Process

From yarn to cloth, entirely by hand

Every piece passes through many hands before it becomes cloth. Here is what happens between the raw yarn and the textile that reaches you.

A handloom in our weaving shed, with ivory cloth on the beam and the warp threads rising to the heddles

Choosing the yarn

Ordering and preparing the yarn

We begin by selecting and ordering the yarn according to the design, weave and colour requirements of each textile. Once the yarn arrives, it is carefully sorted according to the design and prepared for the dyeing process.

Hand dyeing and shade

The prepared yarn is sent to our dyers, where each colour is developed carefully to match the required shade. Because our yarn is hand dyed, slight variations in shade are naturally possible. These subtle variations are not imperfections — they are part of the character and beauty of handmade textiles.

Hanks of undyed ivory cotton yarn hanging to dry — Undyed cotton hanks, washed and hung before dyeing.

A hand holding a strand of ivory yarn against a card of numbered thread shades — Every colour starts from a numbered shade card.

A dyer leaning over a shade card, matching thread colours while a hank of raw yarn is held beside it — Matching the yarn to the shade before it goes in the dye bath.

A dyer checking freshly dyed rust-orange cotton hanks, with pink and teal yarn drying on racks behind — Freshly dyed hanks drying in the sun at the dye house.

Warping and drafting

Warping the yarn

Once the dyed yarn returns, it is prepared for warping. The yarn is wound onto bobbins and then arranged on the warping machine to create the warp according to the required design, length and width. Every detail is prepared with care so that the warp is ready to be mounted onto the loom.

Drafting and pre-loom setup

The warp is brought to the loom for drafting and tying, and the loom is prepared according to the design. For designs involving extra-weft work, the additional elements are set and secured during this stage. The first piece off the loom is checked for design, colour and dimensions, and any corrections are made before the next piece is woven.

A woman in a green sari guiding yarn through the creel of a warping frame — Guiding the yarn through the warping creel.

A weaver tying a sky-blue warp to the heddles while setting up her loom — Tying a new warp to the heddles before weaving begins.

A weaver working the shuttle across an ivory cotton warp — At the loom, one pick at a time.

A young weaver passing an indigo weft bobbin across blue cloth on the loom — Indigo cloth taking shape on the beam.

Final finishing

Careful inspection

Once the weaving is complete, every textile is inspected by hand. We check the weave, colour, dimensions, selvedges and overall finish to make sure the piece meets the required quality and design.

A woman smiling as she holds up a stack of folded handwoven fabric in rust, ivory, tan, pink and peach — Finished fabric, woven from the same hand-dyed yarn.

Handwoven cotton stoles in striped and patterned weaves hanging on display

Caring for handloom

Treat it gently and it will outlast you

Dry clean zari and silk pieces; hand wash pure cotton cold.
Dry in shade — direct sun fades hand-dyed colours.
Press on medium heat with a cotton cloth over the zari.
Store folded in muslin, and refold along new lines yearly.
Expect slight irregularities; they are the mark of the hand.