Before the advent of textile mills in ancient India, every single saree was carefully woven on a hand-operated loom. Also called handloom sarees, they were known for the fine level of detail and the supreme quality of natural fibres used. The making of handloom sarees involves the highest level of patience and hard work to get the desired output. These sarees are delicately crafted using thousands of threads interlaced to create a magical weave. The origin of handloom sarees dates back more than 2000 years. The lost form of Handloom sarees is now brought back to life thanks to many saree curators and prominent designers like Sabyasachi, who emphasise their beauty and its art. Get to know more about handloom sarees and explore some of the latest varieties in this segment.

Importance Of Handloom Sarees:

Handloom sarees speak for the love and passion of the artist. It is a complex, elaborate process that takes tens of hours to weave just one saree. It is considered a form of art that involves choosing the right colours and weaving them in the right pattern on the loom. Women treasure these sarees for their exquisiteness and opulence. The grandeur of these sarees is unparalleled and can never be attained by mill-made sarees. The high quality with which the sarees are made makes them last for a few generations.

Features Of Handloom Sarees:

Here are some interesting facts about Handloom sarees:

• Exclusive Handloom sarees are made only with natural fibres like cotton and silk, making them light in weight.
• Pure handloom silk sarees are woven with real gold and silver threads to add a rich shine.
• There are many types of handloom sarees, which are named after the place of their origin, like the Banarasi saree, Pochampally saree, Dharmavaram, Maheshwari etc.,
• Each of these saree types has a weave special to the region. The type of design, motifs used, and colour combinations vary significantly.
• A typical Handloom wedding silk saree takes about 20-25 days. This shows the amount of effort involved in making them.

Fabrics Used In Handloom Sarees:

Handloom saris are woven mainly with natural fibres like cotton and silk. However, the versions of these fibres vary with the variety of the saree. While pure silk is used to make Kanjeevaram saree, slightly coarse Tussar silk is used to make Tussar Handloom sarees. The quality of the threads and the desired texture make the difference between each variety of saree.