The project was based on our craft documentation done on Tibetan refugees settled in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. The craft happens to be pangden weaving which is a symbolic piece of fabric for women worn over their garment as a sign of marriage.
The weaving is done by Tibetan women in The Tibetan Women's Handicrafts centre. A pangden is woven in long stripes of fabric which is cut and then sewn together. One piece is 7-8in wide and three of these are hand sewn together to make a pangden.
The object was to create a product within the limitations of the techniques and skills. Thus I kept the width of my fabric as 8" and explored with different materials and methods. Few explorations are shown below.
After a few explorations, a simple rug with a little twist in the technique was decided upon. The pieces were made individually on a handloom and then sewn together. The uneven length was kept along with staggering of the stripe rhythm to create a playful mood. This rug becomes an easy option for the craftswomen to create along with the pangden.
The rug is made of silk filled with polyfill for cushioning. The rug can be folded and rolled to save space and is easily portable.
