Curcuma
MR23016
Eri silk | Home reared | Handspun | Handwoven | Natural dyed | Patchwork | Shawl
Spoken for
This is a double sided shawl.
1) Home reared Eri silkworms make their cocoons. The rearer collects those cocoons and hands them over to the yarn spinner.
2) The yarn spinner boils (degumming), washes, flattens the cocoons into fibre cakes. The fibre cakes are then mounted on a light wood stick to start the hand spinning of this fibre based silk. No charkha, no mechanised equipment, just a gentle dance of hands twisting the yarn while pulling them from their condensed form in the cocoon. A stone weight spindle keeps turning as the spinner keeps twisting the fibre. When sufficient amount of yarn has been spun, it is rolled into hanks and sent to the weaver.
3) Weaving is primarily woman’s domain in Assam, where the traditional throw shuttle looms are mounted between four pillars dug solid into the flat mud ground. Eri silk’s hand spun fibre involves an intricate warping process. This delicately slub yarn is more or less irregular in size leading to a completely manual process of heddle-making and yarn joining. At no point, the weaver can loose their attention for gentleness while weaving this yarn.
If the yarn is dyed first then the woven fabric is ready at this stage. If the fabric is to be dyed directly, then after weaving, fabric is ready to be sent for the next stage that is dyeing.
4) Eri Silk being a protein fibre absorbs most natural dyes. For this shawl, we have used Turmeric as the main dye source. Once the dye vat is ready, the fabric is dipped in the vat. Depending upon the number of dips, the shades of Turmeric can vary from lightest to deepest. Turmeric compositions with Natural ivory gives the shaded denim like shaded look.
Handspun, handwoven, natural dyed Eri silk is now ready.
5) Upon reaching Punjab from Assam, the smallest strips and scraps of Eri silk are bound together and turned into asymmetrical patchwork.
Every step demands a special skill. No machine, no chemicals, no industrial intervention to speed up the process. Just the slowness that is prerequisite to a hand craft.
Curcuma is one of a kind textile designed to highlight a unique coming together of various techniques and creativity of handcraft. This design will not be recreated.
1) Home reared Eri silkworms make their cocoons. The rearer collects those cocoons and hands them over to the yarn spinner.
2) The yarn spinner boils (degumming), washes, flattens the cocoons into fibre cakes. The fibre cakes are then mounted on a light wood stick to start the hand spinning of this fibre based silk. No charkha, no mechanised equipment, just a gentle dance of hands twisting the yarn while pulling them from their condensed form in the cocoon. A stone weight spindle keeps turning as the spinner keeps twisting the fibre. When sufficient amount of yarn has been spun, it is rolled into hanks and sent to the weaver.
3) Weaving is primarily woman’s domain in Assam, where the traditional throw shuttle looms are mounted between four pillars dug solid into the flat mud ground. Eri silk’s hand spun fibre involves an intricate warping process. This delicately slub yarn is more or less irregular in size leading to a completely manual process of heddle-making and yarn joining. At no point, the weaver can loose their attention for gentleness while weaving this yarn.
If the yarn is dyed first then the woven fabric is ready at this stage. If the fabric is to be dyed directly, then after weaving, fabric is ready to be sent for the next stage that is dyeing.
4) Eri Silk being a protein fibre absorbs most natural dyes. For this shawl, we have used Turmeric as the main dye source. Once the dye vat is ready, the fabric is dipped in the vat. Depending upon the number of dips, the shades of Turmeric can vary from lightest to deepest. Turmeric compositions with Natural ivory gives the shaded denim like shaded look.
Handspun, handwoven, natural dyed Eri silk is now ready.
5) Upon reaching Punjab from Assam, the smallest strips and scraps of Eri silk are bound together and turned into asymmetrical patchwork.
Every step demands a special skill. No machine, no chemicals, no industrial intervention to speed up the process. Just the slowness that is prerequisite to a hand craft.
Curcuma is one of a kind textile designed to highlight a unique coming together of various techniques and creativity of handcraft. This design will not be recreated.
Buyer Empowerments
Intrinsic
Value
Value
Wearable textile made with Assam’s legacy of Eri silk rearing spinning, weaving and dyeing techniques, that are slowly being abandoned in modern context. Hope of rejuvenation that a textile that has lasted the test of thousand of years, can still enthral the makers and wearer’s senses.
Creative
Aspect
Aspect
Modern blend of solid colours devoid of any flower or motifs. Pure geometry of asymmetry and abstract that has method to the madness. Side 1 of the shawl is the patchwork of various shades of Turmeric. Side 2 is a denim like shaded weave of turmeric and turmeric + natural eri.
Heft-Feel
Moderate
Weather/
Mood
Pleasant-not warm not cold. Ideal for nippy evenings.
Longevity
Long-lasting- “lifelong” in their words, making it a generational heirloom. Texture will grow with time. The shades of natural dye will go through natural alterations as anything made with nature should.
Care
Dry clean recommended. “Made to not be fragile”. Seasonal “Airing” in shadow, not direct sun. Do not wring for longer stitch life.
State
Ready to wear
Soul
100% natural, organic, hand-made, from nature-back to nature. Something to grow old with and then pass it on to loved ones. The shades will originally change with passage of time adding years to its organic life.
Drape
Elegant, modern, hugging-body texture. A hill station holiday must-have. Not loud, yet substantial statement.
Concerns
Addressed
Addressed
Supports indigenous hand skills. Made in rural household. Weaves made by artisan at home in available time- supporting farming lifestyle. Direct connect with artisan.
Reverse pyramid model-Fair benefit to all makers and facilitators. No bargaining with artisans. Mutual decision-making.
No deadline/ pressure based work environment made with need-greed, human-nature balance.Made with intentional non-injury. Slow production-slow movement product. Made less, made ethically. Has gone through no chemical processing. Has gone through no machinery or mechanised processing units
Reverse pyramid model-Fair benefit to all makers and facilitators. No bargaining with artisans. Mutual decision-making.
No deadline/ pressure based work environment made with need-greed, human-nature balance.Made with intentional non-injury. Slow production-slow movement product. Made less, made ethically. Has gone through no chemical processing. Has gone through no machinery or mechanised processing units
Well-being
Properties
Thermal insulation, Moisture absorption, UV protective, completely bio-degradable, Climate conscious.
Eri silk made with mentorship of Narmohan Das, with creative guidelines from Mora.
Patchwork management by Madhu Mittal.
Stitching by Gurmel Singh, Jalalabad, Punjab.
Tassels by Param, Bathinda, Punjab
Patchwork management by Madhu Mittal.
Stitching by Gurmel Singh, Jalalabad, Punjab.
Tassels by Param, Bathinda, Punjab
Disclaimer:
Imperfections in the weaves reflect handmade
Irregularity in the dyes reflect natural process
Innocent spots in the textiles reflect being homemade
A work of nature cannot be sterile and error-free
A choice to still buy what we make is a step
Towards supporting original culture
Of people
Of nature
Of craft
A celebration of humanness.
Imperfections in the weaves reflect handmade
Irregularity in the dyes reflect natural process
Innocent spots in the textiles reflect being homemade
A work of nature cannot be sterile and error-free
A choice to still buy what we make is a step
Towards supporting original culture
Of people
Of nature
Of craft
A celebration of humanness.
Mora Collective 2025
designed by: MIDTOAN