It is funny as I expected to spend my entire time in Jaipur. I had been many times before and love this pink city with its Hawa Mahal (Palace of the Winds) and Jantar Mantar (Royal Observatory). But the pollution was overwhelming and I realised that the place I stay in is probably more important than the city. I stayed in 47 Jobner Bagh ( https://www.jobnerbagh.com/) when I first arrived in Jaipur which was a perfect retreat but way over my budget. Then I stayed in the wonderful mosaics guesthouse (http://www.mosaicsguesthouse.com/presentation-mosaics-guesthouse-english.php). I loved this place with the wonderfully adaptable and attentive staff who serve delicious Indo-French food but there was a commercial and very busy wedding venue next door as well as as a load of waste and very stagnant water every time you stepped out to get to the road. I moved to the Dia Homestay ( http://www.inn-seventh-heaven.com/Savera.html) in Pushkar which I totally loved but staying there for nearly four weeks seemed about right. It was getting colder by the day and I really fancied staying for some time in the Camel Conservation Lodge ( http://www.camelsofrajasthan.com/ranakpur-camel-lodge), Rajpura, near Sadri next to Ranakpur. It was magical and I loved every moment there.
Felted Jewellery
I really needed to do something with the felt I had brought with me via London from Purl Soho in New York (https://www.purlsoho.com/). It was weighing heavily on me and this isn’t the best way for creative juices to flow. There were 16 squares of pinks and purples with many hues of blues and greys.
My original idea was to cut strips of about 1.5 cm x 18 cm and twist them round and turn them into about 11 or 13 (prime – urggghhhh) bracelets leaving out some of the colours that I neither liked nor fitted with my purple theme.
But they looked very amateurish. I then twisted 4 at a time into a spiral and added more colours on. This was getting there but was too bulky to control and it would have ended up with a multiple of four which I didn’t like!
So, I started with one of the pinks and wound it into a very tight spiral and then continued with a further 10 colours. I really liked what I produced and I used pins to make the joins look pretty seamless.
I then backed it with the outer most colour – a pale pink using blanket stitch.
I wanted to use a leather thong to turn it into a necklace so that I could alter the length. I did this by stitching two small rectangular pieces on the back and hey presto it worked!
For the earrings I cut squares of each of these 11 colours and threaded them on a straight silver pin interspersed with pearlescent grey beads left over from my mystery blanket and some purple beads from a bracelet that broke.
I liked the way the squares would not stay lined up and gave a feeling of a spiral. In the end I was really pleased with both jewellery pieces and now can send them and the felt back in a shipment so I don’t need to look at the spare felt and feel persecuted by its presence!
Window Art
I was always rather variable at executing this well. At home, I copied the provided shapes and had lots of colours so I could choose the pots where the paint was flowing freely.
But in India I had only brought one pot of each colour and they were continuously blocked up despite my repeatedly pricking them with a pin. At least the black outline colour worked well!
I decided to use the three larger and less intricate designs I had made in wooden blocks and drew them out as larger designs freehand.
I found even this hard and had to make measurements on the paper to be able to know where I would put in a loop. I did three large ones which are reasonable enough to photograph and had to bin some as they I couldn’t put them on the glass windows.
I also made seven small designs but found this quite frustrating. To be honest, I only did these small ones because I could and I had brought the materials with me. I left the window art in the Camel Lodge and most of the paints were finished. Phew. Done that and can tick it off.
Does remind me of my therapist from this year – Limor – who said at the end of our first session that my task for my therapy (there were many more later on!) was to be less task orientated. Well I totally failed with the window art task. Thank goodness it is over and I have left it behind. I have the photographs though!
Stencilling
I bought some spray paint with me and thought it would be fun to do some stencilling and to use up this spray I had had for years.
I think it was the same as our first front door colour in Bloomfield road (from 20 years ago!) To do some touching up but really you have to move on. It took several devices just to prize off the lid and once I used it I wasn’t going to take it further on with me.
Firstly, I used the spray to coat some smaller pieces I would sew or glue into my fabric books I intend to complete later. By default, these became stencil pieces!
I also used some white lace I had brought with me purely for the purposes of stencilling.
I liked how the same paint through the same lace on different colour card really changed what you saw.
Tassels
I have made loads of tassels over the years principally in fours for each corner of a challah cover or often a challah duvet.
I consider myself an expert simple tassel maker! I have always understood the challah (two white loaves like brioche) are upset you bless the wine first so you cover them……
I made 24 in one day in Rajpura (at the Camel Conservation Charity Lodge). 23 of purple (must continue with prime number theme) and one silver.
And all the same length and at least 200 strands. I listened to the podcast of Sue Perkins interview Mary Berry (both of the original BBC Bake Off). I then photographed them on the long wooden pole of a shisha pipe, then on a ribbon and as there are so many and pretty dense, they can stand up if.
They show off the diversity of the yarn well which was bought at the Handweaver’s Studio in Finsbury Park, London.
I have made a single crochet flower out of each of these yarns and a pompom. I may well display them eventually as one giant tassel. We’ll see.
They are going in the next box to be shipped back
Modelling Clay
I am not sure why I actually bought this modelling clay. It was really cheap (75 rupees [80p] per packet) but it didn’t have any instructions about how to fire it. I really think it is just Plasticine.
And it had a lovely purple so that must have been the deciding factor and that money was burning a hole in my pocket in the stationary shop in Jaipur. I did buy really nice paper there which I am pleased I bought and some crayons which are well, to be honest, just normal wax crayons. Hardly very inspiring – rather childlike but dependable I suppose. And some oils pastels but clearly, I had already got some from Tiger but forgotten in my stationary buying frenzy!
But I used the modelling clay in an attempt to reduce down my luggage. And I tried to make my clay into something fun at the very least. I made two further purples with a pale blue and red (this was a dark aubergine) and a darker blue and pink.
But this last mix was essentially blue so I added a load more red and ended up with a pretty pleasing violet. I also rolled up 3 balls of white clay.
I rolled out my three purple balls into long snakes, spiralled them around, reworked them with a ball of white each and did the same thing again with them.
I used a knife to cut them across to see if there were interesting patterns – there were and then turned it into a cake with (11 – you guessed it – prime number) petals and then cut it into pizza triangles.
But by then I really had run out of ideas and so turned it into one large purplish ball and left it on the table for those visiting the Camel Lodge further opportunities for fun and play.
Camel Leather Pots
I also took up all the pots which are decades (possibly over 100 years old) which are made from camel leather from the Camel Lodge.
I was going to photograph them on a very bright striped and colourful piece of cloth but they looked better on the plain concrete in the sun.
They are traditionally made to carry water, oil and perfume in the smaller ones. They are super light and very gnarled as old and used.
I have spent a wonderful five weeks in Rajasthan and some of my projects were finished off in Gujarat. Rajasthan will always hold a very special place in my heart from the first time I came here when I was 21 (34 years ago!).
