Ralli of Sindh

Ralli of Sindh

Just like the patchwork quilts in other parts of the world, 'Ralli' - the name given to the craft in local language - is one of the lovely pieces of handmade articles by the women of this region i.e. Sindh in Pakistan 

Small pieces of cotton and polyester fabric are collected in large quantities. A lot of this fabric comes from the waste material of factories making ready made garments.When you look at these pieces it looks like a garbage dump.

Then the artisan women get down to sorting the pieces out and make bundles of similar color pieces in red, green, orange, blue, yellow and all colors that they want. A design is made for the next piece of work and the pieces required for that particular article are taken out. The lady concerned starts stitching the pieces together in the pattern desired and over a period of months a single piece is prepared. Look at the small stitches on each Ralli Quilt in the pictures below...these are all handmade...one stitch at a time. 

Its a painstaking job which results in excuisite pieces of art. It used to be - and still is - a quilt made for the poor people who could not afford new quilts or fabric for new quilts. It is also known as 'gudri' which is a covering for the poor and homeless people.