It is not just kaleidoscopic embroideries that Gujarat is so famous for; it is also the home of wonderful weaves that combine impressive skill and generations of expertise, with the result of pure aesthetic joy. Reaffirming that appearances are deceptive, the spectacular Mashru has the appearance of glistening silk that conceals the soothing feel of cotton.
Mashru makes up for the lack of colour in the dry barren deserts, the makers of this fabric put every possible colour together in wonderful, lustrous compositions. iT is not just a luxurious fabric; it also has a very practical utility. While the silk on the outer surface has a beautiful, glossy appearance, the cotton yarns in the back soak up sweat and keep the wearer cool in the hot climate of the deserts. It is made using satin weave by interlacing silk and cotton yarns. Cotton makes the weft, or the horizontal yarns while silk is used for the warp, or the vertical yarns. In this weave, each silk yarn goes under one cotton yarn and above five or eight or more cotton yarns, giving an appearance of a shiny surface that looks like it is made up of only silk, while the underside of the fabric is cotton. Since the structure of the fabric allows for more yarns in a given area, it also makes the fabric stronger.
Pochampally is a small town in southern India, where almost all households develop warp Ikats. Ikat is an ancient technique used to pattern textiles. The defining characteristic of Ikat is the dyeing of patterns before the weaving of the fabric takes place. The patterns are created by the means of resist dyeing process on warp.
Here, I have created an eclectic mix of both these textile crafts to weave a fabric called a “Mashru Ikat”.
