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anchal
- the endpiece of the sari. It is usually more densely
ornamented than the field in matching or contrasting
color.
bhutta
- areas of threadwork ornament suspended on a plain
ground, usually put in a regular order and often times
becoming more dense towards the endpiece.
block print
- stamping the material with ink. The blocks are generally
hand carved from wood and printed on the cloth in
repeating patterns.
blouse piece
- traditionally the sari is worn with a matching or
contrasting blouse called a choli. Many sarees come with
an extra length of cloth used to stitch the skin tight
cropped top.
bengali drape
- a beautiful traditional way of wrapping a sari in West
Bengal. There are only two large pleats in front and the
fabric is folded in half and thrown over the shoulder
twice for a beautiful and rich look, perfect for a
transparent jamdani
border
- the sari usually has borders along the top and bottom
lengths of the cloth. The borders are a main design
element when wearing the sari and come in an astounding
variety of patterns and motifs.
check
- one of the simplest and most elegant ways of patterning
plain weave cloth. Simple checks are formed with a second
color thread at regular intervals on the ground. Micro
checks give the fabric a shot woven glow, with only a few
threads between the check spacing. Complex checks can be
formed by combing warp and weft color repeats for amazing
variety.
chikankari
- the simple running stitch embroidery made famous in
Lucknow. The cloth is usually white or some pastel color
with white embroidery. The base fabric is a light weight
organdy type.
china silk
- lightweight, durable and drapey material imported to
India from China. Used as a base cloth for many
inexpensive printed and dyed sarees.
choli
- the tight, cropped top worn under the sari. The choli
can be stitched from matching or contrasting cloth,
sometimes attached to the sari for this purpose.
contrast pallu
- the endpiece ornament is woven on a ground of
contrasting color to the field. A very common and dramatic
look.
das phulia
- means "ten flowers" - a typical design found
on Orissa ikat and bomkai sarees.
dhoti
- a 4 to 5 meter lenghth of cloth, usually white or cream
with a narrow border. The dhoti is worn by men all over
India in several draping styles. The North Indian dhoti is
longer and is worn in the kaccha style, the south Indian
dhoti is 4 meters and is worn folded in half and then
wrapped kind of like a bathtowel around the waist.
doria
- a kind of open weave cloth that has a subtle check
effect formed by regular interspacing of finer and thicker
threads
elephant
- one of the most beloved and revered creatures in Indian
ornamental tradition. The elephant symbolizes wealth and
good luck, embodied in he much worshiped Lord Ganesh,
remover of obstacles.
end piece
- also called anchal and pallu. the ornamental end of the
sari, normally worn thrown over the shoulder in the modern
Nivi style.
ganga jamuna
- the two sacred rivers of India. This means a sari with a
top and bottom border in dfferent colors.
gauze
- a very lightweight and soft weave that is almost
transparent.
gharchola
- means "from the home" - a typically patterned
sari style from Rajasthan with large zari checks and
bandhni tie dye work in the open areas of the checks.
gulabi
- rose - used as a term for a round floral motif and for
the pretty rose pink color favored by Indian women on
their sarees.
handloom
- the arduous and authentic work of the weaving
craftspeople. A handloomed sari takes days to complete and
each thread is meticulously and patiently laid against the
next in the process. At sometimes 60 to 100 threads per
inch - imagine how long that would take!
ikat
- also called bandhna in Orissa. The threads are first
dyed in patterns and then strung up on loom so that the
patterns emerge as the cloth is woven. Double ikat has
both warp and weft patterned threads.
jacquard
- a highly ornamented cloth with warp and weft face
ornament. Jacquard is named after the original inventor of
a punch card system of weaving allowing the production of
very complex patterns on simple looms.
jamdani
- a very lightweight Bengali woven cloth that features
thicker threadwork ornament that is applied to the cloth
with needles as the cloth progresses on the loom.
kaccha
- means between the legs. A way of draping a sari or dhoti
with a series of pleats in the front. The center pleat is
then drawn back through the legs and tucked into the
waist, creating a kind of pants. Maharastrian kaccha drape
is made with a 9 yard sari to give the extra length
necessary for this drape. You can learn to wrap a kaccha
sari using only a 6 yard sari in the how to wear a sari
section.
kalamkari
- a style of drawing with dyes on cloth. Tiny funnel type
tools are used for this and every sari or textile is one
of a kind and hand drawn.
kalga
- usually a paisley shaped motif found on the pallu of the
sari. it is also a general term to mean a large motif of
threadwork or printed ornament.
