47 days to make one saree

01

Day 1

Thread Selection

The artisan selects raw silk or cotton threads, often hand-spun. For Bandhani, only the finest 2/120 count silk achieves the gossamer transparency of a traditional saree. Natural fibres are checked for evenness, tensile strength, and dye absorption.

02

Days 2–5

Natural Dyeing

Plant-sourced dyes are prepared in clay vats — indigo from the Indigofera plant, red from pomegranate skin, yellow from turmeric and mango bark. The fabric is mordanted with alum or iron to fix the colour permanently. This stage cannot be rushed.

03

Days 6–7

Pattern Marking

Using hand-carved wooden blocks dipped in resist paste or a thumbnail, the artisan marks each tie point on the fabric. For a 1,000-dot Bandhani saree, this alone takes two full days.

04

Days 8–40

Tying or Embroidery

The most labour-intensive stage. Each dot is pinched and tied with a single thread by hand. For mirror embroidery, each piece of glass is secured with a specific stitch sequence. A master artisan ties roughly 3,000 knots per day.

05

Days 41–44

Dye Bath

The tied fabric is submerged in a dye bath of the primary colour, then untied to reveal the reserved pattern. Multicolour pieces require sequential tie-and-dye cycles, each requiring re-tying between dyings.

06

Days 45–47

Finishing

The piece is washed, dried in shade, and hand-pressed with a natural starch. For silk, a final treatment with rice water gives the characteristic rustle. The piece is inspected, tagged, and photographed before being wrapped in unbleached muslin.