Designer Ethnic Wear for Women

What is zardozi embroidery : Zardozi embroidery is a type of embroidery wherein gold and silver threads are used to make exquisite designs on cloth. The embroidery dates back to the time of Rig Veda. There are mentions of zardozi embroidery work done on the attire of Gods. The kings and royals of India have also appreciated this work. It was used profusely on their clothes, royal tents, hangings, etc.   Initially, the Zardozi embroidery work used to be done with pure silver wires and real gold leaves. However, due to scarcity of these metals, craftsman now uses copper wire, polished with silver and gold and silk thread. The work is precisely famous in places like Lucknow, Hyderabad Bhopal, Delhi, Kashmir, Ajmer and Chennai.   The embroidery got recognition at the time of the 17th century under the rule of Emperor Akbar. It started declining with the reduction in the royal patronage. Later, the government of India took steps to promote this work and thereby pre...

Cotton organza is yet another choice of fabric available in the market for ethnic or western wear. The fabric is made out of cotton fibers and imbibes the best of both the worlds. It is gossamer-thin and translucent in its appearance while firmer in its fall. The fabric is heavily used for the creation of garments that can be easily worn to the workplaces or on casual outings. The fabric organza is a lightweight plain weave fabric. Both warp and weft threads which are two opposite threads are woven together in the process of this fabric weaving. The number of picks per inch is the same as ends per inch.  Since it is woven in an extremely low density, it results in a transparent appearance. The transparency and high breathability characteristics of the fabric make it commonly used in making apparel which can be put on a thicker layer of cloth as a drape. It is also used in bridal gowns and other evening dresses where a lot of fluff is to be created with numerous fo...

Hand embroidery expensive than machine embroidery :  Hand embroidery is a work of skill. It’s a slow, detailed and very meticulous work. Of course, when every single thread is stitched by hand then it becomes a very time consuming and effortful work. The hand embroidery starts with a piece of fabric that is tightly stretched over a wood or plastic hoop. The crafter carefully chooses the colour of the thread and starts filling the print stitch by stitch. The hand-embroidered fabrics are all unique to each other. Even if the exact print and colour of threads are replicated then also a subtle difference always exists when the final piece is ready. The threads used for hand embroidery are different from that of machine embroidery. In case of hand embroidery, more of silk, cotton and wool threads are used. The strands are divided as per the requirement of making the embroidery heavy or delicate. We feel the main reason why hand embroidery is expensive than machine e...

Considered as the king of blues, Indigo has a very rich and intense feel to it. It is extensively used at industrial level to dye fabrics. Both traditional and contemporary outfits can be seen with indigo colour or indigo block print . The speciality of this colour is that it is absolutely capable of lending a modish versatility to the cloth while at the same time keeping it sublime. Back in the 1800s, indigo was obtained naturally from a plant called Indigofera. The leaves of it were fermented in water to obtain a natural indigo dye but now such natural process and colour are rare. Maximum of manufacturers have switched to synthetic indigo dyes. The process of dying the indigo fabric is as follows: The fabric which is supposed to be dyed is washed properly. It is left soaked in water to improve its colour penetration capacity. The indigo stock solution is prepared, either naturally through fermentation or by mixing the synthetic powder into water. Note: Both the...

For all those who have been wearing  Ikat dresses  must be aware of the fact that how distinct and in demand this fabric is. Ikat is basically a dyeing technique. This technique is the most ancient way of dying the fabric. It is called resist dyeing and is majorly used on cotton and silk fabric. Unlike other tie and dye techniques, in Ikat, the yarns are first tied together and then dyed as many times as required to get the desired pattern on them.   When a final fabric is ready, you see apparent blurriness on them; it is a salient characteristic of Ikat fabric. The blurriness is the result of the difficulty a weaver's faces while weaving the yarns together to make a cloth. Indeed, Ikat is an elaborate dying process. It is not a print on fabric, nor a fabric weaved out of different colored or complexed yarn, but, it is formed by dying warp and weft before weaving it. The fine the  Ikat fabric   is the less blurriness is. Such fabrics come expensive becaus...

Dyeing the fabric means transferring the color on the textile material (yarn or final fabric.) Scholars have found mention of dyeing textiles as far back as 2600BCE. Yes,  dyeing Fabric is such an old process. Primarily, the source of dye was nature. The dyes/colors were extracted from animals or plants. Since the mid-19 th  century, humans have started producing artificial dyes to get a broader range of colors and also to have more long-lasting ones.   Dyes come in four forms- powders, pastes, crystals, and liquid dispersions. They all get completely dissolved in an aqueous solution like water. When the textile material is dipped into it, the dye molecules get fixed on the fibers. Basically, the dyeing process is all about absorption and diffusion. Absorption is transferring of dyes from the aqueous solution onto the fabric surface and diffusion is dyes getting diffused into the fibers. Of course, the temperature and other controlling factors play a major role. Thi...