that give life to our beautiful products. Hands rich with art and lives rich with modesty and simplicity. Each thread adds beauty to the product and colors to their lives. Let’s watch them weaving the fabric of life.
Saving Traditional Desert Village Jobs
Kashida Weavers
Kashida, from the Persian word “to weave”, is a beautiful and unique art practiced by artisans in Rajasthan, India. Artisans bring the work to life using wooden pit looms, weaving intricate patterns into the product. They do this by counting threads and not using knots, therefore having the same pattern on both sides of the weft. The patterns are made following four types of stitches: backstitch, horizontal, vertical or diagonal. Handmade Expressions has been working with this cooperative for a few years now, and we are proud to help them keep this ancient art alive.
Industrialization threatens the traditional jobs and the culture in desert communities, since it draws artisans to factory work or motivates them to migrate into cities. Kashida is an art at threat, since it is practiced in desert villages of Rajasthan. In the past, this traditional weft provided profitable employment to numerous families. However, in recent years it has started struggling, as it is finding it hard to compete with the modern textile industry.
Handmade Expressions visited this artisan cooperative and decided to partner up with them to create functional products using this traditional art. Part of our mission is to preserve culture and art through the market-based solutions that fair trade offers. We now carry sling bags, mobile phone bags, table runners and cushion covers made with Kashida art. By buying these products, you are actually keeping an art alive and providing sustainable livelihood for numerous producers and their families!
Their fine embroidery products that we carry are:
Surviving the earthquake: An art is revealed
”Rann Kala”, the art of the desert
Several North Western regions of India were completely destroyed by a massive earthquake in January 2001. Seven years later, the artisans have been able to rebuild their lives and dreams thanks to their art: fine mirror-work embroidery.
In earlier times, this beautiful art was used to make dowry items for brides to be. It was considered too precious to be sold to outsiders. However, fair trade policies, a growing respect and appreciation for the art, and the need to rebuild after a devastating natural disaster compelled the local people to share their art with the rest of the world.
This art has now helped the artisans obtain a dignified social standing. It has also promoted the development and independence of women by making them self-sufficient, decision makers in their communities.
Their fine embroidery products that we carry are:
Recycled Newspaper Bags: Saving children from the slums
Our recycled newspaper bags have been a great success, and have been featured in many “Green” blogs and websites such as Treehugger.com and Gliving.com. However, the fair trade aspect of the bags has been overshadowed by the environmentally friendly aspects. We would like to share a deeper story behind these great products, that goes beyond just Fair Trade and Green:
Many young boys and girls run away from their homes in villages escaping gender discrimination, abuse, poverty and many other problems. They dream of making it big in the city, and arrive at the train stations alone. However, their inexperience, their innocence and their lack of skills force them to live in slums, beg on the streets, or be victims of human trafficking.
Luckily, there are organizations that want to put a stop to this tragedy. Handmade Expressions found one in particular, which focuses on getting youth off the streets and saving them from sexual and labor abuse. This organization works towards a just and equitable world with projects such as:
• Home placement project
• Nutrition programs for the rescued youth
• Vocational education to teach practical skills
• Formal and informal schooling
• Health and psycho-social rehabilitation
• Prevention strategies, where they meet the boys, girls and adolescents at the train stations before they end up in the slums
As part of the social rehabilitation therapy, the rescued youth undergo training through a project called “Action/Process”. This consists of teaching them to make bags and glass mosaics. The aim is to provide a safe, practical activity in a healthy environment, fostering responsibility and human interaction/communication.
The project evolved to become an actual business, with the now young adults making recycled newspaper bags, brown bags and beautiful glass mosaics. Since we believe that economic sustainability is the key to improve the lives of disadvantaged people, we decided to partner up with this organization to introduce the customizable, recycled newspaper bags in North America.
The trendy bags can be printed with your company’s logo and fair trade messages. You can now feel connected to the saved youth in India, knowing that not only are you selling a green product, but a fair trade, life-saving bag as well.
Keeping the art alive: The Eco-bags
“Ramlal Khatri” is a very talented artisan who has won prestigious awards for his wood-block printing. He follows environmentally friendly processes and uses natural dyes. He is part of an artisan community who have been practicing this art for generations. They used to specialize on creating bed sheets, for which they were given merit as artists. However, these were not very marketable products. This group started struggling, and the colors of Ramlal’s art were fading away.
Handmade Expressions developed the idea of making functional products using this age-old technique as a way to preserve the traditional art. Thus were the Eco-shopper and Green computing laptop bags born.
Our Eco-shopper bags are reusable, washable shopping bags, made from locally grown and woven, unbleached cotton. These are then hand-blocked using natural mineral and vegetable dyes. The inside of the bag can be customized by printing your company’s logo and other information. Being 100% chemical free, these bags are compatible with grocery shopping.
The Green computing laptop bags are made using the same natural dye process. These laptop friendly bags are completely quilted, and are made functional with multiple pockets for office or school supplies.
Rendering sound – bell making
“Abdul” is making a mold for his bells from old iron sheets. He is a talented artisan, residing in the north western region of India. This is a drought affected region and therefore not a land of many opportunities. Bell making supports the local economy of the region.
Bell making is an art, handed over to Abdul from his forefathers. His father was renowned for his bell making skills. This 32 year old artist enjoys making bells, creating music, and creating life from lifeless metal.
His wife, Fatima, is equally involved in his profession. Some processes, like making the clay cotton dough and coating the bell with an alloy mix, are entirely handled by Fatima.
Historically, bell making was practiced by people from the lower caste of the society. For many years, this melodious art was struggling to survive. Conscious customers, fair trade practices and a new international platform are now providing the artists with economic stability and a respectable social standing
Below is a clip showing the various phases involved in bell making at Abdul’s workshop.
Go back to product – Bells
Go Back to product – Bell set
Giving life to Journals
Wasim (45 years old) was born and raised in Sanganer village, in west Rajasthan, India. His family has been in the paper making industry for over 80 years and he inherited the art from his elders. His papers are made from recycled cotton rags. He then converts raw paper into beautiful products such as journals, albums and other types of social stationery without the aid of any heavy machines. His workmanship is excellent and he earns a lot of respect in the community for his art. He mentions that it is hard work, but he enjoys the satisfaction of creating something so beautiful and the immense opportunities he gets to express himself creatively. He hopes that this art stays alive in times to come.
The art of needle work
42 year-old “Kailash bahan” (yellow saree) and 38 year-old “Ganeshi bai” (pink saree, extreme right) are part of an all women cooperative in western Rajasthan. They have learned the art of hand appliqué from fellow village women and now they are passing this art to many other women.
This is a female cooperative with 272 women actively practicing this art. The artisans are distributed over the region in various villages. Women from far villages come once a week to the cooperative office, submit their products and collect more raw materials to take back to their homes and work on them. Profits from this art help in the overall development of the group. This region now has medical centers providing basic health services, electricity produced from solar energy, evening schools for kids and vocational colleges for women.
Below is a clip highighting various beautiful arts and wonderful artists behind them.
Handwoven bags
Hand appliqued bags
Printed bags
Fine embroidered bags
Recycled fabric bags
Woven Wonder Cushion Cover
Meet our artisans