kantha
- the running stitch embroidery of West Bengal. A wide
range and variety of ornament is now being produced in
this style. The work is usually done by village women as a
secondary souce of income for their families.
kashmiri
- a style of ornament that typifies the Moghul era of
India. Paisleys, running vines on plain grounds, elaborate
architectural ornament, arches and figures give the cloth
a regal appearance.
khaddi
- means handloom in many Indian languages. The principal
of self sufficiency fought for by Mahatma Gandhi during
Indias fight for Independence. The term exists today as a
sense of political and cultural responsibility to preserve
the handloom traditions of India.
kornad
- a very wide bordered, usually plain style sari typical
of Tamil Nadu village style.
kumbha
- a favorite ornament in sari borders, the kumbha or
vessel represents the universe and is often drawn with zig
zagging lines.
lungi
- a two meter length of cloth worn by working men all over
india. The lungi is more often than not mill printed in
rich colors and patterns.
mango
- a common motif in sari boders. Often made as a tight
repeating motif with fine leaves on either side.
mehndi
- henna green, a rich dark green somewhere between olive
and brown!
muha
- another word for endpiece. Do muha is a term for sarees
that have two pallus.
mundu
- means towel in some south Indian languages. The mundu is
worn by the women of Kerala either as a matching two piece
sari set, or as a regular handloomed towel thrown over the
shoulder and worn with a lungi.
muslin
- a stable and simple plain weave fabric that is woven
from slightly irregular fibers, producing a soft and
supple cloth that is absorbent and comfortable in the
heat.
ordhani
- a veil or sheet. The women of Rajasthan wear these
lightweight veils over calico printed drawstring skirts
and cholies in a riot of color combinations. organdy - a
lightweight plain weave cloth that is smooth and
transparent.
paithani
- a kind of specailized weave of North India featuring
interlocking weft threads in the ornament. Paithani sarees
are typically very rich with large fields of zari threads
and windows of colored ornament in geometically simple
designs.
pallu
- another word for endpiece or anchal. The ornamental end
piece of the sari.
peacock
- a beautiful and popular motif found on sarees from all
over India.
pinkosu
- the delightful Tamil style of draping a sari where the
pleats are in back and drape out over the waist of the
sari.
pleats
- when draping the sari, most of the fabric length is
taken up in a series of pleats and then tucked in the
waist closing or petticoat. The pleats allow for easier
walking and give the garment its elegant gait.
powerloom
- a handloom on steroids. These weaves have the look of
handlooms but are often times of cheaper quality and lack
the subtle elegance of the real handloomed cloth.
puja
- means prayer. Puja sarees are the typical regional
pieces that are given for ceremonial occasions and used to
drape deities in the temple.
raja
- king
rani
- queen
rekhu
- an area of zigzags or stripes to bridge the transition
from field to border of a sari. A temple motif is a common
rekhu and blends the border line into the field in a
harmonious way.
resist dying
- using blocks to print cloth with wax before immersing in
the dye.
rudraksha
- the sacred beads often worn by Holy People and Deities.
It is a very beautiful bead with a natrual ornamental
pattern, often depicted in repeat patterns of circles with
diagonal stripes on sari borders.
self
- self patterning is using matching or just a shade light
or darker threads to make an ornament that is monotone. It
is a very rich and understated look, found on many
designer silk sarees.
sungudi
- means sun and is a typical resist dyed print of Tamil
Nadu. Madurai is famous for it's sungudi sarees, stable
and bombproof cotton cloth printed in tiny repeat motifs
and with simple striped pallus with fine lines of
imitation zari.
tant
- means handloom in Bengali.
threadcount
- the number of picks or threads per linear inch.
threadwork
- ornament created by the weaving of different colored
threads. Threadwork is used to denote ornament on sarees
that is not made from zari.
tie dye
- an ancient technique of tying cloth in patterns before
dipping it in a dye bath. Rajasthan and Gujarat are famous
for their brilliant tie dyes called Bandhni sarees.
tribal
- styles of sarees and ornament that are traditionally
carried down in the village of their origin. Tribal
ornament is rough, geometric and bold.
veshti
- the lower drape of south India. Can mean the same as
dhoti.
warp
- the lengthwise fibers of the cloth.
weft
- the widthwise fibers of the cloth.
zari
- gold plated silver wire wrapped around a polyester core.
The expensive part of the sari. Many old sarees are burned
to extract the gold from the ashes.
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