I had so much fun virtually shopping and sharing things from India on Etsy with you a month ago, here’s another round!
I’m not a person who’s jealous much, but I do envy people with the ability to draw. So many visions pop in my mind all the time but I don’t have the ability – or maybe never cultivated the skill – to get them out. I love how Suhita of Sketch Away on Etsy has sketched and painted scenes from India during travels there. She has sketches of iconic scenes like the Gateway of India in Mumbai:
And she has also drawn scenes of daily life, like a man ironing:
I like the ironing man scene, because right across from the India pied-à-terre in Chennai, there is a permanent cart set up on the street, for the man who irons people’s clothes in the neighborhood. It’s been there ever since anyone can remember. Just as the artist describes on the Etsy listing for this sketch, the ironing vendor in the Chennai neighborhood uses a hot coal-fueled iron.
This sold probably awhile ago as it’s been in my Favorites list a long time. I love the idea of embedding stone shrine niches from India like this into walls. This one was from Baba One of a Kind:
You can find embroidered and sequined ribbons and trim from India on Etsy pretty much any time. Just search! These trims from RibbonsandSilk are perfect colors for projects for the upcoming holidays:
A shop called Old Silk Route usually has gorgeous vintage and antique wool Kashmiri shawls like this one:
The colors and the patterns of these Kashmiri shawls are dramatic, gorgeous.
The wood printing blocks for block print fabrics are pretty plentiful online. But if you can find a set like this, where several printing blocks were used to create layered colors of a design, grab them! It’s not as common to find them together. These are, of course, sold now, but were available at Charan Creations shop:
Etsy shops based in India are keeping up with the textile trends. They can ship to you direct ikat bedspreads like this one from Maharani Arts in Jaipur:
And indigo patterned textiles, like this kantha quilt also from Maharani Arts:
These are one-of-a-kind, antique “Bagh” embroidered wedding canopies, from Chez Bohème on Etsy. So beautiful:
As you see, there is enormous diversity to textiles from India. There is so much available on Etsy, this post could go on forever. But unfortunately I have less fun things to do tonight, like laundry and emptying the dishwasher. Maybe vacuum up some cat hair too.
Next month at this time, though, I will be in Bangalore! So the next installment of “great India goods” may very well be direct from India, we’ll see …