Bombay Toile

Designed by Shashi Sehgal, these lovely pillow shams tell a story of ancient life in India. Herders guided their flocks to graze in lush grasslands bordering the Thar Desert. For coverlets, the women created quilts of layered fabric, stitched by hand in a technique known as gudri-making or hand quilting. These quilted pillow shams are created in the same way of cotton voile.

The motifs are created with block prints, applied by hand in blue on ivory. Neat rows of flowers represent the unbroken lineage of tradition handed down over generations. Finished with piping, the edges are scalloped and the stitching is done by hand.

A zipper at the bottom of the shams opens them to insert the cushions.