THE STORY BEHIND THE CRAFT
Ten afternoons, three pairs of hands
Rina Mondal
Kalipur, Birbhum, West Bengal
Representative photo: Dhunkifashion · CC BY-SA 4.0 · credits
Meet the maker
Rina Mondal
Kantha & whitework embroidery
“Every stitch is small. Together they carry the whole cloth.”
Rina (a fictional demo maker) leads a group of eight women who stitch after farm work and share payment equally.
Rina started stitching kantha with her mother from old saree layers. She now leads a group of eight women who embroider in the afternoons after farm work, sharing thread, patterns and payment equally. Each throw passes through several hands, and she keeps a notebook of who stitched which part.
Visit profile- Making time
- About 10 days
- hours of handwork
- 24
- Materials
- Layered cotton, Cotton thread
- Origin
- Birbhum, West Bengal
- Craft
- 16 years of practice
How it is made
Step by step
Layers of soft cotton are tacked together and covered edge to edge in tiny running stitches, which ripple the cloth and hold the layers as one.
- 01
Layering
Soft cotton layers are smoothed and tacked together.
- 02
Drawing
Motifs are sketched lightly or stitched freehand.
- 03
Running stitch
The whole surface is covered in small, even stitches.
- 04
Washing
A final wash gives kantha its soft, rippled texture.
Tradition & history
Kantha embroidery
Kantha began as a way to give old cloth new life; it has become one of Bengal's best-loved textile arts.
Materials
Layered cotton, cotton embroidery thread.
Sourcing
Fabric and thread bought in bulk by the group from a local market.
Impact & fair price
How this price is made
Payment for each throw is shared among the women who stitched it.
Maker's share (estimate)
- Materials
- ₹700
- Labour (24 hrs) × ₹120
- ₹2,880
- Listed price
- ₹4,100
An estimate from material cost, hours and margin — not an official market price.
Own this piece
Kantha-stitched Cotton Throw
₹4,100
Stitched by three women over ten afternoons, each leaving her own rhythm in the thread.
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THE STORY BEHIND THE CRAFT
Kantha-stitched Cotton Throw
by Rina Mondal · Birbhum, West Bengal
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Reviews
- P
Priya (demo)
Incredibly soft. The story of the women's group moved me.
More stories
Kantha-stitched Cotton Throw
₹4,100