SAN JOSE, Calif. — The handful of sewing machines and bolts of plain white cotton muslin didn’t look like much, but at a recent Sunday’s Sew What? meeting, they kept alive deeply rooted ...

Achieved on summer-friendly fabrics like cotton, rayon, muslin or cotton silk, motifs of flowers, jharokas, bootis, fruits, objects, automobiles, animals, are being shaped into breezy modern dresses.