A maroon ground with gold buti, edged in a border worked in fine checks.

Why this piece

A checked border — the wide border is worked in a fine check rather than a plain band — the most detailed edge in this group.
Maroon, warm and deep — red with brown held in it, which is what keeps it from reading bright at an evening function.
Gold buti on the field — the figures repeat sparsely across the body and gather through the pallu, dobby-set on the loom.

The colourway

Maroon is red with brown in it, warm and deep rather than bright, and the black worked into the checked border sharpens the gold against it. The check is what makes this piece different from the plain-bordered reds beside it.

How it is woven

The Handloom Mark is held on record against these pieces. Woven on a pit loom with the weft inserted by hand. The buti scattered over the body and the figures in the border are dobby-set on the loom itself, on body, border and pallu.

Where the weave runs a little uneven, that is the hand at the loom rather than a defect. Every piece still goes through a pre-dispatch check before it is packed.

The border, and how it wears

This is a bugdi border, which means the woven border design reads the same on both faces — something you can check with your own hands when the piece arrives.

350 to 360 g of cloth at 44 to 46 GSM. It falls close to the body, takes a deep pleat and keeps it, and reads semi-sheer through the body — a petticoat is part of wearing 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 maroon, with a checked gold and black border. 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.

Maroon Pure Handloom Maheshwari Silk Saree, Checked Gold Border, Butta Body | Phulwari