A kawandi quilt is a hand-stitched patchwork quilt made by the Siddis, descendants of African immigrants and brought to India by the Portuguese, French, English, Dutch, and Americans. The kawandi quilt is made from pieces of old and worn-out clothing collected from family members and friends. The Siddis use thick, white cotton thread and needles to sew these patches of clothing onto a cotton sari that serves as the backing for the quilt. Compared to the traditional quilt, one unique quality of a kawandi quilt is that the pieces of fabric are assembled from the outside going in, usually in a counterclockwise direction. The patches are stitched using running or back stitches in a spiral form towards the center, covering the patchwork top and the sari backing. Another distinct characteristic of the kawandi quilt; the patches are sewn together and stitched to the sari backing at the same time instead of stitching the patches of clothing together first before attaching the whole top quilt to the backing fabric. Some Siddi quilters like their stitches close to each other, while others stitch them farther apart. The distances of the stitches show a Siddi quilter’s characteristic rhythm. You can see the artistic element of the kawandi quilt in the Siddi quilter’s use of colors, sizes, shapes, and arrangement of the patches of clothing. Kawandi Quilt and Siddi Quilters The kawandi quilts are usually made during the Siddi women’s downtime when they are not cleaning, cooking, or taking care of the kids. Siddi women quilt alone or in groups, usually accompanied by singing various songs passed on from generation to generation. Siddi people commonly use Kawandi quilts as mattress covers or blankets. You can find smaller-sized and brightly colored kawandi quilts on cribs and wooden cradles. Some Siddi quilters include uncut parts of clothing, such as the neckline of a child’s blouse. Some Siddis adorn their Kawandi quilts with bits of brightly-colored cloths called tikelis. A kawandi quilt will not be complete without the folded fabrics at the corners Siddis describe as flowers called phulas. Kawandi quilts come in different sizes that Siddi people measure by a “hand.” The “hand” signifies the length from the elbow to the fingertips of the quilter. Size categories are specified as large/family (6 by six hands), double (5 by six hands), single (3 by five hands), and baby/crib (2 by three hands). A good thing about making a kawandi quilt is that you can create a gorgeous quilt by placing your fabric patches randomly from the edges towards the center of your quilt. The process is unique, giving the kawandi quilt’s characteristic image. It has piqued the interest of many quilters. Many quilting enthusiasts are becoming interested in making this quilt. Learning Kawandi Quilting Learning how to make a kawandi quilt is like learning a new craft. It is essentially a new technique for quilting your quilt. Here is a step-by-step process of quilting the kawandi-style. Gather the materials you need for kawandi quilting: a crewel embroidery needle, a thimble, thick cotton thread, cotton batting, backing (sari or any piece of fabric), and fabric scraps. Put the backing right side up over the batting. It would be best to put these quilt parts together at the start as you will have to sew them together from the beginning to finish kawandi quilting. Note: You can hand-sew your kawandi quilt the traditional way or use a machine to finish your quilt faster. Place four fiber scraps right side down at the four corners of your backing. Then, place adjoining scraps on your four corner fabrics. Again, the fabric scraps should face the right side down. Make a 1/4-inch fold on the side of the scrap fabric under the corner. Pin the fabric pieces in place along the edges. When you reach the next corner, fold the ¼-inch on both sides of the fabric scrap as it will go under two pieces of scrap fabric. Continue folding and underlapping patches. Pin them along the outer edge until you fill the entire perimeter. You can either sew at the edges by hand or use a sewing machine. Note that the sizes of your fabric scraps do not matter. Remove one of the pins as you come across them while sewing. Stitch a ¼-inch seam along the edges. Cut the four corners close to the sewn seam to avoid clipping the stitches. Then, turn them right side out by overturning each fabric scrap over the seam. Press the outer edge of your kawandi quilt. Make sure not to press the batting as it may burn from the heat of the iron. Next, top stitch close to the edge to secure all the folded parts under the edges of each scrap. When you have reached the 4th side and near the beginning of your stitch line, turn the corner about ¼ inch before you start the spiral stitches towards the center. Stitch as you would hand stitch a kawandi quilt. But you can do the stitching using a sewing machine. To place the next piece, fold under two edges. Then, overlap the unfinished edges of previous scraps. Finger press or iron as needed. Note the following when sewing your fabric scraps. You must fold under three edges when placing a different-colored fabric scrap onto a long strip of fabric. Know where to put another scrap fabric to overlap. You can use long tweezers to keep a small scrap straight while sewing along the edge. The distance between the stitch lines for kawandi quilts is usually a finger width apart. Continue placing scraps and sewing along concentric rectangles towards the center. When you get to the final patch of fabric for sewing, fold under the four sides before stitching it onto your kawandi quilt. A traditional kawandi quilt is considered ‘naked’ without the flowers, so stitch the “phula” at each corner of your quilt to match a conventional kawandi quilt. Many quilters find kawandi quilts more relaxing since there are no restrictions in putting your fabric scraps together as long as you stitch them the kawandi way. So, to veer away from traditional quilting, try the kawandi technique for a fun and practical way to use your scrap fabrics.