Jamdani : Unstitched Kurta fabric with dupatta - Wine & Blush

The weaver works a supplementary weft into the base cloth by hand, using a fine bamboo stick, building each motif as the fabric grows on the loom. A single sprig can take an hour. There is no pattern card to follow -the design lives in the weaver's memory and in the counting of threads.

This piece comes in a deep wine base with motifs in ivory, blush and soft brown. The kurta fabric carries the pakhi motif - a pair of birds perched on a flowering branch, framed by wheat sprigs and small tulip buds - a design language Bengal's weavers have carried since the Dhaka looms, brought across to Phulia and Shantipur after Partition and kept alive there ever since. The dupatta is quieter: scattered butis across the field with a woven stripe band at the border, so it sits beside the kurta without competing with it.

• Details

  • Fabric: Handwoven Jamdani, 100% cotton
  • Kurta piece: 2.9 m, unstitched, with woven motif placement
  • Dupatta: 2.25 m x 0.9 m, with pom-pom finish
  • Colour: Wine blush
  • Technique: Hand-inserted supplementary weft (Jamdani)
  • Origin: Nadia & Hooghly clusters, West Bengal
  • Weave: Handloom | GI-region craft

  Wash Care

  • First wash: dry clean recommended
  • Thereafter: gentle hand wash in cold water with a mild liquid detergent
  • Do not soak, wring or brush
  • Wash separately — natural dyes may release a little colour initially
  • Dry flat in shade; direct sun will dull the ivory
  • Iron on medium heat from the reverse, avoiding the woven motifs
  • Handle the pom-poms gently; do not pull loose threads, snip them close to the fabric instead