Neel Chanderi Silk & Cotton Saree with Meena Butis

The first image is styled digitally; the photos that follow show the actual saree.

Woven in the hill town of Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh, where weavers have worked fine silk and cotton on pit looms for more than seven centuries. The cloth is famously light, almost translucent, with a soft sheen that catches the light as it moves.

Shown here in blue, in silk x mercerized cotton. Chosen piece by piece for Saptadhārā.

The details

• Fabric: Silk x Mercerized Cotton
• Saree Length: 5.5 Meter
• Blouse Piece Length: 1.0 Meter (Unstitched)

Caring for it

• Dry clean for the first wash; afterwards gentle hand wash in cold water with a mild detergent.
• Dry in shade and iron on the reverse at low heat, never directly on zari or print.
• Store folded in muslin, away from damp and direct sun.

The weave is a protected Geographical Indication, and each piece takes days at the loom. Made by hand, so small irregularities are a mark of the maker, not a flaw.