The weaves · Srijan Sarees

The weaves

Every one of these words is already on the product pages. Katan, Meenakari, Tissue, a temple border. A shop that uses the vocabulary and never explains it is asking you to take its word for what you are buying.

So here it is, split the way a weaver splits it. What the cloth is made of, and what has been worked into it. A single saree is normally one of each.

For the longer version, what a fabric like Tussar or Kanjeevaram actually is, how to tell it from an imitation, and how to care for it, see the full fabric guide.

The cloth

What it is woven from.

Katan: Pure silk woven from twisted filament yarn. It is the plain, strong ground most fine Banarasi work is built on, and it holds zari without sagging.; In the shop: Royal Blue Temple Border Katan Silk, Aqua Mint and Rose Pink Paisley Banarasi Katan Silk, Sea Green and Pink Floral Jaal Katan Mix Silk and 9 more
Kora: Raw silk, still carrying its natural gum, which is what makes it crisp and slightly translucent. Kora means unfinished. Wash the gum out and the same cloth turns soft.
Organza: A sheer, crisp plain weave. In Banaras it is usually silk organza, light enough to see through and stiff enough to hold its own shape.
Tissue: Silk warp crossed with a zari weft, so the whole ground reads as metal rather than just the motifs. Very light, and it catches light across the entire saree.; In the shop: Grey Blue and Gold Check Tissue Mix, Ivory Cream Fine Stripe Tissue Silk
Dupion: Woven from double cocoons, which spin an uneven yarn. The slubs running across the cloth are the point, not a flaw, and they give it a dry, papery handle.; In the shop: Rust Orange Floral Jaal Dupion Silk, Mustard Yellow Zari Buta Dupion Silk Saree, Magenta Pink Floral Jaal Dupion Silk Saree
Georgette: Silk spun with a hard crepe twist, which leaves a fine grainy surface. It has almost no stiffness, so it falls close to the body where Katan stands away from it.; In the shop: Turquoise and Magenta Banarasi Border Georgette, Peach Silver Buti Georgette Saree with Red Pallu, Red Silver Buti Georgette Saree with Navy Paisley Pallu
Brocade: Not a fibre but a method: the pattern is woven in on the loom with an extra weft, rather than printed or embroidered on afterwards. Turn a brocade over and the structure of the motif is visible.; In the shop: Red and Green Peacock Silk Purse, Magenta and Gold Diamond Silk Purse, Gold and Pink Paisley Silk Purse and 25 more
Zari: The metallic thread itself, wound around a silk core. Traditionally silver gilded with gold. Most zari today is tested or electroplated, which is why weight and colour vary so much between pieces.; In the shop: Mauve Gold Zari Diagonal Suit, Ivory Cream and Red Paisley Zari Silk Blend, Turmeric Yellow and Silver Zari Paisley Silk Blend and 4 more

The work

What is woven into it.

Kadhwa: Each motif woven as its own small unit, with no thread carried across the back between them. It is slow and it costs more, and it is why a kadhwa motif can sit alone on empty ground without a cut float behind it.
Kadiyal: Border and body woven in genuinely different colours, with the wefts interlocked where they meet. Not a shaded effect. The colour changes because the thread changes.
Jangla: A sprawling creeper, vines and flowers running the full length of the saree with no gaps left plain. The oldest and densest of the Banarasi field patterns.
Jaal: A lattice. Motifs repeat across the field on a net-like grid, so the eye reads a regular structure rather than a wandering vine.; In the shop: Rust Orange Floral Jaal Dupion Silk, Purple Lotus Jaal Silk Purse, Green and Gold Jaal Silk Purse and 13 more
Buti: Small single motifs scattered over otherwise plain ground. The quietest of the field patterns, and the one that shows the quality of the ground cloth.; In the shop: Gold Peacock Feather Buti Silk Purse, Cream Buti Brown Paisley Border Suit and 10 more

If a piece on the site does not say which of these it is, ask. We would rather answer than have you guess from a photograph.

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