Glossary

B

Bandhani

A tie-dye technique from Kutch where thousands of tiny points are bound with thread before dyeing, leaving a field of small dots.

Banarasi

Silk from Varanasi with dense raised brocade patterning, traditionally in metallic zari thread.

Blouse piece

A length of matching fabric — usually 80 to 90cm — attached to the end of a saree, meant to be made up into a blouse. It arrives as flat cloth, not a blouse.

Body

The long middle section of a saree, the part you pleat at the waist.

Border

The decorated strip running the full length of both long edges of a saree. Gives weight and structure at the hem.

Buti

A small woven motif scattered across the body of a saree. Chanderi is known for silver buti.

C

Chanderi

A fine silk-cotton from Madhya Pradesh that is sheer, glossy and almost weightless.

F

Fall

A strip of cotton tape sewn inside the bottom edge of a saree so the hem hangs straight instead of flapping.

G

Georgette

A light crinkled crepe weave. Similar weight to chiffon but with more grip, which makes it far easier to drape.

I

Ikat

A technique where threads are tied off and dyed before weaving, giving every shape a soft feathered edge that printing cannot reproduce.

J

Jaal

An all-over net or trellis pattern covering the body of a saree.

Jamdani

A Bengali technique where motifs are added by hand on the loom, one supplementary thread at a time, so the pattern appears to float in the cloth.

K

Kanjivaram

A heavy silk from Kanchipuram where body and border are woven separately and joined, which is why the border colour can be entirely different.

Katan

A pure silk yarn made of twisted filaments, used for the ground of many Banarasi sarees.

Khat

The square checks in a Kota Doria weave.

Kota Doria

An open square-checked weave from Rajasthan, exceptionally light and airy.

M

Maheshwari

A light silk-cotton from Madhya Pradesh with a reversible striped border, designed to be worn either way round.

Mysore crepe

Silk with heavily twisted threads, giving a fine pebbled surface, a matte sheen and a very fluid fall.

N

Nivi

The most common modern drape: pleats at the front, pallu over the left shoulder. What our draping guide teaches.

O

Organza

A crisp, sheer, papery fabric that holds its own shape, so pleats stand away from the body.

P

Paithani

Silk from Maharashtra with a tapestry-woven pallu, often a peacock or lotus, and an oblique interlocked border.

Pallu

The decorated end of a saree, the part that falls over your shoulder. Usually where the heaviest work is.

Patola

A double ikat from Patan where both warp and weft threads are tie-dyed, so the design reads identically on both faces.

Petticoat

An A-line underskirt worn beneath a saree. The pleats tuck into its waistband, and it stops a sheer saree being see-through.

Pico

A narrow rolled hem finishing the raw cut edges of a saree so they cannot fray.

Pleats

The folds gathered at the front of a saree and tucked into the petticoat. Five to seven wide pleats work better than many narrow ones.

Pochampally

An ikat tradition from Telangana, usually working in bold geometry — diamonds, chevrons, stepped forms.

Powerloom

Machine weaving. Even, fast and lower in cost than handloom, without the small irregularities of hand work.

R

Ready to wear

A saree with the pleats stitched permanently onto a fitted waistband with a concealed zip. Takes about two minutes to put on.

S

Sambalpuri

An Odisha ikat tradition, typically with shankha, chakra and flower motifs in a high-contrast palette.

Saree

A single length of unstitched cloth, 5.5 to 6.5 metres long, draped around the body. Also spelled sari.

Selvedge

The finished self-edge along the length of woven cloth, which does not need hemming.

Slub

A thicker section in a thread, giving fabrics like tussar their uneven texture. A characteristic, not a flaw.

T

Tussar

A wild silk with a deeper honey-gold tone and a drier, coarser texture than cultivated mulberry silk.

Z

Zari

Metallic thread — historically silver or gold, now usually a metallised polyester — woven in to make borders and motifs catch the light.