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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