Fabric yarn basket numero uno
Lots
of beaten up weary clothing, bed-sheets, pillow covers, saris ,lying
around....to throw or not to throw? A real crafter...housewife... never throws
away anything. Every bit can be used! That’s creativity!
Salwar-Suit
basket:In previous life, this fabric was my salwar suit with matching
chunni/dupatta, 100% cotton. I’ve transformed it by crocheting into a
basket..tearing the textile into strips created a plethora of raw edges and
texture, and gives this finely crochet work a coarse look. I made a lid with a
button cinch to handle it .Dimensions are 8-1/4 ×4-3/8 inch
I
decided to post dedicated to show off her skills. But i don’t know if you can
crochet with a fabric? But i myself going to try i’m thinking my solid colour,
bed sheet to crochet a big basket.
Radha is a refugee from Pakistan.
Several Hindus and Sikhs moved to India from Pakistan immediately after
Partition. It was the biggest migration ever of the world to which these people
bear a raw witness.
Harman her husband says, he left his
place in Sialkot (now in Pakistan) for India.”I came along with my mother. We
took to whatever work we could lay our hands on(we were earth digger ST’s
there), but did not compromise with honesty and integrity,”asserts
Harman.showing a sense of content the proud man says that they have shouldered
all the responsibilities of a family and now content with their lives in India
and completely forgotten Pakistan.
Radha learned to crochet and weaved
while in a refugee camp in Hisar. like so many refugees sojoring through life,
Radha lived in the camp for 6 long years. As she recalls, she was about 20
years old when someone taught her how to crochet, and I imagine she crocheted
through many a tough year of waiting and wondering, loss and heartache.
We find her four years back, during my
research work, gracing us with her warm smile and talented hands, which i have
come to appreciate more and more as her story unfolds. She is a woman whose
life has been seared much loss and pain, yet today at our NGO she was dressed
in an array of brilliant maroon from head to toe, a silent yet loud
pronouncement of her living in the present...just as she chose to do many years
ago in Hisar refugee camp when she took up that crochet needle and made a
choice to learn and earn. Also she, taught s slum women to adopt earning
skills,to make their living at their home.
Radha asserts ....”now crochet is my
life, I crochet clothing of all sorts. This is my passion, my livelihood and I
love to make wonderful accessories for babies, kids, and the occasional adult.”
Her ressession
experiments
Economic challenges led her to evolve
some cheaper ways of yarn. Not able to afford yarn to work with, “I cut fabric
into strips making fabric yarn from my fabric stash in the house and borrowed
from the relatives. Lightweight cotton like salwar-suits, sheets worked best
for my crochet work. The same concept and thicker fabric
can be used to construct baskets. Previously her work was in
hibernation, slowly it got into public and became popular as well.
Those old unused clothes, strips of
fabric, unwanted apparel and such stuff can be made useful instead of being
thrown away. Equipped with little skill of single crochet only, one can easily
crochet, from the cloths that aren't good enough to wear any way, and would
have been totally discarded.
Radha
has so many great items worthy to display, but I chose to feature this
Crocheted Basket for several reasons. First, this crocheted piece is unique.
Second, I think it's fabulous that this fabric basket is made from up-cycled
salwar=suit. Up-cycling is a great way to help save items that may not be
usable for their intended purposes any more, or to give an older item a sort of
makeover in to something beautiful and useful again. Third, this Crocheted
Basket is gorgeous! The colors are beautiful and would create such a cheerful
tone to any room you add this to.
Here's the how to of making a crocheted fabric basket.
1. Pick your fabric. This basket takes
a lot of fabric to make so be sure to use a very large piece like an old sheet.
This particular basket took about 2 or 3 yards of fabric.
2. Cut the fabric into strips
3/4" to 1" wide.
3. Tie the strips together to form a
ball of fabric yarn.
4. Crochet a circle for the base of the basket. Here, 5 mm
crochet hook was used. Stitch using the
single crochet.
5. Crochet the sides as per your
fabric or your choice.
6.Crochet a circular like base of the
basket for the lid.
7. Crochet a small button with thinner
strips and attach in the center of the lid for knob.
8. Show off and impress your friends!
Do you
have discarded cloth articles.may be a
salwar-suit a soiled table cloth, or hubby’s t-shirts, bed sheets, outdated
curtains, the possibilities are endless! Start cutting them into ½ to 2 inches
wide strips to make your stash of rag yarn, and crochet a basket to stack your
tit-bits-now!! Yes its cool!!!.
