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Pages 540 - Plates 623 - Trim Size 9.5" x 13"

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface ix
Foreword xi
Author's Introduction xiii

1 Origins 1
2 Indo-Portuguese Quilts 25
3 Quilted Palampores 71
4 Bihar 89
5 Jharkhand 109
6 Orissa 139
7 Undivided Bengal 163
8 Gujarat 265
9 Rajasthan 407
10 Madhya Pradesh 451
11 Uttar Pradesh 469
12 Karnataka 491

Afterward 523
Appendix 525
Glossary 526
Bibliography 534
Index 537

READY FOR PUBLICATION

Timeless Textiles: The Quilts of India

In this book, Patrick Finn’s tireless fieldwork shows us how many of these traditions continue today, in some places as a result of the efforts of inspiring individuals who have kept traditions alive or revived old ones, but in others as part of an unbroken history of quilt-making and use. After travelling throughout India with him on his quest, we can share in his amazement and delight at arriving at a village to find a host of quilts laid out for airing in the sun, as if the villagers knew he was coming.

From the Foreword by Rosemary Crill
Senior Curator, South & South-East Asia Collectio,
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

“Who has stolen my godari [quilt] with the priceless tassels and bells?” ...from a Rabari folk song

If you would like to be contacted upon please co to the Contact Page

Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA (February, 2011) –

Patrick J. Finn, photographer, writer and textile specialist, recently contributed to Spike Gillespie’s new book, Quilts Around the World by Voyageur Press. His essay on Indian quiltmaking includes ten color plates of various quilting genres found on the subcontinent and provides an overview of the cultural context of the craft in India.
“This essential book for all quilters and quilt collectors tells the fascinating story of quilting around the world, illuminated by the international quilt community’s top experts and more than 300 glorious color photographs. Covering Japan, China, Korea, and India; England, Ireland, France, and The Netherlands; Australia, Africa, Central America, North America, and beyond, Quilts Around the World explores both the diversity and common threads of quilting.” _From the flyleaf.

Mr. Finn is pleased to be a part of this project and recommends the book as a source for the history of quiltmaking and quilters. “The quilting community’s accumulative history is broadened by Spike’s contribution to the ongoing efforts to document Quilts Around the World.”

Vrindavan, Uttar Pradesh, INDIA (September, 2010) --

The richness and diversity of Indian quiltmaking deserves a prominent place among the remarkable achievements of Indian handcrafted textiles. Indian quiltmakers are part of a living tradition that dates back four thousand years to the Indus Valley Civilization. To put this in perspective, the earliest surviving European bed quilts are from a Sicilian workshop made in Italy around 1395.

Patrick J. Finn, a textile specialist, photographer and writer has completed two of the three volumes of Timeless Textiles: The Quilts of India. Ready for publication, the books are the first extensive survey of Indian quilts compiled in India or abroad. The lavishly illustrated manuscripts identify and chronicle the historic and contemporary context of quiltmaking from undivided India.

Over the last three years Finn photographed and researched these evocative quilts in museums, collector’s studios and rural villages across India. The quiltmaker’s accounts are highlighted in fascinating stories and captivating portraits, unveiling the spirit of the artisan’s lives. Rare examples of over twenty-five unique quilting genres were discovered during Finn’s research. They present the richness of an extensive textile tradition from the most ornate embroidered Indo-Portuguese coverlets to simple utility quilts. Each quilt is a reflection of the ancient and diverse Indian culture.

Indian quilts are infused with religious significance and folk meaning. There are over seventy colloquial terms used to identify quilted bedcovers. These terms are derived from multiple languages: Arabic, Sanskrit, Hindi, Urdu, Bengali, Persian and others. Finn’s pioneering research contributes to the remarkable, yet overlooked, quilts of India as a significant class of Indian textiles and raises them out of obscurity. Literary yet accessible, the books provide an intimate look into the fabric of Indian life through quiltmaking.