Glossary of Terms

2/60's, Count of yarn, used mostly to weave different varieties of fabrics on frame looms.

60's x 40's (Warp x weft), counts used in weaving Mangalagiri fabric.

Warping drum, used to lay the length of the warp on the loom.

Matchbox check, check woven in the shape of matchbox.

Red colour extracted from a coal tar derivative, an organic chemical compound.

Red colour extracted from a coal tar derivative

Yellow colour extracted from rind of pomagrenate

Environment friendly chemical dyes

Environment friendly chemical dyes

Small motifs woven on the surface of the fabric

Fibre from cotton plant

A number given to define thickness of yarn used in weaving

Dastkar Andhra Marketing Association

Term for 'yarn' in Telugu. Also, the name of our handloom store in Hyderabad.

Drawing yarn through dents

An extra warp technique used for weaving patterns in the borders

Chemical dye categories like reactive and vat dyes, which are environment friendly.

Type of a loom, which is fixed to a frame and fitted onto the ground.

Printing done by hand with wooden blocks

A loom operated manually

Cloth woven on a handloom

Sarees woven on pit looms or frame looms

Fabric woven on a loom by hand without electricity

Handloom Weavers’ Co-operative Society

Blue dye extracted from indigo plant

Independent Weaver Group

An extra weft weaving technique to weave motifs

Telugu term for two threads in a dent

A hand block printing technique and style which is done in Machilipatnam area of Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh

Fabric woven by hand using hand spun yarn

Kora refers to unbleached & undyed shade of the yarn

Interlock weave using three shuttles and is famous for weaving solid borders and body

The instrument used for interlacement of two sets of yarn – the warp and the weft

a town in Guntur district, the fabric woven in the district of Guntur is named after the town mangalagiri

Fabric named after Mangalagiri town in Guntur district where it was first woven in 60’s count yarn in warp and 40’s count yarn in weft

Texture created by yarn missing in a dent (Dent is the gap between two reed wires)

Yarn missing in a dent in a regular pattern

Weft yarn missing regularly or at intervals while weaving a fabric

Chemical substance that helps fix colour to the fibre

Special silk yarn from Assam

Dye extracted from naturally grown materials

Dyeing carried out with natural dye materials

End piece in a saree

Weft threads referred to as 'picks' in english

Term for dobby technique in Telugu. It is an extra weft technique used to weave pattern in the border of sarees or dhotis traditionally

Type of a loom with a pit with the pedals located in the pit for the feet to operate the loom

Warp threads referred to as 'ends' in english

Shrinking before use for correct measurement

Random tie and dye on the yarn before it is woven

Environment friendly chemical dyes (also called azo free chemical dyes)

Warp guide

Blouse piece woven as an extension to the saree

Different coloured warp and weft, woven in a fabric creating a lustrous effect.

Instrument made out of wood used to carry the weft yarn

Applying starch on stretched yarn, which is carried out by the weavers or by skilled groups in the village. Typically, depending on the warp length, three to four persons are required to carry out sizing. After application of the sizing paste (starch) onto the stretched yarn, special brushes are used to spread and dry the starch on the yarn. Since this activity is carried out on the street, this is referred to as 'street sizing'.

2/60's, Count of yarn, used mostly to weave different varieties of fabrics on frame looms.

A category of chemical dyes

Yarn laid lengthwise on a loom

Blocks of colour across the width (Weft is the yarn which passes across the fabric width)

Stripes running across the width of the weave (Weft is the yarn which passes across the fabric width)

Running fabric

Shiny metallic yarn used mostly for patterns in dobby technique