Pants and cuffs

 Making things from leftover parts gives you a sense of satisfaction, like this apron. It is made from the top part of an old pant 

I loved those yesteryear's pants with cuffs which were in vogue in the fifties. It seems that the functional reason for the cuffs was to add weight at the bottom of the leg so that it draped the pant well. The scarcity of fabric after WW-II led the way to do away with the cuffs.

Coming back to the project, we had an old pant which was very tight, so the bottom part was cut and made into a small pant for our granddaughter.  

We added some elastic to make it a perfect fit at her waist. 

The top part with the belt loops was pretty good and wifey came up with the idea of making an apron. She made it a little colourful by using some leftover cloth pieces to make the tie and the frills. All in all a satisfying experience. My contribution to the whole project was helping with the machine stitching. 

Now waiting for the next project.

completed

"I have completed it, what will I do now ?"

"What have you completed?"

Wifey hangs this bag in front of me proclaiming that she has finished making it. 

This was something that she was working on when she was not busy in the kitchen. I think it took her about ten days to complete. It is a perfect bag for a three year old. 

Fixing that lining was the tricky part (for me) as I was  assigned to do the machine stitching part (and hemming where required)  

I had clicked some pics earlier when the work was in progress 

I like the colour combination. 

Giving it a rectangular bottom was a good idea as it will make it easier for a child to search for an item inside the bag.

Now I wonder what her next crochet project will be. 

Calcutta streets Part two

While still on the subject of the Rickshaw pullers, here is one guy getting ready for his morning run. (at least he has some footwear)

There is some sort of a number painted behind every rickshaw.

Is this the registration number? I have no idea, maybe  someone from Kolkata can enlighten me on this.

As usual when there is a brawl on the streets all eyes are riveted there. It could be the stationary rickshaw

or the  rickshaw puller along with the passenger, oblivious of the impending danger of vehicles crossing in front of them.

Looks like things are sorted out and people are moving on.

Some observed the fracas from the safety of their shop, like this tailor who I presume makes these small pouches.

I am still trying to figure out what those pouches are used for. It can’t be a mobile pouch as it is too big for that. Is it a money purse for the ladies to be tucked away in the saree?

Talking of tailors, I was observing the dexterity with which this guy threaded the needle.  He must be definitely on the wrong side of fifty but he needs no spectacles to do the fine work.

As you can see, the other two machines on his sides are not in use for a long time or the wheel would be shining from the hand contact that takes place while starting and stopping the machine. It also speaks of the slack in the business, where once upon a time this shop must have been super busy trying to meet deadlines. Blame it on the thriving ready made garment business.

While walking along the narrow lanes saw some of the name boards. Wonder how old this one was.

A mother waited patiently as her son quenched his thirst with sugarcane juice

You will find these small cane crushers set up at intervals. The flywheel ensures reduced effort by human.

The newspaper stand is well displayed with papers on the makeshift table as well as strung out at a height so that people can see it from far

And for those who can’t afford to buy a copy of the newspaper, these free reading boards are available at strategic locations on the road.

In case you are wondering about the gadget in the picture below, it is the iron getting ready for pressing clothes

There are two irons which are kept hot on a coal grill. When one loses its heat, it is kept on the grill and the one on standby is used, thus maintaining the continuity of work. Trust me, its better than the electric iron, and cost effective too.

(continued in part 3 ..... click here)