Pochampally
Pochampally is ikat: the pattern is tied and dyed into the yarn before a single thread is woven.
Pochampally is ikat: the pattern is tied and dyed into the yarn before a single thread is woven. Warp, weft or both are bound in sections and dipped colour by colour, then lined up on the loom so the design appears as the cloth grows. The soft, feathered edge of each motif is how you know it was made this way.
The anatomy of a saree
Border. Woven along both edges. In some traditions it is woven separately and locked into the body by hand.
Pallu. The end that falls over the shoulder, and where a weaver spends the most time. Often finished with a fine joining line.
Body. Plain, checked or scattered with small buttis. The weight of the body decides how the saree pleats.
Three ways to tell a real one
Look at the edges
Ikat motifs have a soft, slightly feathered edge. Crisp, hard edges suggest a print.
Turn it over
The pattern is in the thread, so the reverse carries the same design.
Follow a line
Small shifts where the threads met on the loom are the mark of the hand.
Pieces in this weave
Caring for it
Dry clean only
The first few times especially, so the colour sets.
Wrap it in muslin
Never plastic. Silk needs to breathe.
Refold it
Every few months, along new lines, so the zari does not crack.
Perfume first
Then the saree. Spray dulls zari.
