Handcrafted Textiles of India

8/19/2019 Handcrafted Textiles of India

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Handcrafted Textiles of

IndiaMade by

Ritwik Trivedi


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Dhotis• Dhotis are produced

on handlooms indierent widths andlengths, and usingdierent counts of

cotton yarns in wrapand weft.

• In Northern India,these sashes are

almost always madeof wool and are ofdierent degrees ofneness.


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Floor o!ering

• The woolen pile carpet,"egan in India in the#$th century. Though itsorigin may ha!e "een%ersian, once the Indian

wea!ers pic&ed up thecraft, they made it theirown.

• ' denite feature of the

Indian carpet is itsspecied "order that is,framing the "orderlinewith dierent patterns tomatch similar patterns

to ha!e a symmetry and"alance in the middle of


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Furnishings and made up

items• (ne of the principal items of

household textiles is "edlinen,comprising of "edsheets,"edco!ers, pillowcases, du!etsand other )uilt co!erings. Theother important item ofhousehold textiles is ta"le linen including ta"lecloth, ta"leco!ers, nap&ins, place mats, etc.Furnishing fa"rics include hea!y

gured and *ac)uard fa"rics usedfor drapery and upholsterypurposes and are mainly wo!enon +yshuttle frame looms. Thetapestry construction is used for

hangings, sofa, rugs,u holsteries ta"le co!ers etc.


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Furnishings and made up

items• The famous Himroo- cloth now producedin arangal /'%0 and in Hydera"ad, fallsin the category of "rocade wea!ing.'nother characteristic furnishing fa"ric is

mushru- cloth in satin wea!e, with sil&or rayon warp and cotton weft, ha!ing"rightly coloured stripes and geometricdesigns.


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Lungis

• Lungi is a traditionalhandloom item exported mainly to mar&ets li&e

1ingapore, 2alaysia and2iddle 3ast ountries.4ungis and other similar!arieties li&e &ailis-,

sarongs-, and com"oys-are generally wo!en in 56 yards long pieces,which are *oined to ma&ea length of #7 yards.


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Lungis

• The principal handloom productioncenters for lungi production are8hu!angiri, Nadu!eerapatti,

9urinchipadi, &adayanallur,'na&aputher, :udiyatham in TamilNadu and 'mma!ari &uppam,

;emminaganur,


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Saris

• The "irth of the art of wea!ing was rst in India. Inancient times the Indian fa"rics were famous all o!erthe world.

• The cloth was studded with pearls and *ewels raisingthe !alue of these fa"rics to million pieces of sil!er.

• For many centuries it has "een the custom for Hindu

women to wear saris with "order and palla!s onauspicious occasions. The "order and palla! ha!e"een specic and main attraction of saris.


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8alarampuram saris

8alarampuram /9erala0 saris are generallydone in #??s @ #??s in &ora white with

ela"orate gold and hea!y denting in the"orders. Nowadays these saris ha!eintroduced colour in the "ody with =ari-"orders, plain grounds with coloured "orderand the use of sil!er. The principal type ofhandAwo!en fa"ric produced in 9erala is


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8anaras 8rocade Saris

8anaras "rocades are said to "e the nest in India. The "rocades are mostgorgeous and highly ornamental of all Indian textiles. The designs areproduced "y warp and weft threads of dierent colours and materials,suita"ly wo!en. The most famous in legend and the history are the Kinkhabs A wo!en +owers, !erita"le cloths of gold. The gold wire was la!ishly used inthe ancient days to wor& out delicate patterns or the Kinkhabs which used to"e manufactured mainly in 8anaras. The design loo&s dierent in the frontand "ac& of the material. The designs and colours used are !aried. 8anaras"rocade saris were once famous for Shikargarh "rocades, which wereconsidered to "e masterApieces of wea!erBs art. The most traditional patternsare "eldar.

In early days gold and sil!er was drawn into extremely ne wire which wasused "oth for warp and weft and wo!en into fa"ric. 'fter the gold is "eatenout to the needed length and si=e, it is passed through eye holes of e!erdecreasing si=e till it "ecomes as ne as a cotton thread and then wo!en ona handloom.

Though 8anaras is the chief centre of "rocades, this art spread to other


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Dhacai Saris

The fa"ric is generally grey cotton em"ellished with "luish "ac&designs and sometimes in"rilliantly coloured cottons or gold

and sil!er threads when the fa"ricis intended for a sari, ends mayha!e large "old motifs in thecorners mostly !ariations ofcorner patterns.

