Patola Sarees

The patola saree is one of the finest hand-woven sarees produced today. Patola silk sarees are the pride of Gujarat. These sarees are created by using the resist dying technique. There are two types of Patola sarees:

• Rajkot Patola: This is only vertically resist dyed (single ikat).
• Patan Patola: This is horizontally-resist dyed (double ikat).

Patola sarees are known for their flaming bright colors and geometric designs interwoven with folk motifs. Every patola saree is one of its kind as it is created entirely with the imagination and skill of the weaver.

Fabric in Patola Saree
Patola saree is woven from silk called the patola silk. The patola silks are still made by a handful of master weavers from Patan and Surat known for their zari work.

The Process
A Patola Saree takes 4 to 6 months to make, depending on how complicated the design is. The Patan patola is done in the Double ikat style, which is perhaps the most complicated textile design in the whole world. Each fabric consists of a series of warp threads and a single weft thread, which binds the warp threads together. Each one of the warp threads is tied and dyed according to the pattern of the saree, such that the knotted portions of the thread do not catch the colours. The result is that both sides of the saree look exactly alike as if it is printed on both sides with the same design, and can be worn either way.

Design and Colour
The weaving is done on simple traditional handlooms, and the dyes used are made from vegetable extracts and other natural colours. Flowers, animals, birds and human figures form the the basic design. Nowadays, there are new geometrical designs using the vegetable dye as well as chemical dyes. Patola silk sarees with bright colours are also enriched with zardosi, kundan, sequins.