My Quilting Journey

I come from a long line of quilt makers from the Deccan Peninsula of India. My tiny Konkani community is cradled in an ancestral coastal village called Kalusta in Maharashtra. There, my grandmother, my great grandmothers, and great aunts have been making traditional quilts called Godharis. These traditional quilts are presented at every milestone and celebration in life. I can still vividly remember receiving my first one when I was a child. Godharis, or quilts, are made completely using local products like repurposed and discarded fabric from clothes, saris, or bed sheets, and quilted using locally made needles and threads. The fabric is cut, pieced, and stitched by hand only. The same design is used on the quilt top as on the backing, making these quilts reversible.

Carla A. Canonico

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