Inspiration
Balmy summer evenings were never complete without a welcome visit from our frequent guest, load shedding. Load shedding is a word for power cuts which means black outs. Yes, these black outs happened for an hour or more every few days a week. We ardently looked forward to these times of repose. The ‘hurricane’ or kerosene lanterns came out from dusty corners. By the warm glow of the bluish flame the family huddled around a small lantern – the story tellers of our family- the veteran cook from the village or Nani (paternal grandmother) opened their Pandora’s Box of bhoot ki kahani (ghost stories). Today who has the privilege of idling away a few hours often and listening to unbelievably believable stories of another life? The saree has spiders and cobweb spun on the six and half yards. Like a spider we spin our jaal (web) of complicated patterns woven by our choices, desires and dreams.
Details
Length: 5.5 m; Width: 47 inches
Blouse Piece: Blouse piece is not included with the saree. The blouse worn in the photographs is only for styling.
Maintenance: Dry Clean and light iron
Disclaimer: The pictures are clicked in natural light. Colour may vary slightly from the image. Since these products are purely hand worked, there may be variations in the weave, colours and prints. Please accept them as beauty of a hand-made product.
Description
Fabric:
The prints bloom in an altogether artistic appeal on the pure organic cotton (100% cotton), grown in India. Organic cotton is regular cotton that is grown organically without the use of any synthetic agricultural chemicals such as fertilizers or pesticides aside from the ones allowed by the certified organic labeling. The drape is light and comfortable. This cotton hugs you softly. It might benefit from starching after 4-5 wears but starching is not necessary at all.
Printing:
The motifs are screen printed on the fabric. Screen printing is a method in which ink is applied directly to the surface to be printed (substrate). The image to be printed is photographically transferred to a very fine fabric (the screen) such that the non-printing areas are blocked off and the fabric serves as a stencil. The ink is wiped across the screen to pass through the unblocked pores and reach the substrate. For each color to be printed a separate screen is prepared and the process is repeated. It is tedious and painstakingly done by hand.
I love the fabric!
Like the name – mayajaal
The saree has its own charm altogether