Handicraft

Patola Sari

The patola sari is one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced today. This is a specialty of Patan. It is famous for extremely delicate patterns woven with great precision and clarity. A patola sari takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the designs is and if the length is 5 or 6 metres. This saris are totally colored with vegetable colors. Costs start from Rs. 20,000 which may go up to Rs. 20,00,000 even depending on the difficulty of work as many times gold threads are included during its weaving process.Patola is a double ikat woven sari, usually made from silk, made in Patan, Gujarat, India.The word patola is the plural form; the singular is patolu. They are very expensive, once worn only by those belonging to royal and aristocratic families. These saris are popular among those who can afford the high prices.. Patola-weaving is a closely guarded family tradition. There are three families in Patan that weave these highly prized double ikat saris. It is said that this technique is taught to no one in the family, but only to the sons. It can take six months to one year to make one sari due to the long process of dying each strand separately before weaving them together.Highly valued in Indonesia, became part of the local weaving tradition there. 

Mashru

Mashru the fabric is woven in vibrant colors from silk and cotton threads, in a satin weave, with silk on the outer face of the piece, and cotton worn close to the body. The fabric is mainly manufactured in Patan in  Gujarat, India. The Mashru fabric has a very practical utility as the Silk on the outer surface gives a beautiful, shiny appearance, the cotton yarns underneath make it perfect for the hot and humid climate. Mashru is traditionally used in the production of garments but it is also used in making wide range of home furnishings like cushions and quilts.