Indigo on Cotton

The sarees featured in this collection have been hand block printed using a traditional mud-resist printing technique. Plain cotton fabric is block printed with a mud-resist paste called "Dabu". This paste is a mixture of wheat husk, clay, lime and natural gum arabic. This paste is block printed on the fabric and allowed to dry. Saw dust is sprinkled on the printed "dabu" paste to absorb the moisture. Once dry, the fabric is then dipped in a vat of indigo. The portions with the "daboo" paste do not absorb the dye while the rest of the fabric is dyed blue.

While drying, cracks form on the dabu resist. These cracks allow the indigo to seep into the cotton creating unexpectedly delightful patterns. The cracks that form are not uniform and hence the patterns created are unique to that saree. 

While the block used to apply the dabu paste maybe the same, the pattern that emerges after the dyeing process is distinct from others. So when you do buy and drape one of these sarees, you can rest assured that you are wearing something just as unique as you are.

The fabric is soft 80s count cotton that drapes and falls well. The fabric used was hand woven in Mangalgiri which is in the Guntur district of Telangana. The fabric is sturdy and durable.