It
requires two weavers to work on the loom and they can weave about 8 to 9 inches
a day. Home Indian Trips <<Previous Gujarat Next >>
Patan was the region capital between the 8th and 15th centuries and still remains one of the few places where the craft of Patola weaving is practiced. We visited the company Patan Patola Heritage (www.patanpatola.com), a family firm of master weavers, where we were shown how saris are made and the techniques involved. The family name is Salvi which means weaver in Gujarati.
The technique is a form of double ikat silk weaving where both weft and waft threads are separately tied dyed and then carefully woven to ensure the correct juxtaposition of the threads to create the final design. The fabric has no reverse side and the pattern is equally clear on both sides.
A sari of 6 yards length may take 4 to 5 people between 5 to 6 months to make depending on the complexity of the design. About two thirds of the time is spent preparing the threads and dyeing them. A sari will cost from 90,000 rupees (£1100) upwards and at the moment the company has a 5 year waiting list. They showed us pictures of a masterpiece consisting of four elephants along one sari. As the pattern was not repetitive it was extremely complex to dye and weave. The pattern had been lost but an antique cloth was found in Indonesia and the family reproduced the pattern and rewove it. The head of the family was awarded Master Craftsman status for his achievement, a highly prized award in India to promote people working in traditional crafts. Such a sari today would cost 1 million rupees (£12,500).
During the 17th to 18th centuries these cloths were often exported to Indonesia and Malaysia where they were considered precious gifts. Royal families would have trousers made in patola cloths to specific designs (in much the same way that the Scottish clans used tartans). It is reputed that in the 12th century King Kumarpal invited 700 families of patola weavers from central India to settle in Patan. There are now three related families still weaving.
It
requires two weavers to work on the loom and they can weave about 8 to 9 inches
a day.
The warp (or long threads) need to have their tension checked regularly to ensure the pattern is maintained. While the position of the weft threads is checked by the weavers on each pass of the bobbin and adjusted with long needles.
The silk thread that is used is very fine.
Some warp threads being tied together ready for dyeing. The pattern chart is on the stool to the left.
Over the last century many traditional dyes were lost , replaced by chemical dyes. The family has been working over the last twenty years to research and return to natural dyes and mordants. Materials include turmeric, onionskins, pomegranate bark, cochineal and indigo.
They showed us some of their test results from their trials, such as this book of test swatches, and raw materials.
The left hand swatch is double ikat weave, where as the right hand piece is single ikat. In single ikat only one set of threads is dyed to the pattern, the intensity of colour in the double ikat fabric is much stronger.
A finished sari with a traditional design of elephants, flowers and birds.
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