Quilts made in Bengal are known as kanthas, but in rural areas they are simply known as khetas. In the neighboring region they are also known as sujni. Made for one’s own use, they are simple, coarse and robust in nature. They are used and abused daily, cycled and recycled, become frail with age, are mended and repaired, get thinner and thicker with time, and contain the history of the users and their families. They have a life.

In Bangladesh, almost everyone owns a kheta and almost every woman-young, old, poor, rich, rural, urban – seems to know how to make one and has her own individual inter- pretation. Generally, khetas are made for multiple purpose use from old, worn, torn and frail saris that are quilted together to give them a new lease of life. They can be made for simple daily use or for special occasions, like the birth of a child. Almost everyone receives their first kheta when they are born and the thick, quilted layers and the soft, absorbent cloth keeps them happy and dry.

Today, there is no equivalent to rural khetas present in the market. The notion of robust quilting has disappeared and got separated from the kheta stitch and lost its primary function and meaning. The kheta stitch – a simple running stitch – is now being used on even a single layer of cloth as value addi- tion. Or where the quilt remains, it is a product of many fac- tors: play of colored threads rather than ‘well-done’ quilting, NGO shift-based production centers, use of tracing paper, and multiplication of old designs (often of East India Com- pany scenes). The women provide labor, but have no creative input or the ownership of the final creation. In urban areas, these are generally referred to as kanthas.

The Living Blue collection of textiles represents the best of Bangladesh khetas. The khadi kheta quilts are authentic and real. In these original and contemporary quilts, Bengal tradition continues to make its presence strongly felt through a variety of quilting expressions, distinct skills and techniques, patterns and designs that reflect local geographies. These khe- tas have been dyed with Bengal ‘true’ natural indigo, made by women who can be considered master artisans. The distinct feature of these khetas is the texture, known as ‘dheu’, that has virtually disappeared from both sides of Bengal. The dheu, or the ‘wave’, creates a ripple effect, which comes into being by using increased layers of khadi fabric and the applica- tion of the jod and bejod kheta stitches, thereby creating the unique, undulated surface texture that brings to mind flowing water. These khetas characterize regional specialties belong- ing to communities from Dinajpur, Gaibanda, Lalmonirhat and Rangpur districts of the Northwest of Bangladesh.

Living Blue also has a popular kehta expression. This range is a celebration of color, patchwork, materials-striped Tangail and Ranirbander fabrics, multi-colored gamchas, and colored khadi and poplin. Each individual quilt is different than the other in this vibrant collection. The striking feature of these quilts is the variety of kheta patterns that come into being in the borders or as stripes in the ground.

For the kheta catalogue of Living Blue, please contact livingblue.nijera@gmail.com