Oxford Piecemakers to teach Kawandi quilting at Saturday workshop

The Oxford Piecemakers Quilt Guild turned a Saturday morning meeting into a practical lesson in Kawandi Indian hand quilting, bringing Andi Bedsworth to First Presbyterian Church for a workshop built around scraps, stitching and tradition.

The session met at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, April 11, with doors opening at 10 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Oxford, 924 Van Buren Ave. The guild asked participants to come prepared with 12-weight thread, scissors, a thimble, a sharp wide-eye needle, an 11-by-14 backing scrap and front scraps.

For beginners, the workshop offered a direct introduction to a quilting method that is unlike the patchwork styles many local sewists know best. Kawandi, also spelled Kavandi, is associated with the Siddi community of Karnataka, India, and is made with visible hand stitching, often in a running-stitch style. It is typically built from repurposed scraps rather than freshly cut fabric, giving the finished piece a layered, textured look that carries traces of the cloth that went into it.

The tradition is rooted in Siddi cultural history and memory, according to verified source material on the craft. Some descriptions say Kawandi quilts can serve as mattresses and covers, and others note that the practice can provide income for women in Siddi communities. That mix of practical use, reuse and cultural preservation gave the Oxford workshop a reach beyond a standard guild demo.

The Piecemakers’ 2026 calendar showed that the guild keeps an active schedule of monthly programs and retreats, placing the Kawandi session within an ongoing series of hands-on meetings rather than a one-off specialty event. The guild says its purpose is to promote appreciation and knowledge of quilting and patchwork through guest speakers, workshops, retreats and road trips.

That made the April 11 gathering useful for Oxford residents looking for a craft-focused community event in Lafayette County. It also put a global textile form inside a familiar local setting, a public church hall on Van Buren Avenue where a small group could learn how scraps, thread and handwork carry a story far beyond Oxford.