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Black Embroidered Saami Ralli

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QUILT INDEX RECORD

12-8-5213

Who documented this quilt?

Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection

Where are the records for this quilt housed?

Michigan State University Museum

Michigan Quilt Project Number:

08.0058

If this quilt is owned by a museum, enter the accession number:

2008:121.15

Object label:

Black Embroidered Saami Ralli
Mai Bhagi
Badin, Sindh, Pakistan
1990
Collection of Michigan State University Museum acc.#2008:121.15

Essay:

Saami women have excelled in ralli embroidery. This one is made by Mai Bhagi of Badin. (Badin is the only semi-permanent community for the nomadic Saami.) With access to bright and durable threads, the women have continued to develop their craft. The black background fabric highlights the stitches. Each row of stitching parallels the neighboring row. This is amazing considering it is stitched without a quilting frame or any other device to hold it evenly. The back on this one is pieced yellow.

Quilt's title:

Black Embroidered Saami Ralli

When was the form filled out?

4/22/08

Quilt top made by:

Bhagi, Mai

If you are the quilt owner, how did you acquire this quilt?

Purchased the quilt

Where the quilt was made, city:

Badin, Sindh

Where the quilt was made, country:

Pakistan

Time period:

1976-1999

Why was the quilt made?

Therapy

Details about why the quilt was made:

The embroidered rallis are made by a few cultural communities and are a speciality of some nomadic groups.

Quilt is presently used as:

Museum collection

This is a:

Finished quilt

Describe the item:

Quilt

How wide is the quilt?

80"

How long is the quilt?

58"

Shape of edge:

Straight

Shape of corners:

Straight

What color is the quilt?

Black

Quilt's condition:

Good/moderate use

Describe the quilt's layout:

Wholecloth

Fiber types used to make the quilt top:

Cotton

Fabric styles used in the quilt top:

Solid/plain

Describe the techniques used to make the quilt top:

Black bacground with muli-colored embroidery.

Embellishment techniques used to make the quilt top:

Embroidery

Materials used to make the back:

Cotton

What color is the back of the quilt?

Yellow

Number of pieces of fabric in the quilt back:

~17

How is the binding made?

Edges turned in/ no separate binding

What kind of filling is used in the quilt?

No filling

Color of thread used in the quilting:

Multi-color

Quilting designs used, overall motifs:

Single parallel lines

Describe the quilting designs used:

Parallel lines, embroidered through all layers in medallion pattern.

Features or notes about the quilt's appearance, materials, or construction:

Saami women have excelled in ralli embroidery. This one is made by Mai Bhagi of Badin. (Badin is the only semi-permanent community for the nomadic Saami.) With access to bright and durable threads, the women have continued to develop their craft. The black background fabric highlights the stitches. Each row of stitching parallels the neighboring row. This is amazing considering it is stitched without a quilting frame or any other device to hold it evenly. The back on this one is pieced yellow.

Related items such as diaries, obituaries, wills, household inventories, or pictures of the quiltmaker:

Ralli Quilts: Traditional textiles from Pakistan and India by Patricia Ormsby Stoddard, Schiffer Publishing Ltd., 2003

Person filling out this form is:

Author/researcher

Source of the information on this quilt:

Tricia Stoddard

Ownership of this quilt is:

Public- Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's name:

Michigan State University Museum

Quilt owner's city:

East Lansing

Quilt owner's county:

Ingham

Quilt owner's state:

Michigan (MI)

Quilt owner's country:

United States

How was this quilt acquired?

Purchase

Tell the story of how the quilt was obtained:

Tricia Stoddard, author researcher, 4/18/2008

Access and copyright information:

Restricted

Who photographed this quilt?

Pearl Yee Wong

Copyright holder:

MSU Board of Trustees

Cite this Quilt

Bhagi, Ma. Black Embroidered Saami Ralli. 1976-1999. From Michigan State University Museum, Michigan Quilt Project; Michigan State University Museum Collection. Published in The Quilt Index, https://quiltindex.org/view/?type=fullrec&kid=12-8-5213. Accessed: 03/29/24

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