Handloom Weaving

Manipur is famous for its special fabrics like moiraingphee, leirum, lasingphee and phanek. Tribal textiles are woven on a loin-loom, a type of back-strap loom commonly used by hill people. The warp of manageable length and breadth is prepared and fastened at one end generally to the wall of a house or to two fixed poles while the other is tied to the waist of the weaver with a cotton or leather belt. Sometimes the belt is woven out of cane or bamboo. Weaving is universal and every girl knows how to weave. The loom forms part of her dowry. Weaving is done purely for personal use, by the women, while highly organised commercial weaving is done by men.

Assam is the home of several types of silks, the most prominent and prestigious being muga, the golden silk found exclusively in this state. Muga apart, there is pat and eri or endi, the latter being used in anufacture of warm clothes for winter. The silk commonly found in Assam is non-mulberry silk. Pat which is mulberry silk is found in small quantities. Endi is yellowish in colour and is found in rough and smooth varieties";" it derives its name from the castor leaves on which the worm feeds. This is woven, into shawls and clothing for the winter.

Patan the main trade centre for Mashru weavers. It is blend of cotton and silk. Mashru has patterns of ikat in stripes along with woven patterns. The patterns - are woven on a pit loom. Women folk(tribals) at Kutch and Sourashtra wear the blouses with these patterns. Today Gujarat remains the main centre for Mashru weaving.

Brocade is a distinctive weaving style of Gujarat. The technique makes use of an extra weft pattern, which has raised the art to new heights. To add to the luster of the fabric, gold thread is worked in the twill weave. This reminds of the weave of the hangings of the yore, exhibited in Gujarat museum. Brocades, with an illusion of inlay work on fabric, were first woven in Gujarat. The main centers of brocade weaving are Jamnagar, Ahmedabad, Mehsana and Surat.