Ajrakh: Part 1: Multilayered and amazing
Ever since fabric was invented, humans have tried various methods of decorating the plain woven fabric. Embroidery was one technique. Ajrakh and Bandhini were others....
tie-dye
Ajrakh: Part 2: Hidden complex layers
Which is better, Ajrakh or Bandhini? When you visit Gujarat, particularly Kutch, you are faced with an outstanding, even overwhelming variety of handmade crafts. Just...
Patola: Part 4: Weaving history and ecosystem
The Patola is the stuff of hype and legend. How do you care for your saree?...
Patola: Part 1: Making the magnificent Patola
How do you weave the Patan Patola? What are the steps and techniques? Here, we explore the painstaking and lengthy techniques that together create the...
Patola: Part 2: Patan the place
Patan today is a clean quiet town. Its citizens still talk about the glory days when it was called Anhilwara. It is on this ancient...
Patola: Part 3: Imagining the whole saree
These two brothers-- Satish Chandra and Paresh Kumar Salvi-- were the only weavers in Patan who did all the processes by themselves: the tying, dyeing,...
Tangaliya: beaded wonder
The bead-like dots that mark the Tangaliya weave are a painstaking process that involves wool yarn and twists....
Gujarat’s culture of ornamentation
The culture of ornamentation in Gujarat, which shows in its textiles also....
Gujarat: a land of astonishing diversity
What is it about Gujarat that makes the state so diverse with respect to textile styles and techniques?...
Welcome to the Gujarat Edition
The weaves of Gujarat take many forms. Ranging from the block prints of ajrakh to the tie-dye bandini work to the double ikat weaves of...
