A ruby red body, scattered sparsely with a small flower buti, carries a wide golden zari border down one edge and banded zari stripes across the pallu.

Specification

Total length: 6.3–6.5 m, including the attached blouse piece
Width: 45–46 inches
Blouse piece: 80–90 cm long, 45–46 inches wide, running, attached and included in the price
Weight: 350–360 g, measured in-house
GSM: 44–46, measured in-house
Body: semi-sheer — wear it over a petticoat
Drape: soft, holds its pleats, and stays soft after the first clean
Loom: pit loom, weft inserted by hand
Patterning: dobby-set on body, border and pallu
Material: Maheshwari silk
Woven in: Maheshwar, Khargone district, Madhya Pradesh
Country of origin: India
Net quantity: one saree with attached blouse piece
Care: dry clean only

What arrives

An unstitched drape with a running blouse piece cut from the same cloth as the saree, attached to the drape and included in the price. Both are unstitched fabric rather than a made-up garment. It arrives finished: pallu tassels (kuchu) tied, selvedge and edges finished, and a pre-dispatch check completed on the piece before it leaves us. Fall, pico and edge finishing are not done before dispatch, but we do them on request.

How it is woven

It is woven on a pit loom, with the weft going in by hand pick by pick, and the buti and the border set on a dobby — body, border and pallu alike. Nothing we sell is machine-woven, and the weaver confirms it piece by piece. It is woven in Mominpura, the weavers' quarter of Maheshwar. The Handloom Mark is held for this cloth, with the registration on record. Small irregularities in the weave are the fingerprint of hand weaving and are present in these finished pieces.

The bugdi border

The border is a bugdi: the woven border design reads the same on both faces of the cloth. You can turn the edge over and see it for yourself.

How it feels and how it falls

At 350–360 g and 44–46 GSM, both measured here rather than taken from a supplier sheet, it is featherlight in the hand. The body is semi-sheer, so wear it over a petticoat. The drape is soft, holds its pleats through a long day, and does not stiffen or go limp after the first clean.

Wearing it

Made for festivals, festive evenings and formal occasions, and weddings and receptions where you are a guest.

Care and storage

Professional dry clean only. Home washing is not recommended.
Air-dry in the shade, without wringing.
Iron on low to medium heat, inside out, under a cotton press cloth.
Store wrapped in breathable cotton or muslin, in a cool dark cupboard.
Refold every 3–6 months so the same creases do not set.

Followed as written, this routine is also what looks after the zari border. The cloth is colour fast on wash and rub testing in our range.

Colour

Screens and lighting render colour differently, so the ruby red you see on this page may not be an exact match for the cloth in hand. If the shade you receive does not match, we will exchange it; the conditions are set out in the FAQ.

Dispatch and delivery

Held in stock rather than made to order. About half of all orders are dispatched the next working day and most within 2–3 days, with delivery in 3–7 days for most orders inside India.

Ruby Red Handloom Maheshwari Silk Saree with Flower Buti Body & Golden Zari Border | Phulwari