Visit the Artisans!

Tilonia carries the Craftmark certification for several of the craft processes used by the artisans of Tilonia and Barmer, including handloom weaving, block printing, applique and patchwork, and embroidery.

Avani carries the Craftmark certification for handloom weaving and natural dyeing.

The Craftmark is a certification mark to distinguish genuine Indian craft products and help craftworkers accross mainstream retail markets. When you buy a Craftmark certified product, you are assured that it is made by a traditional craftsperson using a handmade craft production process.

www.craftmark.org

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Visit the Artisans

Artisans of Tilonia

Tilonia, a small village in the desert regions of Rajasthan, India, is home of the Barefoot College. For more than 35 years, the College has worked to improve the lives of the rural poor by addressing basic needs for water, electricity, housing, health, education and income. Tilonia helps these rural artisans to market their products in India and around the world. With new markets for their crafts, their livelihood is improved and the production of the traditional crafts is continued.

The Tilonia Home collection of home textiles features a variety of decorative pillows, bedspreads, quilts and duvet covers suitable for contemporary decorative styles while still reflective of Indian craft traditions. Tilonia Home brings the color and spice of India to your home.

The Tilonia Artisan collection of gifts and accessories offers handcrafted scarves and shawls, appliqued and quilted bags, handmade paper books, and colorful decorative items for the home. From the deserts of Rajasthan to the mountains of the Himalayas, Tilonia Artisan spans the cultures and traditions of India.


		Barmer applique was traditionally sewn on bedspreads of black or brown bases. Motifs were almost entirely inspired by nature: trees, leaves, flowers and animals. Women in six villages in Rajasthan produce these appliques. An elaborate bedspread may take nearly a month to complete. Tilonia applique, the style of applique taught to women by the Barefoot College, uses designs adapted from mandanas which are traditional patterns on floors in Rajasthan. Abstract motifs are cut from fabrics and then stitched onto the base. Barmer and Tilonia applique textiles are certified handcrafted by Craftmark.


		Only one family in Roopangarh in Ajmer district in Rajasthan continues to practice the traditional craft of bandhej, or tie and dye. Also known as bandhani, bandhej dates back nearly 5000 years. Fine threads are wrapped tightly around small pinches of fabric to create an intricate pattern once the fabric is dyed. Traditional dye materials include indigo for dark blues and turmeric for bright yellows. The women specialize in tying and the men in dying the fabric.


		Our duvet sets, quilts and decorative pillow covers are sewn by women artisans of Tilonia from block print cotton fabrics handprinted by block printers of Bagru in rural Rajasthan. Block prints can range from a simple, single-color print to complex, multiple color prints. Each color is printed from a separate wooden block carved to print that specific pattern. Block printing is a centuries old craft still practiced today by artisans of India. Tilonia block print textiles are certified handcrafted by Craftmark. blockprinting


		Embroidery is traditionally a skill of the women of the Sind area in Pakistan, but is now found in Barmer, Kutch and parts of Bikaner. Elaborately embroidered items were given to a girl at the time of her marriage. A bride's kanchili, or blouses, are embroidered by her mother. Whether simple geometric patterns, elegant floral patterns, and colorful and ornate bedspreads, cushion covers, wall hangings or bags, Barmer appliqué and embroidery give an essence of Rajasthan rural desert culture and environment as well as design sensibilities and detailing. The Barefoot College, began working in the Barmer district in 1988 in an attempt to pay fair wages, develop new designs and preserve the craft. Barmer embroidered textiles are certified handcrafted by Craftmark.


		The Tilonia chair originates in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh. The traditional design was streamlined and enhanced with an embroidered leather back by Tilonia in 1982. Local carpenters were trained to produce the chair and the side tables in sheesham and babool wood. Traditional peedas, or stools, are also made in Tilonia with either embroidered leather or woven seats. Furniture is available only to wholesale buyers due to shipping requirements.


		Avani is a voluntary organization based in the Kumaon region of the Himalayas in northern India. Avani provides employment and educational opportunities to over 475 artisans in these remote mountain villages. The artisans use wild silk, Tibetan sheep wool and natural dyes to produce elegant, handloomed Avani textiles. Avani textiles have won the UNESCO Seal of Excellence and are certified handcrafted by Craftmark. Read about Avani in HAND/EYE Magazine >>


		Weaving was traditionally a scheduled caste occupation restricted to a community called Balais or Meghwals. These communities used pit looms that produced a 24" width fabric. Handlooms were introduced as they produced fabric wider than than the pit looms, and thus were more efficient. With the change in looms, people from all communities became weavers as the caste associations of pitloom weaving were removed. There is also a group of Rajput women from the village of Kada who have broken tradition to learn how to weave. All Tilonia Barefoot Handloom products are dyed, woven and stitched on campus at the Barefoot College campus in Tilonia, Rajasthan, India. Barefoot Handloom textiles are certified handcrafted by Craftmark.