Premier’s Xstrata Coal Rural and Remote Education
Scholarship
Researching two areas of the stage 6
Textiles and Design syllabus in India
Liz Smith
Tomaree High School
Sponsored by
Introduction
In 2006, I was very fortunate to receive one of the Premier’s Xstrata Coal Rural and
Remote Education Scholarships, which allowed me to travel throughout India for five
weeks. I had applied for the scholarship as I had come to realise that there weren’t a lot
of resources available for my HSC Textiles and Design students when researching textiles
from another culture and in particular the influences on design. The biggest hurdles
were the uncertainty that what resources we did find were accurate and the disappointing
lack of visual and tactile examples.
India is an incredible country. It has a very diverse landscape from the arid desert of
Rajasthan to the grasslands of Gujarat, snow-clad areas of the Himalayas to the humid
lush forest areas of Orissa. There are 28 states, each with their own language; in fact
there are 1652 different languages spoken in India. Each state not only has its own
language but also traditions and unique textile features. India has a population of over
one billion (1,000,000,000) people whereas Australia’s population is approx. 20 million
(20,000,000) so there are approximately five times as many people in India, a country less
than half the size of Australia. There are over 190 different religions recognised in India.
Religion, no matter which one, is a very important part of daily life and has a significant
impact on the textiles created and worn. With this amazing number of people, religions,
languages and variations in climate, it is impossible to generalise or make sweeping
statements about India as a whole. Therefore the information contained in this report
only refers to the following three states: Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa.
Textile Production and textile art forms
The textile industry was one of the first established in India. Currently it accounts for 14
per cent of the total industrial production, contributes to nearly 30 per cent of the total
exports and is the second largest employment generator after agriculture. The textile
industry ranges from individual families with their own home loom cottage business to
modern, industrialised factories. The overwhelming positive feature of the Indian textile
industry, whether cottage or industrialised, is that it creates employment in both the
agricultural and industrial sectors in both rural and urban areas. In most areas, it is a vital
pathway to financial independence particularly for women and other disadvantaged
people.
Indian textiles are well known throughout the world. In particular, they have a
wonderful reputation for their:

Weaving (particularly their specialty of ikat and double ikat weaving)

