Twenty- five Seven

Nine Yards for Comfort #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 17, 2017
It’s on to N and I must say I’m stumped ! The only Textile I can think of is the NarayanPeth sari which is the typical weave of Sholapur, a town in Southern Maharashtra. However , this is similar to the Paithani which I’m going to talk about later. So I thought I’d tweak things a bit and tell you about another textile tradition: the Nine Yard Sari.

Nine yards of sari?

You didn’t hear wrong .

For those of you who find the sari a mystery, wearing 9 yards of sari will seem even more daunting than the 6 yard version. But quite frankly it is really the best garment to wear

4 reasons why the Nine Yard Sari is great
- It doesn’t require a petticoat or under garment to secure it .of course today women who do wear this sari will wear cycling shorts or tights but frankly this isn’t necessary
- Its trouser style skirt makes movement easier .Infact this is ideal for horse riding ( which is what the warrior queens did) , working in farms etc
- It makes you nimble.Draping the sari requires bending and twisting which gives you the daily dose of stretching.It is no wonder then that my grandmother wore it till her dying day
- One size truly fits all- a regular 6 yard sari might become a tad ‘small’ if your girth increases. A 9 yard sari gives more room /leeway for expansion.
How to wear the Nine Yard

I would be fascinated by the way my grandma deftly made the pleats for the front , twirled as she draped the sari round her waist, held the pleats in place with her chin holding it to her chest as she twisted to the side to knot the sari in place.

She would raise her left leg and deftly pull up the loose end between her legs and secure it at the waist .

Then she would roll up the top end of the pleated panel and secure it with a ‘pouch’ at the waist. after flinging the palloo over her left shoulder, she would keep her legs shoulder width apart while she bent down and chose a pleat from the middle of the bunch of pleats.

Bending still further she would pass one end of the pleat through her legs, twist to the right and grab it with the other hand , pull it to the top and make tiny pleats which were tucked at the waist .

This last bit was tucked so that the borders ran downcast the centre in a neat line and over the pallu so that it was secure and in place so didn’t flap around at the back.

This sounds complicated and strange to anyone who hasn’t seen this sari being draped and honestly, I would have liked to put up a video demonstrating this process.

However , I’m running short of time so I’m posting this video off the net. Of course granny would have winced but till I put up a video post this will have to do.

The only other people who wear this kind of a sari are the fisherwomen, farmers and the few women who still work around the house. It is a pity really because this is not only an elegant garment but by far the most convenient…..

The Nine Yard sari is worn by women in the South too but I can’t find a good video to show how they do it.

Disclaimer : Once again I reiterate that I am either a textile designer , engineer or historian. I’m merely fascinated by the weaves and textures of our traditional textiles. So please do forgive and errors or omissions .

Hope you had a great Easter.

Join me and hundreds of other bloggers participating in the #AtoZ Challenge 2017. Also posting this on #blogboost and @blogchatter .
Bleeding Madras Check & the Sari from Maheshwar #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 15, 2017

[Tweet “Genuine Madras Check is Guaranteed to Bleed”]

Bleeding Madras Check!

Now why would anyone in his right mind buy a fabric that bleeds? Well, it would seem the right thing to do if you were a rich American holidaying in the Caribbean during the Great Depression.

Madras check has a checkered history and it is worth noting that the city of Madras owes its very existence to the cloth that the British wanted. Madras cotton has been around for years as a cheap cloth worn by the poor working class men. It is characterised by a patterned plaid that looks the same inside out. It is handwoven and rough with slubs because it is made of short staple cotton fibre that can’t be combed.

This lightweight fabric is still in great demand overseas especially for casual wear and used in both men’s and women’s garments. And even though the colours bleed with every wash, this is considered an advantage rather than a flaw !

Madras has long since changed to Chennai but the fascination for this fabric still remains. Check out this fabric for yourself and find out why.

When silk meets cotton you get the sari from Maheshwari

source

On the banks of the Narmada, the small textile town of Maheshwar has been weaving its saris for many centuries now. It has a distinctive weave of self woven stripes or checks and is a blend of cotton and silk. Handwoven to yield a fine tissue like fabric, this fabric is fit for a queen.

It is said that Rani Ahilya Bai Holkar , the warrior Maratha Queen, brought along two weavers from Gujarat to weave saris that were Regal enough for a queen yet simple enough for a young widow.

Its richer cousin the Chanderi takes its inspiration from nature . The Maheshwari motifs are inspired by the severe walls of the fort which are seen in the borders of the sari . Traditionally, the sari was in dark, somber colours , especially the saris I remember my mother wearing . I loved their thin self woven stripes in a shade slightly darker than the base colour.

Today’s Maheshwari has replaced the maroons, aubergines, deep green, dusky browns and black by lighter pastel shades .

However, innovation was necessary to keep this handloom industry alive. And once again, it is the descendants of the Holkar Queen who have come to the rescue with their not-for-profit organisation Rehwa . Thanks to their efforts, this handloom town is buzzing once again with weavers busy making fabric for saris and more.

I do hope you are enjoying these textile traditions of India.

Wishing all those celebrating a happy Easter, and to all those participating in this challenge a happy Sunday break!

See you on Monday.

Disclaimer : I am neither a textile manufacturer nor a historian . I am just passionate about textiles and fabrics. I have gathered all my information from the Internet. Please excuse any errors and omissions.

Join me and hundreds of other bloggers participating in the #AtoZ Challenge 2017. You can also find me @Blogchatter and #Blogboost
Leheriya from Rajasthan #AtoZChallenge 2017

April 14, 2017
Leheriya

Once upon a time I had three leheriyas in my cupboard. My favourite was a brilliant pink known as Rani Pink ( fuschia ) . Alas! I don’t have a single Leheriya in my cupboard right now.

The only Textile Tradition I can think of for L is Leheriya . The word translates to waves -like waves in the ocean. The wave like pattern is obtained when the fabric is tied and dyed. This is another tradition that comes from the desert sands of Rajasthan which more often than not conjures up brilliantly tied and died fabrics, camels and bright sunshine.

Soft, flowy and magical the Leheriya in cotton is used as a turban or sari. You can make Leheriya from silk, georgette or chiffon too!

Did you know that ?
- leheria was once worn exclusively by the Marwaris of Rajasthan.
- only royalty wore blue leheria
- white is the commonest base colour of leheria
- The price of a leheria depends on the kind of fabric and the number of times the cloth has been dyed
~ Courtesy: Utsavpedia

Creating a wave

This seemingly easy pattern is obtained by tightly tying up the fabric with thread to retain the original colour when the cloth is dipped into dye.

Now isn’t that a fascinating way of creating a wave?

Disclaimer : I am neither a textile manufacturer nor a historian . I am just passionate about textiles and fabrics. I have gathered all my information from the Internet. Please excuse any errors and omissions.

Any guesses what M will bring ?

Join me and hundreds of other bloggers participating in the #AtoZ Challenge 2017. I’m also linking up with #UltimateBlog Challenge and @Blogchatter