Pakistan · Patchwork / Embroidery / Textile
ریلی (Rilli)
Rilli (ریلی) is the Sindhi patchwork tradition producing quilted textiles in concentric diamond and zigzag compositions — used as bed covers, wall hangings, and ceremonial textiles. The distinctive Sindhi rilli incorporates small circular mirrors (shisha) embedded in the patchwork — the mirrors reflecting light and believed to deflect the evil eye. The defining technical knowledge is the concentric diamond calculation: rilli makers achieve the characteristic concentric diamond compositions without any pre-drawn guide by using a diagonal fold system — a square of fabric folded on the diagonal determines the angle of all subsequent diamonds; 'I fold the corner to the corner and that fold is my guide for everything.' One fold generates all subsequent geometry.
Risk level: Endangered · Pakistan national ICH list
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