New Ways, August 2025

Recently, I went to a meeting of like-minded people who work with fabric.  My friend Toni Major gave us a lesson in creating a quilt using the Kawandi technique.  This method of constructing quilts comes from Western India.  It was brought to North America by African Slaves and is called Siddi Quilting in Africa. 

  This is a totally new way of constructing quilts to me.  There are many things I like about it.  One thing is that it uses up scrap pieces of fabric, so I am able to make use of that mountain of bits and pieces I have been hoarding.  The quilt is constructed by starting with a backing fabric and some batting or flannel, if you wish, cut to the size of the piece you wish to make, plus a half-inch border.  Fold in the edge of the backing fabric all the way around, add the filler, and then start stitching your scraps using a running stitch around the outside edges, overlapping pieces with raw edges or edges folded under if you desire a clean edge look.  You work in a spiral towards the middle, adding pieces as you go.  The whole thing is put together using a running stitch about a finger width apart.  You will end up with a bit of bunching of the backing in the middle, which is called the belly of the quilt and is quite acceptable. 

This quilt doesn’t need any special equipment and can be worked on anywhere.  Stitching by hand can be very soothing.  Selecting the pieces as you go allows for your creative side to play with colour and pattern.  It’s a bit like putting a puzzle together since scraps are all different sizes.  Squares and rectangles work best. 

  It’s nice to find something to work on that uses up scrap materials, calms the mind, and creates something beautiful to look at.  These days, we need lots of things to calm our minds.  The world is a crazy place right now.  For me, being creative helps my emotional well-being.  When I am creating, my mind is focused on the work and generally gives me a rest from the bizarre things going on in our world.  There is also satisfaction in ending up with something that is beautiful and functional.  The piece that I just finished now resides on my coffee table under a hand-turned wooden bowl.  It adds colour to my room and a feeling of hominess.  My first creation is twelve by twelve inches.  You can make Kawandi quilts as small as four by four inches for a coaster or as large as a throw or bed quilt.  Not sure I will be ambitious enough to do a large quilt, but I do think there is a runner for my buffet in my future. 

  The things that I do that put my mind in a better place are to create artwork with any media, stitching, crocheting, and reading.  Find what makes you happy and allows your mind to be in a happy place, even for a short period of time.  It will help you cope better in this crazy time.