Block printing

Appliqué

Tie and dye (bandhani) and

Embroidery
In the following notes, I will describe how these wonderful textile arts are still produced
in the homes I visited during my trip.
Weaving
Weaving has always played a very important role in Indian culture, where it has held a
vital part in the community for centuries. With modernisation and industrialisation of the
Indian textile sector, many families no longer operate a loom in their own house, but
rather are employed in industrialised factories. This has created a loss in communities of
the skills and the local weaving designs.
However, all three of the states I visited still had home looms in operation. Most were
individual families creating their own cloth, mostly saris, which were then sold to the
occasional visiting tourists such as me but mostly to wholesalers who would then on sell
the fabrics to retailers to sell in shops. I did also visit co-operatives where villages have
formed their own wholesale businesses in order to cut out the middlemen and sell
directly to the retailers themselves, thereby increasing their income. In addition, I visited
one family-owned business that employed others to come in and weave on the jacquard
looms they had purchased. This was obviously a very wealthy family and the skills of the
jacquard loom weavers were far more extensive than the others who only had simple
looms to create plain weaves (but still highly decorated).
In general, the home-based weaving takes place on a treadle loom. Sometimes the loom
is positioned on the ground and the peddles which the weaver uses to raise and lower the
heddles are in a dug-out pit. Other times the loom is raised off the ground and the
weaver sits at the loom as though he/she was sitting at a piano.
Extra interesting observations on weaving:
 It takes a minimum of three days to weave the fabric for a plain sari (working approx.
six hours per day) and approx. 20 days for a fancy design sari.
 Sari fabrics have between 2 200 and 8 000 warp yarns – depending on the quality.
 Saris woven on a jacquard loom take 15 days to create.
 It takes six days to setup the warp yarns on a jacquard loom.
Ikat Weaving
Ikat weaving is a very interesting skill that requires not only talent in weaving but also in
tie-dyeing. This is because before the warp and weft yarns are woven together one or
both of them are first tie-dyed in a predetermined design that when woven becomes
apparent. This is mind-boggling skill.
Single ikat weaving
Single ikat weaving is where either the weft yarn or the warp yarn (but not both), is tiedyed in a pattern before weaving. The weft yarn is more commonly chosen to tie-dye
than the warp. This is obviously a much simpler form of ikat weaving than double ikat;
however, it still requires a lot of skill. Single ikat weaving is done in Andhra Pradesh and
Orissa. Waft threads after immersions in dye baths. After the yarn has been dyed, it has
to be separated and put onto bobbins ready for weaving.
Double ikat weaving
Double ikat weaving is when both the weft yarn and the warp yarns are tie-dyed in a predetermined pattern before being woven together. As double ikat weaving is a very
difficult, time-consuming process requiring a lot of skill, there is only one family left in
India still producing the cloth. They are the Salvi family from Patan. Patan is in the
north Gujarat state of western India. The double ikat silk fabric they create is called
patola. Each patola sari takes approximately 6-12 months to complete and costs
approximately $4,000.00. They make three or four saris per year, usually for wealthy
Indian families who have to place an order well in advance. Every time the weft yarn in
inserted the weavers stop and finely adjust it so that it is correctly placed. Finely
adjusting the weft after insertion is vital to accuracy and is the reason why the patola
designs are so clear and beautiful. The single ikat weavers are not so precise and their
designs appear to “bleed”.
The photograph is of a very special patola. This award winning patola is a replica of a design from the 18th Century. The family has not attempted this
design for 150 years therefore had lost the knowledge of how to create it. It took the Salvi family over 3 ½ years to design and complete this piece.
Block Printing
The Indian states of Rajasthan and Gujarat are famous for their block printing. In
virtually every village there are still block printers creating their wonderful designs on
cotton fabric. This is a very labour intensive process that dates back to at least the 8th
Century with the block printing skills passing down from parent to child through the
generations. Mr Yaqoob Multani, who lives in Udaipur, tutored me in block printing.
Yaqoob is a 13th generation master block printer. He still uses a few of the blocks that
his grandfather designed and used.
Sets of blocks are used to create a more intricate design with two or more colours. These
sets require at least two blocks, most have no more than three. Each block contains part
of a design and when used with different printing paste colours, the full design becomes
apparent i.e. the first block prints the outline of a pattern, and the second and third
blocks print the fill for the design. Most of the artisans still design their own block
prints, which are then sent to carpenters to be hand-carved from locally available wood.
Floral designs are always popular as are designs using favourite motifs. For example:

Elephant - is the symbol of the city Jaipur. The elephant represents good luck
and wealth. It is linked to the elephant God Ganesha.

Camel - is the symbol of the city Jaisalmer. The camel represents love.

Peacock - is the national bird and represents peace.

Tiger - is the national animal and represents prosperity

Cow - is the symbol of the Mother and signifies humility.