The eld of sari will ha!e smallsprays of +owers either all o!er orarranged in a diagonal patterns.In the scattered patterns the sariis called C8utidar "ut Cfercha if

the sprays from a regular networ& the amdani is &nown as


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I&at (rissa 1aris

The remar&a"le I&at techni)ue, aprecision handwor&, is a thri!inghandloom manufacture operationin (rrisa. The 8*ulia 2ehar-,:audia patra- and 'sani patra-

wea!ers of (rrisa are &nown forsingle and dou"le I&at techni)ue"oth in cotton and sil&. (ne of themost popular motifs used in thefa"rics of Naupatna area is the

elephant /:a*a0. (rrisa I&ats are!ery popular all o!er India andoutside. They are used as saris"edco!ers, "olsters and cushionco!ers, ta"le cloths and mats,

nap&ins, scar!es, stoles, door andwindow screens, s&irt materials


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9an*eewaram 1aris

9an*eewaram saris are alwayswo!en with full "right colours andshot eects with an eecti!edisplay of =ari thread in "ordersand palla!s, and are nowadays!ery popular throughout India. 'special feature of this9an*eewaram sari is the contrast

palla!. The expression&an**eewaram saris- indicates aparticulars le!el of excellence inthe pattern texture and colour ofsaris.


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%atola 1aris

%atolas from :u*arat considered to "e one of the most ama=ingly "eautifulsaris that ha!e "een produced anywhere in the world. It was this cloth whichwas ta&en "y Indian merchants of Ea!a and 8ali in the middle where it washonoured as a special "ridal garment on account of its ex)uisite +oraldesigns and "eauty. %atola is seen in its "est in the sil& wedding sari of thewomen of 9athiawad. The fa"ric is wo!en with warp and weft that ha!e "een

separately dyed "y a special colouring process &nown as 8andhana or &nottying and dyeing. 'fter sil& warp has "een dyed in the lightest colour, the dye&eeping in mind the designs to "e produced, draws across it some lines inpencil at measured distances.

The mar&ed spaces are tied tightly with waxed cotton thread through which

the dye does not penetrate. The design is already preAplanned andaccordingly the design is further dyed with the second colour. This process isrepeated and continued till the dar&est shade is reached.

The weft is also treated in the same manner. Then the threads are stretchedand arranged on the loom "y the wea!er and wo!en into artistic patterns ofelephants, peacoc&, parrots, +owering shru"s in red, white or yellow on a

A


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1antipur 1aris

'ssam is famous for sil& and is noted for sil&sari production. 1antipur, Ga*"al&at,'utpur,


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Tangail Saris

Tangail saris are usuallymade from cotton yarns of

7?s to #?s count and in theolden days e!en up to ??s. The "orders are a"out - to5- in width, for whicharticial sil& and gold and

sil!er laces are used. 1ariswith coloured wrap andcoloured weft are notuncommon.


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Baluchari Saris

Baluchar is a sil& wea!ing centrein Murshidabad, est 8engal.Baluchar was famous for its sil&"rocade saris. The designs in the pallav are outstanding. 2otifsinclude Indian courtiers and3uropean oJcials of the #Kth and#7th centuries shown smo&inghoo&ah, riding on horse "ac& etc.

These saris are wo!en in har&a-sil&. No gold is use. The coloursare deep maroon, madder purpleand turmeric yellow.


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Chanderi Saris

In these saris gold ornaments enamelled in soft muted tones arewo!en into the pallav , "order, and "ody of the sari. The designs formsare linear and "ear close resem"lance to the mar"le *ewel inlay wor&found in Mughul architecture and artefacts. This chanderi has for long"een the reputed production centre of superne saris, whose "order,palla! and traditional "uttis ha!e won admiration of fashiona"le

women all o!er the country.

2ost chanderi saris are of sil& warp and sometimes wo!en with neraw warp and cotton weft. The special feature of these saris is "roadcross "order or palla! which is wo!en in cotton, sil&, zari with +oraland other styli=ed ornamentation which re)uire special traditionalharness &nown as Nakshas.

' cascade of chanderi "order and palla!s contains small mango motifswhich occur in concert with CBugadi motif or earring in the "ody ofthe sari. In some "orders a ne use has "een made of the sh scalesor Ckhavali as motifs. The chanderi sari is one of the nest productsof the handloom wea!ers.


