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Vintage Sindhi Ralli Quilt 3 , South Asian Textile- Pakistan or India

Vintage Sindhi Ralli Quilt 3 , South Asian Textile- Pakistan or India

Description

Dimensions: 77" long x 47" wide
Metric: 196 x 120 cm

We American quilters (I'm one of that crowd) tend to think of quilts as our unique tradition. In truth, quilts have been made in Asia and Africa for centuries, a natural extension of using up scraps of valuable fabric or textiles. Ralli quilts have only recently attracted notice to Western collectors. They are made by Sindhi women in Southern Pakistan as well as the surrounding regions. Most are narrow single sized, useful for a cot or wrap. They vary in color and design, reflecting individual taste as well as availability of materials. Most commonly, they are quilted in vertical rows from top to bottom and most have a thin layer of old fabric inside, instead of batting.

Ralli quilts are becoming highly collectible and fit well with many types of decor. On a wall, a bed, or draped on a rail, they have the freshness of folk art. There is a beautiful website dedicated to ralli quilts with much more information on their history: http://www.ralliquilt.com/history.html

Specifics on this piece:
Top fabric is cotton- both front and back appear to be handwoven. This one is an oldie! There are several places where the top fabric has worn off, revealing the back fabric. They are small spots and add interest to the piece. The quilt appears to be constructed completely by hand. I didn't see any evidence of machine sewing. The tassels on the ends are acrylic yarn and were probably added on much later. The quilt was musty and smelly, quite dirty, so I machine washed it and it cleaned up beautifully.

Estimated age: 1950's

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Shipping is free internationally on this piece.

Please visit my store for many more gorgeous ethnic textiles and for things that I make, too. I combine shipping on multiple purchases, ship worldwide, and strive to support hand made textiles from many cultures. All sales on Etsy are in USD.

Added on Dec 03, 2009