Twenty- five Seven

Enhancing my interiors with the magic of rugs#atoz challenge

April 21, 2016
Why Rugs?

Mumbai with its grime and dust is not the place for pile carpets unless your house is air conditioned. Since my old carpets were looking worn out and tired I decided to replace them with a different floor covering – the Rug .
- Rugs are smaller and can easily be moved around
- They are easier to clean
- They are thinner and collect less dust
There are all kinds of rugs available in the market
- Satranjis – or the bright, thin cotton ones that we are all familiar with to wrap up a bedroll or spread on the lawn for a picnic
- Traditional woven ones evolved from carpets and drawing on classical designs
- Tribal rugs from Central Asia ( like the ones above)
- Silk or woollen rugs
- Modern rugs woven on machine.
My Kilim Rugs

Of course, my rugs have more humble origins and do not come from Central Asia as most of the Kilims do. Instead, they made by Abdul Kalam of Mirzapur.

They are stunning and don’t fail to impress everybody with their fine workmanship and colours.

Kilim, is a pileless textile produced by one of several flatweaving techniques practiced in Central Asia. The designs are geometric and more robust, with a rustic and rugged appeal.

Source

These rugs were sourced from a craft fair by a Hundred Hands. I can’t wait for them to visit my city again so that I can buy some more gorgeous rugs!

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Gosh! It's already 18 days since the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com/">A to Z Challenge</a> and to tell you the truth it has been quite a challenge. But I'm not giving up yet and today is R for Rugs as part of my theme ‘ Things around My House’, from A to Z

Do visit the A to Z Challenge <a href="https://www.facebook.com/atozchallenge/?fref=ts">posts on Facebook</a>.

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A patchwork Quilt handcrafted with love #atozchallenge

April 20, 2016
Today is Q for Quilts as I blog about ‘Things around my house in the 7th A to Z Challenge.

Do visit the A to Z Challenge posts on Facebook.

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A quilt is a specially crafted covering made up of several layers of fabric normally held together with a running thread. We have several quilts at home, commercially made with block printed mulmul outer layers enclosing a layer of soft, cotton that provides just the right amount of warmth and weight to give you a good night’s rest. However, there are two very special quilts: those made by my daughters during the days of their pregnancies for their babies on the way. What makes them more special is that neither of them knew how to hem or even fix a button !

Can you believe this quilt is made by a novice who doesn’t even know how to stitch a button?

Tips on making a patchwork quilt

There is an indescribable feeling of joy as the quilt is made and even a novice seamstress can dream of making one. Here are some tips that will help you:
- Always choose a pattern preferably one which has templates that you can trace on to cardboard.
- Plan the colours and buy fabric accordingly, making sure that you have enough fabric for each piece/square
- Fabric should be of the same texture so that they sit well
- Make sure your seams are straight
- Iron down the seams so that they sit well.
People who are handy with a sewing machine or needle will find it easy to make a patchwork quilt but for those whose closest encounter with a sewing machine is at the tailors’, I would advise a few practice sessions to get the seams in straight lines.

Quilting is a great way to use up scraps and can be therapeutic. But be warned, it is addictive and once you get the first few words of praise, it will be hard to resist making the second and the third and more…….
Do you really need a pregnancy pillow? #atozchallenge

April 19, 2016

My theme for the 7th A to Z Challenge is ‘ Things around My House’. Today is P for Pregnancy Pillow.

Do visit the A to Z Challenge posts on Facebook.

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Do you really need a pregnancy pillow?

Anyone who knows me will ask this very obvious question because they know the equally obvious answer – NO. So how did I land up with a Pregnancy Pillow in my home?

Obviously it came home when one of my daughters was pregnant. In fact I would strongly recommend a pregnancy pillow to every woman because

increased weight and bulk particularly in the later months, finding a comfortable position to sleep is even more elusive than sleep. Many pregnant women land up tossing and turning and spending night after sleepless night. Considering that your nights will go for more of a toss after the baby is born, it is better to have a restful night during the pregnancy itself with the help of a pregnancy pillow.

Besides, a pregnancy pillow helps with problems like lower back pain sciatica, carpal tunnel, nasal congestion, heart burn or even Gastric reflux that arise when forced to sleep in positions other then the natural sleeping position.

Thus it was that the Leachco Pregnancy Pillow ( or Snoogle as it is called) found its way into my house. It was still useful after the baby was born and was used to prop up baby when she was learning to sit and also later on to coral her when she just began to crawl. Currently we use it to stop her from crawling under the sofa.

Do you think it will come handy in my old age too?