Webwatch: Hand-stitched vintage sari cloths

1. Hand and Cloth

This is a lovely site that highlights beautiful hand-stitched vintage sari cloths. Lovely products with a fascinating story behind them and images of the craft makers on this site make it one worth a visit. In Sanskrit, the word kantha simply means rags and for centuries, the website tells us, poor Bengali women have taken their discarded cloth and sewn them together with a simple running stitch to create something new. Women stitched kantha for their loved ones for centuries and Hand and Cloth are working on spreading the word and cultivating a pride in the traditional work. Fear not, Westerners, you can machine wash on cold and even tumble dry them. Dress up your furniture — or yourself. Win, win.

* www.handandcloth.org

2. Everything Golden

Watched over by Mariah Golden Palmer, this site wanders through things like graphic design, photography, interiors, DIY and super stylish products. Mariah is proud as punch of her independently-crafted art and the day I clicked on she seemed particularly inspired by wild places and animals. I really like her hand-printed napkins, which she reckons is ‘a fun and easy way to add personality to anything’. She talks you through, step by step, how to create your own stamp, then you can use it to print on anything you want. All you need is 1: An ink roller; 2: A soft printmaking block 3: Carving tools; 4: Oil Base Block Printing Ink; 5: Vintage hankies or blank napkin; 6: Old spoon, or rolling pin; 7: Old cardboard. Click on if you’re not intimidated by no 4...

* www.everythinggoldenblog.com