For anyone interested in textiles, Kutch, in the far west of Gujarat, is a treasure trove. Women of all ages in villages around the region’s capital, Bhuj, spend their days sewing, weaving and making embroidery to create clothes for themselves and their daughters, or to fashion items for sale. Settle on a shady veranda sipping hot tea while intricately sewn bedspreads, patchwork quilts and appliqué panels are unfurled – the ornate decorative patterns used are painstakingly counted on the warp and weft of the cloth, and sewn using silk thread.