The Process Of Designing A Silk Saree Pattern

The Process Of Designing A Silk Saree Pattern

When it comes to crafting a silk saree, one of the primary aspects is the design. Given that software designing has grown rapidly over the last two decades, it is vital to carefully balance the authenticity of sketching with the various tools a software might offer. In this article, we review the stages of designing a silk saree, starting from the conception of the motif all the way to the fully woven saree.

 

Conception and sketching

The first stage is the sketching of the motif. We follow the authentic approach of first sketching on a peice of paper and then digitizing the sketch to illustrate the full concept. The below saree was an order made for one of our customers from the US. The sketching of the body and paloo were done as per her liking. The illustration was then created on a designing software.
A silk saree body pattern. The width and height of the motives are finalized during this stage.

 

Pixelation and weavefill

The second stage is to pixelate the sketch and set the weave fill for the design. The number of pixels of the sketch is determined by the set up of the loom. A big jacquard machine can support a high resolution sketch while a smaller one would limit the pixel density. Once this is done, the sketch is weave filled. This is a critical stage since the weave fill determines the prominence of the design as well as the quality of the fabric. Every pixel of the design is carefully checked for consistency and any gaps are suitably float checked to prevent slippage of fabric.

 

A design that is weave filled and ready to go into production

 

 

The third and final stage

Once the design and the weave fill are finished, the punch cards for the design are made and the fabric is woven on the loom. The quality of output depends on many factors such as the skill of the artist, the quality of the weave fill as well, the set up of the loom as well as the skill of the weaver weaving the fabric.

 

The final product! As you can see, the pattern produced is identical to the one in the sketch

 

Designing a silk saree can be quite engaging and exciting, if you have all the tools and the skill set needed to do it. Our in house design team produces hundreds of concepts and sketches every week and only a tiny fraction of those concepts are taken into the production stage.

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