Textiles of Punjab
Punjab has one of the richest cultures in the world . The people of Punjab exhibit
this in every possible way. The state is enriched with bright colours and people
with high spirit. Punjab throughout history was a home to marvellous
handicrafts.
It is filled with tales of dance music , war , art, literature. The culture of the state
is sufficiently expressed through various activities or art that have been home to
the state.
Approximately 70% of the textile industry is situated in the province of Punjab,
Punjab has the largest proportion of the global textile market. In Asia, Pakistan is
the eighth-largest exporter of textile goods. It is the third-largest consumer of
cotton and the fourth-largest producer.
But apart from mass produced goods. Punjab has been the state of handmade
patterns and embroideries.
The textiles of Punjab
Phulkari
Khes
Durries
Phulkaari The flower craft
The word phulkari is literally translated as
“phul”(phool) meaning flower and “kari which
means work .Although, we do witness cover
motifs and geometrical shapes on the garment
Dating long back to 15th century , Phulkari was
a domestic art, it was not commercially traded
until the 19th century. It was a domestic culture
for the women to make the Phulkari themselves.
It is often said that it celebrates woman and
womanhood.
Traditionally the Phulkari was used as a “odhni”
, sometimes as a loose fitted kurta and a long
skirt called “ghahra”.
Phulkari is till date an intrinsic part of the
punjabi weddings.
Motifs Motif
s as an art very close to the lives
As established before , Phulkari grew
of people . A leisure activity for the women of the household , which
they practiced often . Hence the the products of the imagination often
motivated by the surroundings of the people.
The names of the Phulkari motifs is proof in itself.
Such as Karelabagh and Gobhibagh were influenced by vegetables.
Shalimar bagh and Char bagh by gardens.
Gendabagh and Surajmukhibagh by flowers as the name suggest.
Birds and animals, also triggered imagination in the minds of the
embroider with motifs such as Tota, Mor, Hathi, Gai, and Bakri
Jewelry items, such as Guluband, Ranihaar, Kangan, Karan phool,
Jhumkas, and Tikka
Wheat and barley stalks were a favorite motif. A small area was
embroidered in black or navy blue as nazarbutis to ward off the
evil eye.
The making of Phulwari
The embroidery was originally done on khaddar. a handloomed
plain-weave cotton fabric. This base fabric was available in
three varieties, such as khaddar, which was loosely spun and
coarsely woven; chaunsa khaddar, a comparatively better
variety; and halwan, a light weight and finely woven khadi
fabric but now it is being replaced by other fabrics such as
chiffon or gorget.
Phulkari started as an art done completely by hand.Using a ling
needle of about 3 inches with a ling eye, long and short darning
stitches are made in straight lines by counting the threads to
follow the pattern. Every time, embroidery is done from the
back of the fabric, placing all of the floats on the front and the
little dots on the back. Traditionally women used cotton or
untwisted silk threads known as “ patt da dhaga”.
Today phulkari is produced to commercial specifications, using
synthetic thread and frames to aid faster production; khaddar is
no longer used.
Khes
j
Khes is a thin cotton blanket like cloth made of hand woven
coarse cotton yarns . It is a heavy fabric , with coarse texture. It
served multiple purpose an traditional Punjab household. Today
it is vividly known as worn by men as a cover for the upper
body.
Khes had various purposes around the home, notwithstanding
initially being intended to be used as a bedcover. At the point
when there were no sleeping cushions, a Khes was spread over a
talai (a slight type of sheet material) all things being equal. It
was likewise used as a shawl, a floor mat, and, surprisingly, as
back help while sitting on the floor.The women of Punjab have
woven the khes as a part of the trousseau that they take to their
future home.
Types of khes
Khes can broadly be categorised into three types based on the weave
“Type a quote here.”
structures involved in the making of the fabric: Saada, Gumti and, Majnu.
–Johnny Appleseed
The “saada’ khes
which literally
translates to simple
khes is woven with
twill structure.
The gumti khes is with a
particular color-and-weave
pattern, famously known as
‘pinwheel’ all around the world,
is called ‘Muchh Marod’ which
translates to “twisted
mustache”in Punjab
Majnu Khes was the most intricate as it is woven in
a compound weave called ‘Double-cloth’. It was
predominantly worn by muslim weavers and was
much more available in the western punjab(before
the indian partition).
Making of khes
Traditionally the khes was handwoven. It was
mostly woven by the village weavers (the
Julahas) and was later bought by the locals. But
at the same time, it was also practiced as a
home-based craft and a version of it was woven
by the womenfolk.
Making of khes
Geometric patterns are made, on a pit loom using twill or plain weave. The main field is filled with
small repeating patterns, usually a diamond, a triangle or a polyhedron enclosed within a square. The
end borders are white and combine a number of narrow and broad stripes in complex permutations of
the forms seen in the field.
Khes are by and large woven in sets of four sets, start to finish and afterward sewed together to deliver
the imperative width. A khes with two boards joined measures around 2 meters long 1.5 meters in width.
The most popular colors are profound yellow, red, dark, blue and green (white is viewed as neutral).
The four fold pattern of khes(specially majnu khes ) , was inspired by the symmetry found in
the islamic structures. This is due to the reason that the weavers of this kind of khes were
dominantly muslim. Also a great part of the western punjab region(Pakistan today) produced
khes.
Dhurries/Durries
Introduction
Durries are flat woven rugs made from cotton
warp and jute , coir, or wool and sometimes
unrefined silk weft.
They are used with household decor,
highlighting the cultural textiles patterns and
colours of punjab. They are used over wooden
beds “takhat” as a base , and as floor mats. They
were also widely used for sitting on the floor
during religious or political gatherings.
Durries have been adapted into the modern
decor styles as carpet.
Like the ones discussed before, the weaving of Durrie was also once a tradition of the punjabi
families.
It was a household craft , which was often given as a gift and as a part of wedding trousseaus.
They were also woven for Gurudwaras by groups of women.
“Type a quote here.”
In today's Punjab, however, the areas around Ludhiana, Faridkot and Bhatinda are quite
productive and well-known for Durries.
Shah-Nashin, a kind of Dhurrie with checkerboard patterns in the middle, was a product of the
Punjab region. –Johnny Appleseed
Making of durries
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