A deep wine red body, closing in a gold border and a kuchu-finished pallu.

Why this piece

Wine, not scarlet — red pulled all the way towards its deepest reading, with black picked up in the border to hold it there.
Kuchu at the end — the pallu finishes in worked tassels rather than a cut edge, tied off before the piece is packed.
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

Wine red is the deepest this ground goes before it stops being red, and the black in the border keeps it there. Against that depth the gold has to be placed rather than spread, which is why the border is contrast rather than continuous.

How it is woven

It was woven in Maheshwar, in Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh. The loom is a pit loom, sunk into the floor so the weaver works with the treadles below. Every pick of weft goes in by hand, and a dobby sets the buti and the border on body, border and pallu alike. Nothing we sell is machine-woven, and the weaver confirms each piece off the loom.

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.

It weighs 350 to 360 g at 44 to 46 GSM — weighed here rather than guessed at from the look of it. That is a saree you can wear through a long evening without feeling it on your shoulder, and the body is semi-sheer, so a petticoat goes underneath.

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 deep wine red, bordered in gold and black. 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.

Wine Red Pure Handloom Maheshwari Silk Saree, Gold Border with Kuchu Pallu | Phulwari