Antique India Quilt With Birds and Roses

New Wall Hanging Quilt front and back.  Centered antique hand sewn satin/cotton quilt from India with four of my hand drawn Indian birds (seen in India in January of this year) printed on cotton (painted stork, flamingo, two ibis).  Cotton, satin, glitter trim, couched rat tail and some hand embroidery. Rose pattern cotton back and rosebud cotton binding (both designed by Martha Negley for Rowan. Westminster Fibers).  Measures 28 1/2" wide x 43 3/4" high.

Indian Salt

On a Textile and Temples tour of Gujarat, India, in January, 2015, salt ended up playing an interesting role linking the Little Rann of Kutch’s wildlife sanctuary with India’s Independence from Britain.   A short jeep ride from our stay at the excellent Rann Riders Resort, led to a great sea of fabulous birds, including painted storks, black ibis, egrets, geese and flamingos (in the distance).  The magnificent birds were followed by wild ass sightings.  Driving on a bit led to a salt bed where I proceeded to buy about a pound of salt crystals.  What I did not know then, but know now, is that today India is the world’s third largest producer of salt, after China and the USA.  But back in 1930, the British had a monopoly on the salt trade and made it illegal for any Indian to produce salt.  This led to Mahatma Gandhi’s famous 1930 salt march, which eventually led to India’s independence in 1947.