Kantha embroidery is the art of the women of Bengal, India, who use remnants of worn-out white cotton saris as foundation fabric for their work. Kantha uses a close running stitch to fill a design on several layers of background fabric, which is densely covered with stitching to create thick, sturdy clothing, bed coverlets and book covers.

The earliest known kantha dates to the 1800s. The red, blue and black thread used for the embroidery was unraveled from sari borders.

“Thus started the first recycling art in the world,” Manjhari Mohanty writes in “Quilt (Kantha) Art of Bengal,” an article posted on the Internet.

Many kantha have the lotus as a central design and incorporate tree of life, fish, elephant, horse and human figure motifs.

The technique is a way to make something new out of something old, much the way American patchwork quilting was devised to use scraps of material too small for any other purpose. Kantha also has religious significance; the Sanskrit word ‘kontha’ means rags. Buddha and his disciples wore garments made of rags that were patched and sewn together.

Kantha was done for family use, not for money, and mothers taught daughters the craft. It was a communal occupation like a quilting bee. The women often lacked formal education and rarely traveled out of their villages.

In the Internet article, Mohanty says, “if ever there was a true sorority in the world of ideas, it must have been in the field of quilt making.”

It took six months to several generations to complete one piece of kantha work.

By the 1980s, the art of kantha had nearly disappeared until it was revived in urban areas of India in cooperatives as a commercial enterprise to aid impoverished women.

“Pratima Devi revived the dying art,” Mohanty writes.

Maine needleworkers who want to try kantha don’t have recycled saris to use, but other recycled fabrics may work just as well.

To begin, draw a design on a recycled cotton fabric, which could be old bluejeans, khakis or a solid-color cotton skirt. Add a second layer of used cotton fabric of a lighter weight. Stitch the outline of the design and fill it in with rows of running stitch, leaving very little space between the rows. The stitch on the right side of the fabric should be longer than the stitch on the reverse side.

To make a running stitch, put two strands of embroidery floss in a needle, tie a knot at one end and start stitching. Take the needle up from below the fabric, leave some space, take it down and up again. Repeat until the outline is done. Let your imagination be your guide.

Mohanty writes, “[A] woman of Bangladesh recorded her life story, from the time of her marriage to her old age, in her kantha.” What better way to write an autobiography?

To learn more about kantha embroidery and its traditions, visit www.sashaworld.com. Or visit your local public library or bookstore. Ask for “The Art of Kantha Embroidery” by Niaz Zaman.

Snippets

Stacy Van Dyne, owner of Hooked Forever in Orrington, teaches rug hooking and sells rug-hooking supplies. Call her at 299-4593 to learn more.

Rosemary Levin of Corea teaches rug hooking and monthly gets together with Schoodic area needleworkers to ply the craft. Call her at 963-7100 to find out more.

The Fabric Garden in Madison is launching a new series of classes including, quilting, sewing and applique. Call 474-9628 for details.