In the village of Nattarasankottai, Tamil Nadu, students gather skeins of colourful thread and excitedly sit to work. This is their chance to showcase their creation to the world.
With the India International Quilt Festival going virtual this time, it opens a world-wide viewer base for its participants. The upcoming edition will take place between January 23 and 25, 2021.
“It is a beautiful time in Chennai and we want this festival to become part of Margazhi festivities,” says Varsha Sundararajan, who started the event in 2019 with Tina Katwal and Deepa Vasudevan.
IIQF is a bi-annual event that showcases quilts from all over the world. There are seven different categories and the best in each are awarded cash prizes, vouchers and the much coveted ribbon. In the 2019 edition — their first — the event received 290 quilts and 161 participants from 11 countries.
“For this edition, we announced the categories two months ago,” says Tina.
There are three new categories this time: Indian Quilts (works that reflect the rich textile tradition of the country and its various quilting styles), Miniature (maximum size: 18 inch on any side) and Generation Next (for those under the age of 18). The idea to incorporate a category for children came about after the organisers noticed entries from the under-18 age group last time.
“Last year, a quilt made by 10-year-old Ritu Sudarshan won a prize in the novice category that had entries from all age groups,” says Deepa.
Geography and age have hardly been a deterrent for enthusiasts of this art form: one of the oldest winners was 77-year-old Sunita Santaram. “The perfection in the work of these senior quilters has to be seen to be believed. Their fingers are still so nimble,” adds Deepa.
Through this festival, the founders intend to revive quilting, promote it as an art form and commercially viable pursuit. They hope to provide an opportunity for quilters to be represented in the international arena. “If young people don’t get engaged, the sector dies,” says Varsha.
Spreading the word
Last year, the team took 18 award-winning quilts to five cities around India. The travelling exhibition, called Threads That Bind, was showcased at DakshinaChitra in Chennai, and in Jaipur, Delhi, Kolkata and Coimbatore.
“This was done because we wanted people to know that we have an ancient tradition of quilting and there is an international competionfor the same,” says Tina, who is pleased to see an increase in the interest in this skill, with queries especially from students of design and fine arts. She is currently conducting online classes on quilting.
In its online avatar, the IIQF will have trunk shows, workshops, sale of artisanal crafts, and a celebratory webinar to announce winners. Their catalogue, too, will be available online.
Registrations open on September 1, 2020. For details, log on to www.indiaquiltfestival.com
