A dark brown ground under a prominent gold border worked in a geometric run.

Why this piece

Brown, taken dark — the shade this weave is least often made in, and the one that reads warmest under indoor light.
A prominent border — the gold runs wide and geometric down the edge — on a brown ground it is the first thing anyone sees.
Flower buti — small woven figures repeating sparsely across the body and gathering through the pallu, dobby-set on the loom rather than applied to the surface.

The colourway

Dark brown is an unusual ground for this weave and a warm one: it does not compete with gold the way a red does, and it does not swallow it the way a black can. The result is a piece that reads rich in the evening and quiet in daylight.

How it is woven

It comes off a loom in Mominpura, the weaving quarter inside Maheshwar. Pit-loom weaving, with the weft put in by hand pick after pick. The small buti and the border figures are dobby-set rather than applied afterwards, which is why the pattern sits in the cloth rather than on it. The Handloom Mark is held on record for these pieces.

Expect the small unevennesses that hand weaving leaves behind. They are evidence of how the cloth was made, and the piece is checked and finished before it leaves us either way.

The border, and how it wears

The border is woven bugdi: its design reads the same on both faces of the cloth. It is the detail in this weave most worth turning over and looking at.

At 350 to 360 g and 44 to 46 GSM, this is a featherlight drape rather than a heavy one. It pleats deeply and holds the pleats, and it does not stiffen or go slack after the first clean. The body is semi-sheer and wants a petticoat under it.

Specification

Total length: 6.3–6.5 m, including an 80–90 cm blouse piece
Width: 45–46 inches
Weight: 350–360 g, measured in-house
Fabric weight: 44–46 GSM
Body: semi-sheer; wear it with a petticoat
Drape: soft, holds its pleats, and stays soft after the first clean
Loom: pit loom, with the weft inserted by hand
Patterning: dobby-set, on body, border and pallu
Finishing: pallu kuchu, selvedge and edges finished; fall and pico on request
Woven in: Maheshwar, Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh
Country of origin: India
Net quantity: one saree with attached blouse piece
Care: Dry Clean Only

Care and storage

Professional dry clean only. Home washing is not recommended.
Air-dry in the shade, without wringing.
Iron inside out on a low-to-medium setting, under a cotton press cloth.
Store it wrapped in breathable cotton or muslin, in a cool dark cupboard.
Refold along fresh lines every three to six months.

Dispatch

This piece is held in stock rather than made to order, so hand weaving does not put you in a queue. About half of all orders leave the next day, most go within two to three days, and most orders inside India arrive in three to seven days.

A note on colour

This piece is a dark brown, bordered in wide gold. Screens, camera settings and the light a photograph was taken in all move a shade a little, so the piece that reaches you may sit slightly away from the image on this page. Every colour in this range has been tested for fastness on wash and rub.

Product details

Country of origin: India. Net quantity: one saree with attached blouse piece. Care: Dry Clean Only.

Dark Brown Pure Handloom Maheshwari Silk Saree, Wide Gold Zari Border | Phulwari