The journey of a quilted line from Nattarasankottai through Kannathampoondi, going towards Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Nairobi, surprisingly has its origins in Madras.

In 2018, three young women came together to bring over 300 quilts, around 200 quilt artists to Chennai from South Korea, USA, Guatemala, Egypt, Canada, Dubai, Oman, Kuwait, Hungary and many parts of India. Researchers, judges, artists, artisans and teachers descended on Sri Sankara Hall on TTK Road in January 2019. Quilt India Foundation [QIF] was born and after this spectacular event, QIF organised five more shows that year in Dakshina Chitra, Jaipur, New Delhi, Kolkata and Coimbatore to great reviews.

Quilt India Foundation is based out of Thiruvanmiyur, Chennai and has been bringing quilting excellence to Madras every January since inception and taking India’s quilting excellence to the world stage. Now run by the core team of Tina Katwal and Varsha Sundararajan, QIF is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers.

QIF continues to be a catalyst for India’s vibrant quilting heritage, a centuries-old tapestry of regional artistry. They bridge the past and present, honouring diverse traditional designs while embracing modern techniques and technology. This evolution reimagines quilts, allowing them to transcend their functional origins. QIF curates shows that express the thoughtful blending of time-honoured aesthetics with contemporary sensibilities, which transform quilts into stunning artistic expressions to adorn walls and enrich modern living spaces, ensuring this rich legacy continues to evolve and inspire. QIF continues to push for greater recognition for Quilting as mainstream art.

QIF works on the three principles of Inform, Inspire, Educate. For the general populace, QIF ‘informs’ about the art form that exists, an art form where the medium of expression is cloth, fabric and threads. The foundation has inspired many Indian quilters to compete in international quilting competitions and win awards. Indian quilters have gone on to become entrepreneurs, designing high end fashion accessories and other quilted products.

When covid struck, QIF re-invented itself and mounted a fantastic online show in 2021 with all aspects of an international show viz. competition, learning sessions, artisans showcase and a quilt show – all online.

From 2018 the QIF journey has been a rewarding one. Apart from numerous shows in India, QIF has participated in an International Peace Conference, created a huge installation with employees of a consulting firm, raised money for charity and inspired many young folks to take up quilting as a commercially viable art.

But whats the connection with Nattarasankottai, Kannathampoondi and Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Nairobi you might ask?

QIF went to Nattarasankottai to a Government aided girls’ school and taught the girls to make pencil pouches and small quilts. An NGO based out of Kannathampoondi near Tiruvannamalai reached out to learn new products that could be made with their existing resources. Armed with rotary cutters and self-healing mats, 100 per cent cotton fabrics and hearts filled with ideas, QIF team went to Kannathampoondi to teach. The “Educate” wing of QIF was also at the Skills Development centre of Sri RKM Sarada Vidyalaya teaching the graduating class of sewists about other products that can be made for sale.

Students at NIFT Chennai applied their theoretical knowledge to a real-world scenario by curating and displaying the “Our Lonely Planet” quilt exhibition. This hands-on experience facilitated a deeper understanding of fabric surface treatment, design, and embellishments.

Ok, what about Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Nairobi?

In January 2024, QIF curated a show of art quilts in Chennai on the theme “Abundance”. These 57 quilts went to Pietermaritzburg, South Africa for the South African International Quilt Show in July 2024. In August 2024, the quilts were hosted by the Consul General of India in Durban and were a part of the Indian Independence-day celebrations. Later, the quilts went to Nairobi and were part of the Kenya Quilt Guild’s International Show.

And the connection with Nairobi continues…

Inspired by Jasvinder Phull’s award-winning quilt [from Nairobi, Kenya] at the QIF Curated “Birds of Paradise” show of Art quilts[Madras, Jan 2025], a Madras based art lover composed a Tamil poem and shared it with her! This show featured quilts from Oman, Dubai, Kuwait, Australia, USA and Kenya along with quilts made by Indian quilters.

And, the quilted line continues to inspire, enrich and extend the culturally rich Margazhi in Madras…

Mark your calendars, the third weekend of January, it always rains quilts in Chennai every year, proudly brought to you by Quilt India Foundation!