Wednesday, November 18, 2015

The Pochampally cotton salwar kameez - inspirational handloom weave

Pochampally, in Telangana, India, is well-known for its Pochampally brand of fabrics, the saree and the shalwar kameez, the base fabric being cotton, silk or a blend of the two. The exquisite finish of the Pochampally salwar suit comes through the dyeing and weaving of pre-coloured threads which are dyed according to the Ikat or Ikkat technique and then woven on handlooms.
The special technique of the Pochampally cotton salwar suit
The Ikkat technique involves applying bindings which resist dye penetration to the threads in pre-determined patterns and then dyeing the threads. These threads are then woven to produce the desired pattern. When several colours are used, the dyeing process on the threads is repeated for each of the colours chosen. Then the fabric is woven with the multi-coloured threads into the pattern. Within the ikkat style of dyeing are methods of single-ikkat and double-ikkat.

Single ikkat has two variants – warp ikkat where the warp threads are dyed after applying resists according to pattern on the warp threads. After that, only, is the weaving done. In the weft ikkat it is the weft threads which are coloured by applying resists before the dyeing and then weaving is done. In either case the dyeing is done prior to the weaving so carefully that the pattern emerges as the weave progresses. In the double ikkat method both the warp and weft threads are dyed before weaving. Alternatively, in the tie-dye method it is quite the reverse of the Ikkat style of dyeing. Here the threads are first woven and the resist bindings then applied to the fabric before dyeing it.

Attractive features of the Pochampally shalwar kameez
The painstaking efforts of the weavers in maintaining the purity of dyeing and weaving, including the control and placement of threads during the weave contribute largely to the complexity of the weave patterns and pleasing appearance of the sarees. Colours that are employed for the dyeing of threads are fast and well-chosen. No wonder the outcomes of the Pochampally salwar kamiz display an extraordinary ethnic skill that is hard to match. Current trends see Pochampally handloom Punjabi suits with ethnic patterns, shiny zari borders and designer pallus with stylish designs and colourful prints.

Buy online Pochampally cotton chudidar kameez online at Unnati Silks
Unnatisilks has many exquisite creations in Pochampally cotton shalwar suit that one can buy online. There are two special features that are notable. The stripes pattern design on the cotton kamiz and the accompanying dupattas The kameez has attractive motifs in ikkat prints or ikkat weaving and borders with patola weaving. Colours chosen are bright and vibrant hues. Dupatta with designer prints, traditional patola weaving, naksi and kantha work are a delightful accompaniemt.

Contact: 
UNNATI SILK PRINTS PVT. LTD,
#3-4-360, Vajra Complex, 
General Bazar (Tobacco Bazar), 
M.G.Road, 
Hyderabad-500003. 
AP, India.