Finding great materials that fit the Madame Hall aesthetic is something that I love! Treasures are found daily; in Bhuj, in surrounding villages, from textile dealers and from the communities in exotic, dusty and remote locations on the outskirts of Kutch.
And it doesn't stop there! When I visit Australia, Tessuti is always a 'go to' destination for quality laces and sewing notions. Greenfields sees me leaving with a huge bag of interfacing, zips, buttons etc.....And while on holiday in Lithuania last year, I bought superb linen and beautiful linen lace.
When inspiration hits, an eclectic range of stunning materials is all I need to create some workroom magic!

And just because I bought something ages ago, doesn't mean it gets forgotten! This week saw me delving into my lace basket...that Lithuanian lace I bought a year ago is something I was saving for just the right material. I found this wonderful, floppy off white cotton in one of Bhuj's oldest fabric emporiums. Absolute perfection teamed with Baltic lace and shell buttons from Greenfields in Sydney!

Bharat bhai's shop in the heart of the Shroff Bazaar, near my workroom is a treasure trove of delights! For great variety and all manner of quirky bits and pieces, his shop has been an endless source of inspiration

When the Jat ladies come to town, there's always some fabulous pieces to purchase.....!

Getting out and about in Ramjans auto rickshaw, my preferred mode of travel! I love the leisurely pace....And finding new communities to visit.

Village life, vibrant and full of colour! This young lady did the tattoos on my feet. The 'colour' she used came from the charcoal scraped from the underside of a clay cooking pot!

Amazing embroidery!

And after a day out, it's back behind the machine.....with ideas and inspiration a plenty!

Amanda wanted a wedding dress that complimented the informal venue of her marriage, a special, one of a kind dress...A dress that she'd love wearing again and again at other celebrations in the future too.
She told me her measurements, preferred colour choices and styles that suited her. I sent her pics of various embroideries, block printed cottons and ideas of combining them.
She made her selection and within 6 weeks had a dress that was in the UK with 10 days to spare before her big day.....Made specifically for her from start to finish!

Cheryl loves getting surprises now! After having her first Madame Hall jacket admired and giving it to her friend, she asked me for another!
Something similar to before, with lots of colourful embroidery and sparkling Rabari mirror work.
This vintage Rabar 'milkmans' shawl was absolutely perfect for show stopping style in a warm and cozy jacket. 'Desi' wool, typically used by the Kutch Rabari can be a little coarse, but lined with a thick and luxurious satin....It became something amazingly beautiful and a delight to wear

Well now, I'm being slightly indulgent here...I made this outfit for myself!
We don't get too many opportunities to dress up here in dry, dusty Bhuj, but one of my assistants was getting married and wanted me to attend the nuptials!
I couldn't go the usual bright and super sparkly Indian wedding glam thing...It's just not me. Instead I made one of my favourite Signature Skirts from meters and meters of sheer turban fabric! It had a little gold thread running thru the cotton and with a layer of sparkly net underneath, it twinkled in the early morning winter sunshine. I felt fabulous, and imagine I'll wear this skirt more in 2016!

Mollie's mum has over 10 of my super swishy maxi skirts, but she wanted a super cute short skirt!
I made this from a superb piece of Saurastran embroidery I'd been saving for someone special, don't you just love the abstract kittens and parrots on this vintage piece! It teamed wonderfully with a nice bit of navy and cream stripe cotton canvas, making a great urban boho statement skirt. Totally unique and not another like it anywhere in the world!

As the hot summer starts turning sultry here in Bhuj, it's a reminder that foriegners will once again be arriving and seen on the streets soon...
Getting to Bhuj requires a little planning because, well it's quite remote and only serviced by 2 flights a day, in and out via Mumbai.
However as an Australian, I am usually coming home from Sydney. The Singapore Airlines flight from Sydney to Ahmedabad via Singapore is easy as, and Bhuj is about 7 -8  hours by road from Ahmedabad.
My favourite way to return home to Bhuj is on the Swaminaryan overnight sleeper bus!

