RAJASTHANI QUILT - ART, MEANING, AND PROCESS

Rajasthan is India's regal pride, and Jaipur, its capital, is home to numerous ancient crafts and beautiful arts. India experiences both bright and sunny summers and frigid and freezing winters. Rajasthan is subjected to both extremes.

As a result, the people here consider it essential to make a warm bed covering for their bed. This was the beginning of the world-famous Cotton Rajasthani Razai or Rajasthani Quilts. When it gained royal sponsorship, this craft improved its appearance even more.

WHAT EXACTLY IS A RAJASTHANI RAZAI?

The phrase Rajasthani Razai is made up of two words: 'Rajasthani,' which means something from Rajasthan, and 'Razai,' which means quilts in Hindi. They are handcrafted quilts manufactured by Jaipur artisans using screen printing and block printing techniques. Rajasthani Razai, also known as 'Rajasthani Razai 100gms,' is well-known throughout the world for its warmth and comfort.

These Rajasthani quilts demonstrate the quality of indigenous artisan craftsmanship. These craftsmen's skills and talents are quite admirable because they put a lot of effort into creating unique and gorgeous Jaipuri Quilts.

The aesthetic prints and designs, which include Mughal Boots, Traditional Flowers, Elephants, Motifs, and Mughal imprinted designs that portray Rajasthan's traditional old culture, are the specialty. These are Rajasthan-made Indian cotton quilts with such prints and designs.

RAJASTHANI RAZAI/QUILT-MAKING PROCESS

Rajasthani quilts are one-of-a-kind since they are handcrafted and hand-stitched. The artists use time-honored skills such as cotton carding, cotton voile-making, and quilting to create these magnificent Rajasthani Quilts. The steps are as follows:

1. Block printing and screen printing

The first key step for Rajasthani Quilts is to choose traditional designs and prints like Sanganeri prints, Mughal prints, and so on, as well as a printing method for printing the designs on cotton fabric. In Jaipur, traditional methods for manufacturing quilts include screen printing and hand-block printing.

2. Carded Cotton

It is a method of preparing cotton for use as a filler in Rajasthani quilts. Two carders, which are convex paddles with small teeth, are used for this purpose; the cotton fibers are placed on one of the carders, while the other is drawn across the face of the first one many times. Carders' positions are changed from horizontal to vertical to remove the dross from cotton, which is waste material. Only soft and delicate fibers remain after carding - this procedure takes a week! This results in around 100 grams of cotton being left behind.

3. Spreading Cotton Voile

The "layering" occurs when the cotton is dispersed equally across the Rajasthani quilt; otherwise, it will bulge in some places while sagging in others. The covering is a premium quality cotton voile, which is a lightweight yet gauzy cotton fabric with a silky soft surface, and it is crucial for adding warmth and coziness to the handmade quilt.

4. Hand-stitched by Local Artists

This is the final stage in which the quilts are put together to form a genuine Rajasthani Quilt / Razai. It is a procedure known as 'Tagaai' in Hindi, and it is indigenous to the local artisans. The quilt is snugly and skillfully hand stitched to ensure that body heat does not leak, making the Jaipuri quilt everyone's favorite. 

In Conclusion - 

Rajasthani quilts are the product of traditional craftsmanship. Various colors, shades, designs, and themes make each Rajasthani razai set unique. The mastery of the artisans who create these works of art, their artistic talent, and skills as well as the intricacy with which they weave these pieces makes them highly sought after. Each Razai set is hand-dyed, hand-dipped, and hand-block printed, therefore they are ideal to be gifted during special occasions or festivals such as Diwali, Dussehra, or Eid, among others.