My Story
Jilbee by Seema Mangrulkar
I am a Mumbai based artist and Jilbee is a platform for me to share my passion for handmade, especially crochet with all those who love and appreciate it. Here you will find one of a kind, whimsical pieces ranging from home decor to bags, and jewellery to knick knacks. Everything is made by hand.
At Jilbee, The process of learning and making is continuous and exciting. There are no fixed ideas or designs or even crafts….everything is fluid and ever evolving. I do not restrict myself based on markets or trends but make whatever excites me and brings me joy. So far, I’ve worked with a variety of yarns - from recycled cotton, denim, acrylic, wool, jute, silk, fabric in various combinations. In addition to crochet I also incorporate macrame, embroidery, bead work, paper mâché, clay moulding in my work. I love handmade and the process of creating and am always trying out new things.
My Background
I have been involved in something creative my entire life. Growing up I was surrounded by art thanks to my mother, Shobha Mendhi who is a self taught artist. Her passion for art rubbed off on me quite early and I started drawing and painting and then went on to study Applied Art.
Post college i joined Ogilvy & Mather Advertising and worked there for almost two years. I then apprenticed with the renowned artist Sudarshan Dheer for a short period before joining DMA Consultants, a branding firm, where I worked for almost 12 years. At DMA, I worked on branding and design projects for some of the biggest brands in the country and the world. It was truly a wonderful experience.
While on a break from work to be a full time mother, I went back to tinkering around with arts and crafts to pass my time. This is when I discovered crochet. Having never held a hook before in my life, I taught myself crochet from scratch and thus my journey began. There has been no looking back. Jilbee is a culmination of all my experiments with crochet and other crafts since then.
Kurumuttu
I have also had the privilege of collaborating with Kurumuttu, a tribal initiative at SEEDS, XLRI Jamshedpur. My mother was connected with them at the time and she encouraged me to share my love for crochet with them. With her encouragement and support I worked with a group of enthusiastic young tribal women. Through various workshops I taught them crochet. They were quick learners and were soon able to translate my ideas and designs into products. We had a very rewarding few years together right up till the pandemic. Look out for limited pieces made by them on this website.
myjilbee.com
Post the pandemic I have gone back to creating on my own. I make only limited pieces as crochet and related crafts are time consuming and require a lot of attention to detail. While I draw inspiration from everywhere, I give my own twist to whatever I create, making my own designs and patterns.
This website is a platform for me to share my creations and hope you will love and enjoy what I make as much as I enjoy making them. I also hope to collaborate with other artists in the future and share some of that work here as well.
You can read my blogs to stay updated on my process, new designs, ideas on how to use / style my products and also some diy patterns and tips for those interested in making themselves.Â
Follow me on instagram @myjilbee or write to me at jilbeeshop@gmail.com