Jamalpur nakshi kantha

The story

A kantha began as thrift: worn saris and dhotis were layered, three to seven deep, and quilted together with running stitches into a light blanket or wrap. When women added figures, flowers, fish, boats, wedding scenes and borders, using threads pulled from coloured sari edges, the plain kantha became a nakshi kantha, a "patterned" one. They were made for a daughter's wedding, for a new baby, or as a record of family life, and the poet Jasimuddin's Nakshi Kanthar Math gave the craft a lasting place in Bangla literature.

Jamalpur is now the largest commercial centre. In 1979 BRAC began training rural women there in kantha work, and the Ayesha Abed Foundation, which supplies Aarong, still runs dozens of sub-centres across the district. Hundreds of small entrepreneurs in Jamalpur Sadar, Bakshiganj, Dewanganj, Islampur, Madarganj and Melandaha hand out cloth with a traced design and thread to women in nearby villages, who stitch at home and are paid per piece. The district is officially branded the land of nakshi kantha, and in April 2024 Jamalpur nakshi kantha received its GI certificate.

The craft is shared across Bangladesh. Jashore has a large community of stitchers and many brands based on their work; Faridpur and Manikganj have long kantha traditions; and the folk art museum at Sonargaon in Narayanganj keeps fine old pieces. Today the stitch appears on bedcovers, sarees, panjabis, three-pieces, cushion covers and bags as well as the classic quilt.

How to spot the real Jamalpur nakshi kantha

Turn the piece over. Hand kantha stitching is a running stitch, so the back shows a similar line of short dashes, with small knots or thread ends where a new thread began; stitch lengths vary a little and lines wander slightly. Machine embroidery gives perfectly regular stitches, satin fills that look identical everywhere, and on the reverse a continuous bobbin thread or a stiff backing sheet. The tiny rippled texture created when the running stitches pull the layers together is a strong sign of genuine kantha. Faint blue or purple outlines on a new piece are tracing marks and usually wash out after one or two washes.

"Jashore stitch" is a different thing. It is a trade name for hand embroidery on clothing, especially three-pieces and sarees, made by Jashore artisans; it may use kantha running stitch but often mixes in chain, satin or other stitches on a single layer of cloth. It can be lovely work, but it is not a layered nakshi kantha quilt. Ask exactly what you are buying.

Buying tips

Price depends on how densely the surface is stitched, the fineness of the design, the size, the base fabric (cotton, silk or old saris) and whether the work is fully hand-done. A large bedcover with close stitching can take weeks or months. Ask the seller whether the stitching is entirely by hand, which district it comes from, how long it took, and for close photos of the front and back.

Midmart is a marketplace of independent shops, and each shop charges its own delivery, so two kanthas from two shops mean two charges. Midmart takes no payment and handles no delivery; the seller agrees both with you directly. For a commissioned piece, agree the design, size, colours, finishing date and payment schedule with the seller in writing.

Keeping it fresh

Hand-wash a kantha gently in cold water with a mild detergent, or dry-clean silk pieces; do not wring, scrub or machine-wash, as the stitching can pull. The first wash may release some dye, so wash it alone. Dry flat or over a line in the shade, never in hard sun, which fades thread colours. Store folded loosely in a cotton or muslin wrap, refolding now and then, and air it on a dry day during the monsoon. Keep naphthalene wrapped in paper and away from the cloth; dried neem leaves are a gentle alternative.

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Shops from where it is made

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