Finding Inspiration in Every Turn
Sutra in Sanskrit means thread. It also means rules or guidelines. SutraVerse is our attempt to explore the universe of fabrics and art. Our Sutras are that every piece we offer is comfortable, contemporary and stylish, that each item showcases an art form – be it weaving, painting, embroidery or sewing. We aspire to generate zero waste in our processes, using the tiniest scrap to create things of beauty. Each item is created by hand and is is not mass produced in a large factory. We pay attention to the minute things that make it special and last longer. This means that each SutraVerse product is hand-crafted in small quantities. We do not bulk-buy, we do not mass-manufacture. We give each item the time and thought to make it unique in its own way and give you the joy of owning a handmade item that is different from anything else you may buy here or elsewhere.
SutraVerse is an idea many years in the making. It perhaps started in childhood watching my mother and grandmother stitch and embroider. It germinated when I learnt to while away long journeys crocheting. It accompanied me through the 3 books I devoured every day and then slept through a few long dark years of struggle, never demanding, but storing ideas and inspiration. My childhood memories are full of women in my family who found expression in their chosen art - painting, sewing, embroidery, cooking, knitting - I can go on and on. Then, at 50, I got some space to think and reflect through a redundancy brings. Suddenly I had no job but I did not have the acute financial pressures of previous years. Thus was born SutraVerse
Sewing is calming
I learnt to stitch as a teenager and loved it. It sat deep inside me as life became busy and the sewing machine was delegated to the attic. The stress over the years resulted in thyroid issues and the ballooning 10-15 kg of weight gain. Then came the frustrating and depressing attempts to find clothes that fit, to endure the comments from shop salesmen saying we don’t stock it in your size, the acceptance that for a garment to fit at the bust or waist it will drop at the shoulders and be too long. As I matured in my own thinking and found expression as a person and not a reflection of how society saw me I started realising that most women face similar issues and I started challenging this acceptance. This was not an overnight thing and I did not wake up one bright day with the solution or the will to implement it. However the seed of that thought was sown. I realised a friend shared the same awareness of the issue. With her encouragement and my mums firm support I started experimenting with standard patterns. Over a few iterations I found it is possible to get a better fit with some minor variations and application of an open-minded approach. Thus was born the SutraVerse Fit!
Reading was a solace through my childhood and a joy I have carried into adulthood. Finding a present for me was never a struggle - it was always books. One summer I started from one end of our local library and read through the stacks, consuming all matter of literature and non-fiction.
I used to walk the 2 km to the library every day so that I could read on the way - we were not allowed to read on a bus! Everyone in our small town knew me as the girl who walked and read. Thankfully I never got into an accident.
My book accessories are an ode to remember all the friends who resided on paper that I made who have brought me so much joy. If you like reading you know what I mean.
She walks and reads!
The Earring Girl
Making jewelry on the other hand is a very new passion. It all started during lockdown when in order to keep myself awake during long virtual calls I picked up my crochet needle and started the equivalent of doodling with a hook. I needed something that was easy, but engaging enough and would not trigger my arthritis. I started experimenting and the small designs naturally evolved. It was easy to make 2 of the same design and that led to making the first earring. My dormant right brain went from 0 to 100 in evolving designs and incorporating what I had in the house. I was heavily influenced by my daughter's hobby / interest / obsession with earrings - so dedicated is she to her collection that she is known for her earrings at every place she has worked. In fact her lockdown birthday present was enough earrings to match her age!
I found joy in making earrings and sometimes other pieces of jewelry. The materials and methods I use vary from crochet to fabric or paper or wire, or papier mache.
It all comes together
​I have recently found immense satisfaction is combining all my passions to try to achieve zero waste - using fabric, paper and threads from making clothes and things around the house to make jewellery and other accessories. There is so much joy in taking what would normally be discarded and creating a thing of beauty. These are habits engrained from childhood - waste not! I see this as a start as well as a continuance of a lifetime but now rather than making do, I am making more!