The 905 or 904 Sleeper bus leaves from Ahmedabad around 10pm, and arrives in Bhuj at about 6am the following morning.
It does not have lay back seats tho like buses most would be familar with,  instead it has curtained off cubicles/ bunks where you can lie completely flat! I always get a single, but there are larger 'family' size ones for couples or tall or big people.  

I always sleep extreemely well on this bus! It stops twice during the night, and if I wake up the lively atmostphere of the road house, with it's cheap spicy food, an interesting mix of fellow travellers and hot steeming chai is most enjoyable.
As it's just starting to get light, the familiar villages close to Bhuj are a welcome sight, Ajrakhpur, Bhujodi and Madapur before seeing the crumbling old fort wall entering Bhuj.....Finally getting off in bus stand, where the early morning vegetable market is in full swing

This journey is really enjoyable, and being overnight you don't miss a day.....
At around Rs 500, it's a bargin in my opinion....but also great fun!

A visit to my block printers workshop in Ajrakhpur is always a delight because I get to see my great mates Sufiyan and Sukor
Sufiyan Khatri in the above pic is a master at Ajrakh, the process of using natural dyes and hand carved wooden blocks to print fabric. With his great knowledge combined with an engaging personallity, makes him a popular speaker for dyeing workshops both in India and overseas. 
And if you've been to visit Sufiyan in his Ajrakhpur workshop and enjoyed one of his demonstrations, you have probaly also met this head printer, Sukor

Sukor, a father of 4 school aged kids is talented, vivacious and charming, just like Sufiyan...but he's also deaf and mute. It's just amazing watching the 2 of them communicate ideas and information effortlessly, enjoy a joke and entertain students and shoppers like me! 
Last year Sukor's wife suffered an aneurisim,  she was gravely ill and in need of specialist care. Sufiyan arranged and paid for her medical expences, and the Khatri community, myself and others all gave what they could until her heath was restored and the family back on track.
It was wonderful to see the support he recieved from his employer, Sufiyan during this difficult time. He clearly regards his 'workers' as family and feels a great sense of responsability towards them. 
Both good men, making beautiful fabrics and I love having them as friends!
Sufiyan will be at the Santa Fe craft fair next month.....If you're lucky, you might be able to catch up with him there!

Jewellrey bags made from vintage sarees.....each different from shimmering silks and satins. What a lovely commision to recieve from Monica de Lucia!

So this week, Madame Hall's Bhuj workroom created divine little bags....each and every one so pretty they are sure to be appreciated by the lovers of Monics's japamala beads.

Monica is Italian, a Hatha yoga teacher who also creates wonderful unique japamala to enhance the yoga practice. 
I've been creating unique jewellrey bags for Monica for quite a few years now..... I'm sure she could buy other Indian jewellrey bags, but not made with the same love and care my team and I invest in them!
First, Monica described what she wanted, we discussed size and all the small details....using this information I made a sample bag and sent Monica a pic. She loved it, so we were ready to start her order...
My assistant Dipu and I searched the local markets for quality silk sarees, we looked for ones that had great border designs, of meduim weight and in beautiful colours. Then it was back to the workroom to match them up with some low lustre Indian satin, combining colours that sang! 
All the bags have a hot pink cotton lining and a drawstring top......Sandeep has been making all the drawstrings, 200 of them for Monica's order of 100 bags! And while he's been doing that, Dipu has been assembling the little bags, this time with Monica's Samsara labels she had sent to us directly from France...
A week later they are nearly all finished, the only thing that remains to be done is the red thread wrapping on the ends of each drawstring which is being carefully done by one of our lovely neighbours....
Monica is a joy to work with because she understands the energy, thought and care we've put in to making these bags. Her jewellery presentation is important, and she knows that Madame Hall jewellery bags enhance the handmade and individual nature of her own items ....
Below are some jewellery bags we made earlier for Monica

Maybe you need presentation bags for your handmade jewellrey? Madame Hall can design and make lovely jewellrey bags for you from a wonderful assortment of special fabrics and embroideries....I'm just an email away, so please get in touch with me if you want something really special to compliment your products. 

