The Many Hands of Devi

Every year, the women of Guddi Crafts come together to embroider a Devi. Each one is made collectively. Different women work on different parts until the piece comes together as one figure. There is something fitting about this way of making Durga. She is a goddess of many arms, and our Devi is made by many hands. The embroidery is a shared process of skill, patience and time. No one woman makes the whole piece. Each contributes something of her own, and together they create the complete Devi. This collection brings together the Devis we have embroidered over the years, each one different, each one carrying the hands and stories of the women who made her. 

We begin with the latest addition to the collection.

Katyayani

Compared to previous years, this year was a little different. While the embroidery was still done collectively, the Devi was put together by the women of our Embroidery Circle.

The Embroidery Circle is a space for women to come together through a shared love of needlework. We explore different embroidery traditions, learn new stitches, experiment with materials, and work on our own creations. We learn from one another and see where the threads take us. There is room for curiosity, for making mistakes, for asking questions, and for discovering something new.

It felt especially meaningful to bring the Devi into this space. Each woman contributed her time, skill and attention. As with the Devis we have made in previous years, no one person made her alone. Soumya designed the piece. She says it has less detail than originally planned!

Neha, Adithi, Rohini and Priyam embroidered various parts of the piece with stitches and techniques learned at the Circle.

Shakti and Gauri

Embroidered in our third year, when we began to discover the strength of making something together.

 

Bhavani

Embroidered in our second year, when the work began to find its rhythm and we slowly grew more confident in what we were making.

Aparajita

Embroidered in our first year, when we were unsure of where we were going, but unafraid to begin.