Horse - is the symbol of the city of Udaipur and represents power.
Direct block printing
The general technique for direct block printing is as follows:
1.
The fabric is laid out flat on a softly-padded but firm table
2.
Some artisans mark out a border; others simply crease the fabric where the
border will be.
3.
A small amount of the printing paste is poured into a printing tray (saj). A
bamboo rack (chipri) is placed in the tray and finally a layer of hessian or course woollen
cloth is placed over the top and allowed to soak up the printing paste. This prevents
excess paste coming to the top and ensures that the block picks up the dye evenly.
4.
The first printing block is selected, placed into the printing paste and then
positioned on the fabric.
5.
The block is then hit firmly with the heel of the hand (ouch!). The artisans take
pride in the fact that the printing paste travels through to the other side of the fabric,
thereby being much better quality than the modern mass production printing technique.
6.
The process of dipping the block into the printing tray, positioning it on the
fabric and hitting it with the heel of the hand is then repeated until that part of the fabric
decoration is completed. It is important to note that particular care must be taken each
time to ensure the block is positioned accurately on the fabric. When corners are printed
a newspaper is folded at a 45o angle to prevent the whole block from printing on the
fabric
7.
When the first block print design has been completed on the fabric, the second
block print is selected. The second block print may be another design entirely or it may
be a “filling” design for the first print.
8.
When the block printing has been finished, the fabric is placed in the sun to dry.
The photographs show how the fabric is block printed with a variety of blocks and printing paste colours.
Resist block printing
Sometimes the block printing technique does not use a printing paste but a resist paste.
The technique is the same as described above, however the resist is not used to colour
the fabric – rather to stop the fabric from being coloured when placed in a dye bath.
Tie Dye
The states of Gujarat and Rajasthan are well known for their tie and dye (bandhani)
work. The earliest references to bandhani date it as a technique used in the 6th -7th
Century AD. Bandhani fabric is tied with many fine knots and then placed in a dye bath.
The more knots, the more expensive the fabric becomes. Women and young girls mostly
do bandhani work. I spent time with two bandhani “masters” - both of whom have been
officially recognised by the Indian government for their expertise. The first master was
Yucoob Multani from Udaipur in Rajasthan and the second was Ali Mohmed Isha from
Bhuj in Gujarat.
In general, the technique is as follows:
1. The fabric is folded as required for the pattern, dependant on the thickness of the
fabric.
2. A small amount of the fabric is selected, either by pinching between the fingers, or
raised with the nail of the little finger, which is grown especially long and pointed, or a
spiked thimble type devise, called a nua, is used to push the fabric up from the reverse
side.
3. The small knob of fabric is tied around using cotton yarn five or six times and then
tied off. The tie must bind the fabric securely enough to stop the dye from getting to
that section of the fabric.
4. This process continues until all the required sections are tied.
5. The fabric is then allowed to soak in cold water for at least 5 minutes, removed and
the excess water squeezed out.
6. The fabric is then immersed in a dye bath. The fabric is always dyed the lightest
colour first.
7. The fabric is then rinsed in cold water.
8. The fabric is then tied again in different sections and then redyed. This process
continues until the entire pattern for the fabric is complete.
9. All the ties are then removed and the fabric allowed to dry.
Appliqué
Appliqué is the process of sewing pieces of fabric over the top of each other to create
beautiful designs. All three states of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Orissa have wonderful
appliqué work available to purchase. There is a town in Orissa called Pipli that is famous
for its appliqué work. As you pass through the town, you can see all the marvellous
appliqué pieces hung outside the shops, making it an amazing town to visit. Appliqué is
applied to a wide-ranging assortment of fabric items like clothes, bed sheets, lampshades,
canopies, door and wall hangings.
Embroidery
It is rare to find a textile article in Rajasthan or Gujarat that has not had some type of
stitching added to it for decoration. The level of stitching could range from the simple
running stitch (tanka) to tiny exquisite patterns. Embroidery is yet another skill passed
down through the generations. In general, I found the emboidery of Gujarat to be much
finer than the embroidery of Rajastan - which seems to use much larger stitches. For
many girls and women who live in smaller villages and tribes, their embroidery performs
three important roles as it:
1. Is a means to brighten their clothing, wall hangings, bedspreads, etc. Anything and
everything that can be embroidered is.
2. Can provide a source of income for the family
3. Provides an outlet for their creativity and expression.