When I was growing up in Adelaide, South Australia during the 1970's I never set out to find a mentor, or even knew what a mentor actually was. But luckily fate intervened, and I one day met Sophie Van Rood in her vintage clothing emporiam in Rundle St and my life was changed forever

If Sophie was alive today she would have turned 99 this year. When I met her she would have been around 60, and such a glamorous and exotic 60 year old I had never met! Always wearing high heels, always with a wide belt around her (still) small waist, with khol rimmed eyes, lots of emerald and diamond jewelry and stylishly disheveled red hair always in a messy bun....she was a woman who had created a distinct style of her own and had me mesmerised!
Sophie's shop, The Banana Room was my refuge from the staid conservatism that gripped the Australian education system at that time. My imagination was fueled by the beautiful vintage dresses she sold, the like of which I'd never seen before. Exqusitely cut chiffon 1930's gowns, dainty lace chemises and exoticly embroidered oriental shawls.....I was happy to spend every hour I could surrounded by the magic that filled her small shop!
At this stage in my life I had no formal training as a dressmaker, but I knew enough for Sophie to eventually trust me with repairing, re-modeling and re-making some of her precious garments under her guidance. Her imaginative approach and sensitivity towards the restoration antique textiles has left a lasting impression on me to this day.
I learned so much during this time, not only about period fashion styles and how women expressed their own sense of self in the clothes they made (this is something I see constantly in the Indian embroideries I work with today) but also about design, Aboriginal art, morality and culture.....All the things school could have taught me but didn't!
Sophie was not always the easiest person to get along with, and would always challenge me if I innocently said something that smacked of assumption or prejudice; she had strong opinions and never passed on an opportunity to defend injustice as she saw it.
I was about 14 or 15 when Sophie came in to my life, at a time when I was very impressionable. She showed me how to think differently about every assumption, to always question popular opinion and think for myself and consequently strive to be ethically  brave and strong.
I often wonder if I would be in India now if it wasn't for having such a dynamic role model in my teens who encouraged me to look beyond the horizon...Sometimes I still can't believe what good fortune I had to met her!

 
 

If you live in Sydney, or just follow what I'm up to you'll know I recently popped-up in Double Bay in Sydney's eastern suburbs

Pop-ups are great! It's wonderful to meet some good online customers in person, and to see some folks who are 'online shopping shy' but still keep track of what I'm doing via fb and instagram.
After raining heavily all week, Sydney granted me a mild and sunny weekend. I saw regular customers, met new ones and also a few lovely people who I've met earlier when they visited Bhuj!

So if you couldn't make it, here are a few pics of what you missed out on! 

As the cooler months in India are approaching, I've had people asking for my advice on having an off the beaten track experience in Kutch. Kuldip Gadhvi is one of the first names that springs to mind....He is an amazing Kutchi guide, certain to give you a totally unique and unforgetable holiday!
Recently, Kuldip was one of only a handfull of finalists nominated worldwide for the World Responsible Tourisim Award. It was well deserved honour for a Kutchi local who discovered the beauty of the remote tribal communities while assisting with the relief effort after the regions 2001 earthquake.

Kuldip is a highly ethical man! He saw the negative impact of outside tour companies and greedy middle-men were having on the devestated tribal people of Kutch, as they promoted only those people who paid them the best 'commision' and by-passed other artisans who couldn't or wouldn't pay.
When Kuldip started Kutch Adventures India, he was a rare breed in India.......A guide who didn't ask for or accept commision from the local people for introducing them to visitors and tourists who visited the region. 
He was a trailblazer in this regard, and now I'm happy to say all the best and most respected guides in Kutch accept payment only for their guiding services and tours, and not a percentage of an artisans' handicraft sales!
What this means for you is that when you come to Kutch and use a local guide like Kuldip, you'll be introduced to the people and places you really want to see, not who a large tour company or an 'outside guide' wants you to see! 
If you want an off the beaten track experience tailored especially for your enjoyment, interest and reason for your holiday So, I'd like to introduce you to the charasmatic Kuldip by means of this video he made for Follow the Star, Gujarat. 
He's a great bloke!