Tuesday, June 16, 2009

My Treasure Chest..

I am on a quest these days. A revival and preservation of old family treasures and heirlooms. Its been a challenge hunting for things. I have turned my parents home upside down much to their dismay:-) A fabulous collection of old family pictures will now be a part of my Seattle home. I also came upon these these stunning outfits. Timeless treasures from my Great Grandmother's wedding lahenga to my mother's exquisite saris. I am amazed to see a lahenga now nearly 100ys old still look so stunning. The rich brocade and the real gold zari thread work make these outfits rare and priceless. For me they are my inheritance. Each has a story to tell. I guard them with my life. I hope someday my children will wear them with pride and remember the generations before them. My plan is to preserve every piece and keep the romance and beauty of a bygone era alive.
The traditional and gorgeous paisley from my mothers wedding sari in a lovely yellow. My Grandmothers exquisite pink brocade lahenga. The rich pink brocade is stunning. The frayed but gorgeous karigari in my Grandmothers lahenga.
My mothers wedding sari again in yellow and Gold.
The Zari border of my Great Grandmothers lahenga.
My Great Grandmothers lahenga which I wore to a family wedding in the 80's.
My Grandfathers wedding outfit. A stunning brocade sherwani.
Sari borders in real zari..priceless !

13 comments:

Vasudha Narasimhan said...

wow lovely collection....its exquisite....can you please share some tips of preserving these silk beauties....because my wedding sarees are just 8 years old and since they have not been used much....i feel the folded edges are slowly wearing out....

Anonymous said...

What an amazing collection!! All these are simply superb!! Seems like a treasure for sure !

My Dream Canvas said...

Thanks everyone. Vasudha- I really have no real tips for preserving these garments. I think my mom wraps them in old saris but makes sure they are turned over. She also airs them out periodically.Hope this helps.

Rajee Sood said...

Hi Anuradha,
those are real treasures ... I think the nostalgia makes us take care of these pieces more.I was reading Vasudhas query to you...guess you are right ... sarees and all fabrics for that matter need to be turned over so that the folds don't become permanent ... that would tear the fabric eventually and best is add a tissue paper in the folds ... keep folds to the min. and old sarees or ogandy saree bags real good idea ... Anuradha your mums right ... they need to be aired ... watch out for moisture.

My Dream Canvas said...

Thanks Rajee..nostalgia it is :-) I just love the thought of my daughter wearing my great grand mom's lahenga someday!! The tissue paper is a good tip.

Christine said...

Wow - these are stunning. You are so lucky to have them in such good condition. What a gift from your family to pass down to yours!

Shalini said...

What a fantastic collection, and each one is so beautiful!

Mama gifted me the saree she wore on my wedding and that's one of my special pieces.

My Dream Canvas said...

Thanks Shalini..they are true treasures. What a lovely gift for you.

My Dream Canvas said...

Thanks Christine..

VJ & Shillu said...

Amazing tresures! You are damn lucky to find these. Treasure them :)

Unknown said...

Anuradha, that lehenga is awesome! Thanks for sharing your family heirlooms. They are gorgeous, and no doubt, priceless!

Sharon
www.thekeybunch.com

My Dream Canvas said...

Thank you so much for the lovely compliments.

Anonymous said...

amazing pieces, any ideas where these were bought from? as in to who the karigar is?

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