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Ikat , Andhra Pradesh Saris

In the state of 'ndhra %radesh the ikat processis &nown as pagdu bandu- buddavassi- andchitki . In oldest ikat centre in this state isChirala. In the early #Lth century that hirala"egan the wea!ing of the rumals and "ecauseof the "ris& demand of export mar&ets, the

production expanded to near"y towns and!illages. The introduction of tie and dyetechni)ue into ponchampalli area was as late asthe "eginning of the century. Today Nalgondadistrict near Hydera"ad with %ochampalli,%uttapa&a, 9oyyalagudem,


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Kancheepura! Saris

9ancheepuram, the golden city of thousand temples, wassuccessi!ely the capital of the %alla!as, hholas and Ga*as of


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Pathani Saris

%aithani saris of 2aharashtra arehighly styli=ed patterns of swans,parrots, peacoc&s with a goldentissue of palla!. The sari that isrenowned and famous for itswor&manship and wonderful creationwell &nown from generations is the%aithan sari from 2aharashtra. Thishas "een famous from Dwapar era.

These saris are done in hand processthrough out and are not wo!en onlooms. The palla! and "order arewo!en with gold and sil!er eithermixed or indi!idually. The mainfeature of these saris is dierent

"orders with an ela"orate palla!.


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P""na Saris

Handloom wo!en saris of %oona are)uite famous for their superior )ualityof fa"ric construction, constant in+owof new designs and for theirreasona"le ranges. Today the industry

of wea!ing is +owing. or&shops arefound in :un*peth, 8hawanipeth andthe other areas of the old city of%oona. 'mong the master craftsmen2Ms 9unden, 2Ms 2ethapelli and


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Tanch"i Saris

This saris is famous for delicate andtiny wea!ing patterns all o!er. This isthe only sari which has the spots allo!er and is warn with dou"le colourwarp. It is said that three %aru"rothers had learnt this art from hoifrom hina. 's these saris had somehinese in+uence in designs andpatterns they were &nown as Tanchoias these three "rothers had claimedthis art from hoi from hina. Themain haracter of these Tanchoi sarisha!ing their "ac&ground in satinnish and the speciality of thesesaris, the patterns "eing small +ying"irds, small arcs of +owers, pairs of

peacoc&s and parrots in swing. The Tanchoi from :u*arat has a hinese


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$aranasi Saris


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'ppli)ue or&• 9nown to ha!e "een introduced in India in

the ##th century, appli)u wor& has "ecomea popular craft used in almost e!ery ritualcele"ration or festi!al in the country. In8ihar, there are styles of appli)uO one,intended for domestic use, which carriesstyli=ed motifs with one piece of cloth withcut patterns "eing stitched to another, the

pattern thus emerging in two coloursP thesecond type of appli)u is prepared fortents, shamianas and canopies as alsotented walls.

'ppli)u wor& of remar&a"le creati!e !aluehas "een created in (rrisa where this craft is

used for festi!e decoration in the temple of4ord Eagannath as well as in homes.1pecimens of great artistic merit are alsodone in the same style in se!eral centres in:u*arat and Tamilnadu to "e used as wallhangings furnishings fa"rics, gardenum"rellas and dress material. In 9ashmir thega""a- /+oor co!ering0 is a form of appli)u


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8rocade• There are two &inds of "rocade, cotton

"rocade and =ari "rocade. In "rocade, the

warp and the weft are supplemented "yspecial threads in gold, sil!er or sil&. These form the pattern when wea!ing andalso determine the nature of the "rocade.otton fa"ric is "rocaded with cotton and=ari threads to create one of the most

delicate products of the loom. 'notherform of "rocading is created "y the inlayof white threads o!er an organ=a *ail togi!e an appearance of delicate ligreepatterns cut out on a sheer almosttransparent "ac&ground.

In =ari "rocades gold and sil!er are usedalongwith sil& threads, either as thespecial warp or weft, to create glitteringraised ornamentation. The main centres of"rocading are located in


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8loc& %ainted Textiles• ' popular and well &nown method of

creating ornamental designs on cloth is"loc& printing. In 8agru, Ga*asthan, a thic&cloth is used as the "ase. :eometric and+oral designs are printed on "oth sides ofthe cloth though these are not always thesame. The colour palette is restricted to"lac&, maroon and "u. 8agh in 2adhya

%radesh is another traditional "loc&printing centre with colour similar to8agruO red and "lac&. The "ase cloth istreated to ma&e it recepti!e for printing.'*ra&h from Dhamad&a in 9utch, :u*arat,is a techni)ue "y which patterning iscreated "y resist printing. 8oth surfaces

of the fa"ricare printed, with a perfectplacement of "loc&s to ma&e the designson either side identical. The colours aremainly red and "lue.


