Designing.docx

Designing Designs are received from government or agencies that palce the order.Traditional motifs that have been followed can still be seen on the dhurrie.for geometric and jacqured style dhurries where the print is incorporated while weaving the design is made on the graphs and then used as refrence.similarly for screen printing the design is made first on the screen and then take refrence. Winding or Spinning Raw cotton that locally available needs to be made into yarn.This is why winding then spinning on the traditional charkha. Dyeing Cotton yarn is purchased locally and then washed thoroughly and left to dry in open.When the yarn is completely dry , workers heat water in tank and add natural or chemical dyes when it reaches a certain temperature.The dye is then mixed and then the yarn bundle is soaked for a while. Bundles are taken out ,squeezed and ledft to dry once again. WEFT Once the dyed yarn is received it is de tangled and made into tangled bundles with help of tikkidi..Once tangled bundles are made they are further spinned to make prins using the ratnam and charkha.Prin is tightly rolled yarn on plastic rods that is set in machines or standing reeel . The process of making prints for weft is done by women workers.

Yarn Opening for Weft Following dyeing, the yarn will be in the form of bundles or rolls. Since yarn bundles have tangles, women are involved in reeling the yarn using charkha.

Warping As this step requires expertise, a master weaver will usually make the warp based on the designs and color combinations. Using the taana, a machine used for warping, the thread rolls will be placed in vertical movable frame as per color combination. The other ends of the thread are passed through a small frame grid and then coiled on octagon-shaped cylinder according to the design.

By the end of this step, the whole cylinder will be covered with the thread. This tightly-wound thread will be given to the weaver for using it on the loom frame.

Weaving The wrap will be bound on the upper and lower beams of the loom. There will be two layers in the warp which are guided by a flat metallic reed in the middle. The number of weavers will be based on the width of the dhurrie; if it is three feet, two weavers can work while if it is larger than five feet, only one weaver can work at a time.

Weavers will look at the design in the beginning and memorize the patters eventually. According to the design requirements they pull a set of warp threads towards themselves and put the small weft bundle across the thread lengthwise to fill the gap.

The markings on the warp will help the weaver determine the design patterns. When one row of weft is finished, the weavers will use a metallic claw shaped panja to beat it. This will make the weft settle tightly into the warp. After tightly beating across the wrap with a panja, the upper and lower layers of the warp will be exchanged by the weaver. This step locks the weft among the two layers of the warp and provides sturdiness and durability to the dhurrie. The weavers tighten screws between two beams that will stiffen the warp and will help in keeping symmetrical designs. This step will be repeated till the lower section of the warp gets filled up.

Finishing After weaving, the master weaver will check the dhurrie and tighten the loose knots. If the woven dhurrie is stone-washed, the washerman will wash it using water and detergents. If there is any difference in width, the dhurrie will be tightened using a frame for two days. Finally, a clipper will use a pair of scissors to cut the threads that stick out and the knots to get a smooth look for the dhurrie, which is then ready to be sold. Arts and crafts are symbols of ancient culture, tradition and history. weaving is one of the heritage crafts that need to be preserved for future generations. And we hope that our work will help keep these skills alive - each dhurrie passes through the hands of no less than 20 skilled artisans.

See our complete collection of Panja Handwoven Cotton rugs