For a feast of colour, texture and textile techniques, visit 'Living Traditions' the current exhibition at Gallery East curated by Maggie Baxter.  The timeless designs which have evolved into a contemporary context, feature nine different embroidery styles.

Take, for instance, the cushion covers in Ahir embroidery.  Shown as a group, they become abstract pieces showcasing various aspects of this embroidery style.  The bright patchworks where pieces of larger, colourful embroideries are contrasted with block printed fabrics, are offset by the covers in rich directional stitch of gold on black.  These, in turn, contrast effectively with the turquoise and navy silk Kambira embroidery covers with their geometrical designs.

The humble 'tie and dye' takes on a life of its own in a variety of pieces ranging from the subtle background of the men's and women's waistcoats in Ahir embroidery, to the elaborate dupatta - shawls in a form of tie-dye called 'bandhini'.  These shawls are exquisite in their rich detail of finely stitched resist patterns.  This type of resist patterning also forms the basis of larger embroidery pieces such as the 'Shalwar kameez' in red 'bandhini' overworked in Sodha embroidery.

One of my expectations of Indian embroidery is the presence of 'mirror embroidery'.  In this exhibition my attention was drawn to the Jat embroidery pieces which focussed on this technique.  A series of small fragments of embroidery attract the attention in their fascinating combination of medium and colour.  Another style of mirror work is evident in the blue border piece worked in Banni Embroidery.

In direct contrast to the sumptuousness of most of the pieces on show, the handmade dolls, which wear stylised renditions of peasant costumes, show us the everyday use of a variety of fabrics in an eclectic combination of pattern and colour.

Last but not least, mention must be made of the 'quiet' pieces in the exhibition - the white, cream and beige appliqué pieces from Kutch Mahila Vikas Sangathan and the hand woven wool shawls in Soof and Ahir embroidery.  The presence of these pieces balances this exhibition which gives us a gentle reminder of the care, time and effort put into all the work.  As the catalogue suggests, these pieces have been hand done by the finest embroiderers of the region and should be treated as luxury items.