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Handloom 4eno Fa"rics

• The wea!ing of leno "rocades andleno cutAwor& /throwster0 onhandloom had "een de!elopedduring the last three decades in

the handloom centres aroundttar %radesh. Thereis unlimited scope for theproduction of a !ariety of eects

in striped, chec&ed and guredfa"rics "y com"ining gau=e orleap with practically any othersystem of interwea!ing.


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I&at, Tie and Dye

• Tie and Dye is one of the oldesttextile techni)ues where portionsof cloth are tightly tied "eforedyeing. These resist the dye andform the pattern. In India, thespeciali=ed s&ill of i&at wea!ing

exists in three areas, (rissa,'ndhra %radesh and :u*arat. The%atola from %atan in :u*arat isespecially well &nown. In a dou"lei&at sil& saris, "oth the warp andthe weft are separately tied anddyed so that they "lend perfectly

when wo!en and gi!e the textileits rich colour and form. There areother forms of tie and dye "utunli&e i&at these are not pre loomprocess where only the yarn isresist dyed. 8andhe*, the tie

techni)ue includes "andhinis of:u*arat and Ga*asthan.


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%hul&ari

•

The word %hul&ari literally means+owerAcraft or +oweing wor&- andit certainly creates a +owerysurface through the process ofem"roidery. It connotes aparticular form of needleAcraftpracticed in the %un*a" region "y

the peasant women for decoratingtheir shawls, !eils, etc. Theprincipal centres for this art wereGohta&, :urgaon, Hissar, 9arnaland ad*acent areas of Delhi in theeast and %eshawar, 1ial&oot,Gawalpindi and Ha=ara in thewest /now in %a&istan0. The%hul&ari was initially a homeAcraftand were made only for usewithin the family. It was only inthe later part of the nineteenthcentury, in times of famines and

hardships that the phul&aris wereput to sale to the collectors of


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%hul&ari contd..

• The socialAritual signicanceattached to the %hul&ari artadded new dimensions to itand ele!ated a mere artAform to a philosophy. This

accounts for its pursuancewith great de!otion,perse!erance and passion.3m"roidery thus wasperpetuated and formed a

part of social rituals and noceremony was perfect unlessthe auspicious %hul&ari,em"roidered shawls wereworn "y the women.


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%igment %ainted Textiles

• 'mongst the most noted in theold days were the handApaintedresist dyed cloths &nown as theoromandel chint= which madehistory in the then &nown world.

• (riginally made in :olconda, nearHydera"ad ity, they spreadalong the eastern coast up to

Tamil Nadu ta&ing its name, with2asulipattam as its chief port.

These were made on cotton with ada==ling array of exotic +owersand foliage mostly in red, "lue,purple, yellow and "lac&.9alahasti in 'ndhra %radesh is

noted for its &alam&ari now calledafter the lace.


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1hawls

•

The most co!eted is pashmina,made out of the wool from theunder "elly of the Himalayanpashmina goat, which this animalgrows. The nest is shatush, a softdreamy fa"ric that almost meltsto the touch. ' shatush can "e

drawn through a ring and is,therefore, called ring shawl, andthough extraordinarily light, it isne!ertheless ama=ingly warm.

1hawl is one of India-s west woolproducts. 'mongst shawls,9ashmir holds the world title. Themost complex of shawls is called *ama!ar, from *ama, a ro"e and!ar, yardage. The wo!en designsare often enhanced "yem"roidery and one nds the

main wo!en motifs in the"ac&ground later connected "y


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Towels• The towelAmanufacturing sector of the

handloom industry in India has "een oneof the main employers of handloomwea!ers, catering to the needs ofconsumers "oth in and outside thecountry.

• Handloom towels are manufactured indierent wea!esP plain, honeycom",huc&AaA"ac&, terry pileP dosuti- anddedsuti-, etc. 8asically, terry towel,which comes under the category of

madeAups, is used as a fa"ric for "athtowels, "athmats, car seat co!ers,interlining material, "ase for coatedfa"rics, &itchen gowns, pot holders etc.Do""y and *ac)uard terry towels are

exported in su"stantial )ualities.


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Tur"ans

• The Tur"an-s chieffunction is theprotection of the headfrom the heat of the

sun.• It is usually of a ne

muslinAli&e texturewhich when folded isat once light, "ul&yand porous thusadmira"ly fullling itsmain purpose.


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Tur"ans

• The tur"an in its unfoldedcondition ordinarilyconsists of a strip of cloth!arying in width from L to# and length from #Q to

Q yards. In some cases,howe!er the width extendsto $ inches while thelength occasionallyreaches $? yards.

1ometime, gold or otherdecorati!e material is usedand the end of the tur"anis made to extendlongitudinally a little way

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Handcrafted Textiles of India