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Stitching Stories
Visible Mending with Lambadi Artisans
Facilitators
To mend is to turn what time has worn, into beauty once more.
This workshop with the Porgai Artisans Association from Sittilingi Valley, Tamil Nadu, invites you into the living tradition of Lambadi embroidery, where repair becomes story, memory, and pride. Facilitated by Dr. Lalitha, co-founder of Porgai, alongside two Lambadi craftswomen, the workshop offers an intimate chance to learn stitches that have bound generations together in resilience and artistry.
Open to anyone drawn to craft, culture, or inventive ways to mend and reuse, the workshop invites you to see repair not as fixing what is broken, but rather as renewal with every thread as a quiet act of continuity.
What You’ll Learn
- Discover visible mending as a mindful and sustainable practice
- Explore Lambadi embroidery through its motifs, stitches, and meanings
- Work with master artisans and learn by doing
- Mend or embellish fabric with care and creativity
What We Provide
- Needles, threads, and sample motifs to get you started
- Step-by-step guidance and personal support from artisans
What Participants Need to Bring
- A garment or textile you wish to mend or decorate
- Beads, patches, or scraps you’d like to weave into your story
This workshop is conducted by Porgai Artisans Association.
In Collaboration with:
Facilitators
Lalitha & Lambadi Artisans
Dr. Lalitha is the co-founder of Porgai Artisans Association, a collective of Lambadi women artisans who handcraft intricate embroidery rooted in tribal tradition. “Porgai” means pride in the Lambadi dialect, and the organization lives up to its name—empowering over 60 women with dignified livelihoods, fair wages, and cultural recognition.
The Lambadi artisans of Porgai are skilled embroiderers, storytellers, and cultural guardians. Each piece they create reflects heritage and resilience, while their work as teachers and changemakers empowers future generations, strengthens livelihoods, and ensures their community’s traditions endure with pride.
