I was honored to be the educator invited to represent Handi-Quilter at the very first India Quilt Festival in Chennai! Since getting there would require quite a journey, we decided to make a trip of it and my youngest daughter, Emily Ann, joined me.

First Stop: New Delhi

After a crazy number of hours on planes (Portland > Amsterdam > New Delhi), we made it to India! We hopped right on into the touring.

Then we got to visit a Hindu temple built in the late 1500s which was stunningly beautiful, made of marble and gold, but they didn’t allow photos inside. To get a tour, they requested a donation, asked us to wash our hands & remove our shoes, then blessed us.

The marks on our foreheads were blessings for for “Gold Mind,” which means clarity of thought.

Next, we headed to the Old Delhi marketplace. It was very crowded but really interesting to see the themed sections along the super narrow streets. One of our favorite things were seeing all the spices. Here, we also saw Muslim mosque built in the 1600s with both outdoor and indoor spaces for worship. We had to remove our shoes and pay to take photos. It seemed to be a hangout for local Muslims, and like everywhere, we were stunned by the architecture (and by how many people there were!)

We couldn’t go to India without seeing one of the world’s wonders: the Taj Mahal! Built in 1653 (after 22 years of construction!), the Taj Mahal is a ivory-white marble mausoleum built by Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, to house the tomb of his favorite wife, Mumtaz Mahal. The minute you walk on the grounds it is hard to not be moved to tears by how beautiful it is — that’s not an exaggeration! You can’t take pictures inside, so all of these are from outside.

The North Gate, leading onto the Taj Mahal grounds.

Hard to believe this was built in the 16th century, and as a tomb!

After the Taj Mahal, we visited the Agra Fort. The fort was built in the 1500s and parts of it are still used by the Indian military (offices, barracks, etc). It’s amazing to me that something built so long ago is still being used for its intended use!

The outside is red sandstone but the inside is nearly all marble and is very beautiful.

Shah Jahan (you remember, the man who commissioned the Taj Mahal!) was put under house arrest by his son (who was king) for excessive spending, and spent his last days in this room, with a view of his beloved Taj Mahal.

To be an artisan who makes the inlay decorations, you must be part of a specific family. Their work is so detailed and inspiring. The tiles included the tiniest pieces and had the loveliest patterns. I can’t wait to think about quilts inspired from their artistry!

Finally, we saw the Lotus Temple, a Bahá'í House of Worship built in the 1980s using white marble from Greece. It’s one of the most visited sites in the world, sometimes called the “Taj Mahal of the 20th Century.” Like many other sites we saw, we couldn’t take pictures inside, but let me tell you, it was stunning as you’d expect!

Second Stop: Chennai

After all our epic tourism, we headed to Chennai for the purpose of our visit: the quilt show! I was thrilled to be at a show coordinated and executed by a group of Indian women who are passionate about quilting and were determine to make the event happen! Tina, Varsha, and Deepa — y’all are amazing! You can read more about them here.

I was with the Handi-Quilter booth and Alps Sewing Machines, a group of fine gentleman and professionals.

The show had a ton of gorgeous quilts — tons more than I expected for their first show! I met so many quilters who were so excited to show off their work. I was impressed by the turnout and the volume of interest in the quilting arts. There were also a number of artisan craft booths featuring things like hand-carved stamps and hand dyed fabrics and jewelry makers which was a fun addition! One memorable interaction included meeting a group of U.S. military wives who came in from Kuwait to participate in the show!

The adventure ended with the festival’s award show, where best quilts were recognized in a lovely reception. A highlight was an interpretive dancer who did a really cool performance inspired by the quilting process!