Today on the blog, we feature Sunita Suhas, quilt designer and founder of Indian Yards; Ooty. She shares with us, her brand story …
1. Tell us a bit about yourself.
I am a mother and a maker! Having been an average student all my academic life and then a not soo ambitious worker all my corporate years, here I am running a for-profit social enterprise nestled in the mountains of The Nilgiris. I am curious, sensitive and all ears and eyes when I come across something new as I truly believe that learning never ends and as long as I learn, I will grow. And, growth is natural to us Humans.
2. Why did you become a maker?
I used to live a typical corporate urban lifestyle chasing materialistic dreams until my Son happened. Having held different offices in my stint with the corporate world it was difficult at first to adapt to the ‘stay at home mom’ role. I believe everyone has a ‘maker’ inside us. We just need the willingness to discover it. For me, this happened during the time I had my Son. The ‘maker’ in me kept nudging from within to make use of this break from the rat race. So I used this opportunity to dabble with sewing which was right at the top in terms of my interests. Sewing led to discovering the world of quilting and learning that this art is amongst the dying arts in India, I picked this up as an attempt to make a difference. Within quilting, patchwork intrigued me more, given the creative freedom, so I pursued patchwork quilting as my forte and since then, there has been no looking back. Today, every piece that I create tells a story and the joy that this brings to me is irreplaceable. Not to forget, every Indian Yards quilt sold takes the art of quilting that much closer on the revival spectrum and takes a bunch of families, that work with Indian Yards, that much closer towards economic freedom.
3. Why is design so important to you?
For me, every quilt or product I create has an inspiration from things around me so the fact that I am able to recreate something from scratch and express it and the love it generates from people makes it all worth the effort. So the power of creation and expression is something that pulls me towards design.
4. How did you begin Indian Yards?
While reviving the art of quilting was important to me, creating employment or providing economic freedom to women around me was equally important so as a test of my ability to impart this skill to other women, I started with my domestic help. I started training her on quilting and within no time, there were other women from the area who came knocking. This made me think, why not start a unit where I can teach more women how to quilt and at the same time, create a market for the quilts that are made. Thus began Indian Yards.
5. What is the story behind your brand name ?
Indian Yards essentially was meant to incapsulate the textile ability of incredible India. The vision of Indian Yards is to be a House of Home Decor which incorporates every textile art available across the length and breadth of India into it’s designs.
6. How has your business evolved over the years?
Indian Yards started with more simple designs in patchwork quilting and continued to do that for the first few years. Then came more detailing in patchwork like geometric designs using solid colour shades, creating ombre effects, etc. Still maintaining patchwork as our forte, we have now started looking beyond quilts. We are now looking to cover more segments in the home decor landscape like patchwork curtains, patchwork lamp shades, patchwork table Lenin, etc. We also have started incorporating few natural living elements into our offering like forest honey, pure and natural essential oils, etc. I am an advocate of natural living and have access to some natural goodness here in The Nilgiris, hence an attempt to be the bridge between what is available here and the world.
7. Your work space & artisans.
Indian Yards is set up in the pristine mountains of The Nilgiris, also known as the Blue Mountains. We are only 6 kms from the Ooty (Ootcamund) town centre yet away from the hustle bustle of a touristy hill station. Ooty is a popular tourist destination in Southern India often referenced for its colonial charm and/or European chill. The Indian Yards workshop is set amidst forest and farmland, tucked away from the main town hence, the noise. The women who work at Indian Yards come from the nearby settlements and are natives to this beautiful place.
8. What is currently on your work table?
While I have never appreciated mathematics, geometry has always fascinated me and I am currently working on expressing geometrical wonders through my quilts using solid colour shades.
9. What is your personal favourite pick from Indian Yards right now? And why?
My personal favourite quilt is what I call ‘blossom’ and this one never went on my selling board because I couldn’t part with it. It’s my favourite because this was made right at the start of my patchwork quilting journey and was made with leftover scrap fabric. This, to me, is a perfect example of the fact that if the ‘maker’ in you is awakened then even scrap can be turned into a wonder!
10.What are your displaying at the By Hand, From The Heart.
I am bringing with me a range of my patchwork quilts which are a combination of patchwork designs using 100% cotton block printed fabric and solid colour shades. I am also bringing along essential oils and forest natural honey straight from The Nilgiris. We work with the native tribes to develop these products. Among essential oils, I am bringing along Eucalyptus, Lemongrass, Citronella, Clove and Peppermint Oils.
Meet the Maker @
27th edition: By Hand From The Heart Makers Market
2 – 3 – August 2019 , Friday – Saturday | 10 a.m – 9 p.m
Hanu Reddy Residences, No. 41/19, Poes Garden, Chennai 600086, India.
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