This last point is important because currently the overall literacy rate for women in India
is only 48.3 per cent. In rural areas, the literacy rate among females is even lower at 33.57
per cent, compared to a 60.32 per cent literacy rate for men. Additionally, many females
still have a restricted life. That is, their interactions with others are usually limited to the
confines of their own home and village. Their embroidery becomes their leisure-time
activity when all the chores are done.
Girls are taught from a young age how to stitch and create these beautiful patterns on
cloth. They work as apprentices to their mothers and grandmothers, sister and aunts
who pass on to them designs, patterns and a heritage that has evolved over the centuries.
Smt. Geetaben Vikram is 24 years old and lives in the remote Kutch area of Bhuj,
(Gujerat). She has justifiably earned an Indian National Award for her excellence in Ahir
Embroidery. Out of all the embroidery work I saw in India, none surpassed Geetaben’s.
Her designs are so intricate and precisely stitched.
This photograph shows a piece of Smt. Geetaben Vikram’s embroidery work.
Textiles as a medium for self-expression and
communication between people
India is a wonderful county to view textiles as all textiles items, whether personal clothing
or items for homes are all richly decorated in one or more ways. Colour has a lot of value
in India. Bright colours are desired and worn by most people. Just like everywhere in the
world, textiles are used as a means of formal communication. Uniforms are used to
convey information about the job a person does, what company they work for, or even
what school they attend. Additionally , in India however, colour, clothing style, design of
fabric print, stitches used on fabric all can be used as a means of proving information
about what village a person belongs to, whether they are married or widowed or single,
their skills or how they feel about an occasion. This is informal communication and selfexpression via textiles.
Examples of how textiles can be used as mediums for self expression and
communication are:
1.
Hindu brides in Rajasthan wear red saris, if they can afford it they are made from
silk but if not cotton. The red colour indicates much happiness and joy. The amount of
gold stitches applied to the wedding sari and accessories communicates how well off the
family of the bride are. Whilst I do not have any photos of Indian brides, I suggest you
look at some of the photos of Elizabeth Hurley's recent wedding in India. You will be
able to see the bright colours and the incredible gold embroidery - communicating great
joy and obvious wealth.
2.
Widows wear plain coloured saris to indicate that just like there is no colour in
their sari, so has colour (laughter, love etc) been removed from their life with the death
of their husband.
3.
The Sambalpur region of Orissa has a checkerboard design to represent their
community. Most women living in this area like to have at least one sari with the
Sambalpur checkerboard design to communicate where they come from. As no two
women like to have the same sari, weavers work hard at incorporating the design in lots
of different ways and colours.
4.
Many men of Rajasthan wear a turban. When I asked them about the significance
of the colour of the turban I always received one of these three replies:
a. It is my community’s colour, or
b. It is my family’s colour, or
c. I like this colour
All three replies indicate that the colour of the turban is a means of communication
about the man, his family or community.
5.
Many rural communities use colour and print design to signify their community
and marital status. For example, the women of the Garacia Jat tribe in Gujarat
communicate what tribe they belong to by wearing blouses with green, yellow, red and
blue horizontal stripes.
6.
In Balotra, (a village in Rahasthan), the women wear skirts (ghagga) with different
patterns denoting tribal and marital status. The Tokriya (basket) design fabric, is
traditionally worn by the Rabari (nomadic herder) women and the Goona design, is
worn by landowner women .
7.
Embroidery gives the women of India a marvellous outlet of self-expression.
Many women living in rural India spend all their free time creating wonderful
embroidered masterpieces which become a form of expression for girls because many
never learn to read or write.
This study tour presented a fabulous opportunity to learn about the textile arts of India
first hand. This is very important, as it is a struggle to help HSC Textiles and Design
students with this part of the course. Not only have I been able to greatly increase my
personal knowledge, I have been able to pass this information on to other textile teachers
and students though the creation of many kits. Each kit contains 11 fabric samples of
the textile arts of India as well as a CD with notes, photographs and videos about each of
the textile arts. The CD has been compiled so that it matches the criteria of the syllabus.
The kits are available to teachers and students through the Technology Educators
Association www.teansw.com.au. If you feel I have made major errors or lack essential
information, please don’t hesitate to contact me at: liz.smith@det.nsw.edu.au