Silk Cloth: Light Swirls on Indigo Stripes

Handwoven, hand-dyed, and block-printed with natural dyes, this beautiful silk fabric has layers of design. Fine filature mulberry silk is woven in alternating horizontal stripes of fine plain weave and gauze. Next, the cloth is vat-dyed with indigo. When finished, the closely woven stripes appear darker blue than the fine, open-weave fabric stripes. In the third step, a specially carved block is used to stamp the fabric with a discharge paste that removes dye and reveals the natural color of the silk. It produces an over-all pattern of light-indigo and natural spirals that float across the woven bands. The final fabric is very light weight and sheer with excellent drape. It is suitable for interior decor such as curtains and decorative panels, and for clothing such as over-blouses and shirts.

Creative Bee is owned by Bina and Kesa Rao of Hyderabad, India. Their foundation commissions and supports traditional weavers across India to produce intricately woven cloth with several types of silk. Bina creates the designs that will be block-printed on the fabrics, and Kesa is a master dyer who oversees the preparation of indigo, kutch, and other natural dyes as well as the dyeing and block-printing process.