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Cotton and the Handloom Weaving Process
Understanding How Cotton Cloth Is Made on Indian Handlooms
Cotton handloom fabric is often described as breathable, natural, and comfortable. But these qualities don’t come from the fibre alone. They emerge from a long, interconnected craft process from how cotton is prepared, to how yarn is spun, dyed, strengthened, and finally woven on a loom without electricity. This guide explains the cotton handloom weaving process step by step, focusing on how and why each stage matters, rather than treating weaving as a single act.
Cotton as a Fibre
Cotton has been one of the most widely used natural fibres in the Indian subcontinent for thousands of years. Traditionally, India cultivated over 500 indigenous varieties of cotton, most of them short-staple fibres suited to hand spinning. These varieties were closely adapted to local climates and soils. Over time, cotton cultivation shifted toward fewer varieties to meet the demands of industrial spinning. Today, fewer than 20 varieties dominate commercial farming. This shift increased yield and uniformity but also led to heavier pesticide use, raising environmental and health concerns. In response, some regions have begun moving toward organic and low-chemical cotton cultivation. What matters for cloth is staple length the length of individual cotton fibres. Longer staples allow finer yarns; shorter staples produce coarser yarns. This relationship shapes everything that follows.
Preparing Cotton for Yarn: Ginning, Carding, and Sliver
Before cotton can become yarn, it must be prepared.
1. Ginning
Ginning is the first step, where cotton fibres are separated from seeds. This can be done by hand or machine. Clean separation is critical, as leftover seed fragments weaken yarn.
2. Carding
Next comes carding, where fibres are cleaned, disentangled, and aligned into a loose, continuous web. For finer yarns, fibres may also be combed, which removes shorter fibres and improves uniformity.
3. Sliver
The aligned fibres are then formed into a sliver a soft, rope-like bundle that prepares cotton for spinning. Even in handloom systems, this preparation may be mechanical, while spinning itself remains manual.
Yarn: Counts, Hanks, and Cones
Yarn is a continuous strand made by twisting fibres together. In cotton, yarn thickness is measured by count higher counts indicate finer yarn. A hank is the traditional unit of cotton yarn length and measures 840 yards. Handloom weaving typically uses hank yarn, while mill weaving relies on cone yarn, which is designed for high-speed mechanical looms. Cotton hank yarn can range from a coarse 2s count to extremely fine 120s count, depending on fibre quality and spinning method. The use of hank yarn allows better absorption of dye and greater flexibility during hand weaving.
Spinning: Turning Fibre into Yarn
Spinning is the process of twisting prepared cotton fibres into yarn. Historically, all spinning was done by hand. Today, handloom weaving uses a mix of hand-spun and mill-spun yarns.
Hand Spinning
Hand spinning relies on the spinner’s skill to control thickness and twist. Cotton may be hand-spun:
● Directly from raw cotton fibre, or
● From prepared sliver
Srikakulam, in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, remains one of the few regions where very fine hand-spun cotton yarn (up to 100s count) is still produced. Hand spinning places less mechanical stress on yarn but requires intense labour, which significantly raises cost. This is why khadi and similar textiles are priced higher.
Mill Spinning
Mechanical spinning was introduced in India during colonial rule, with early mills established in Mumbai in the mid-19th century. Today, mill-spun yarn is widely used by handloom weavers because it offers consistency, availability, and lower cost. The Bombay Spinning & Weaving Mill at Tardeo, established in 1854, was among the earliest to supply yarn to handloom clusters.
Dyeing in Handloom Systems
Cotton can be dyed at different stages:
● Yarn Dyeing
● Fabric Dyeing
● Garment Dyeing
In many parts of South India, hank yarn dyeing is common, while northern regions often favour fabric dyeing, especially for printed textiles. Dyeing usually begins with scouring, which removes natural oils and impurities so colour can bond properly. Dyeing for handloom weaving is often carried out near weaving villages by specialised local dyers, though ikat weavers are a notable exception, as they frequently dye their own yarn.
Chemical Dyeing
Chemical dyes developed rapidly after the discovery of benzene in the 19th century. Common types include:
● Direct Dyes
● Sulphur Dyes
● Naphthol Dyes
● Vat Dyes
● Reactive Dyes
These dyes expanded colour possibilities and improved colour fastness. Many modern chemical dyes are azo-free, reducing health and environmental risks. Although developed for mill production, chemical dyes were adapted for handloom yarn dyeing due to their reliability and efficiency.
Natural Dyeing and Indigo
Natural dyes come from plant, mineral, or insect sources. Cotton is more difficult to dye naturally than wool or silk and requires careful mordanting to fix colour.
Common natural dyes for cotton include:
● Indigo
● Madder
● Cutch
● Annatto
● Logwood
Indigo is unique. It does not use a mordant but relies on a vat dyeing process. Indigo yarn turns yellow-green when removed from the vat and oxidises into blue when exposed to air. This process has remained largely unchanged for over 2,000 years.
Bobbin Winding
After dyeing, hank yarn must be converted into a form suitable for weaving. Through bobbin winding, yarn is transferred onto bobbins using a charka. Typically, 19–20 bobbins are required to prepare a warp long enough to weave five sarees (around 34 metres). This task is traditionally carried out by women in weaver households.
Warping: Preparing the Length of the Fabric
Warping involves arranging yarn lengthwise according to the planned width and length of the cloth. For a 46-inch-wide fabric, more than 3,200 individual yarns may be aligned, totalling nearly 196,550 yards of yarn. Warping defines the fabric’s dimensions and is one of the most critical stages in weaving.
Street Sizing
Street sizing is a distinctive handloom process. The stretched warp is coated with natural starches rice, wheat, maize, or potato often mixed with coconut or groundnut oil. This temporary coating strengthens and lubricates the yarn so it can withstand weaving tension. The starch washes out after two or three washes of the finished fabric. Because the warp is stretched along village streets, the process is known as street sizing.
Attaching the Warp to the Loom
Sized warp threads are drawn through heddles and passed through reeds before being tied onto the loom. Heddles lift selected threads to allow the weft to pass through, while reeds help pack the weft firmly into place. Pattern mechanisms such as dobby or jacquard systems control which warp threads are lifted during weaving
Weft Winding
Weft yarn is wound onto a pirn, which sits inside the shuttle. This process requires careful tension control and is usually done by women in weaver households. Changing weft colours during weaving creates subtle “shot” effects that add depth and variation to fabric.
Weaving on the Handloom
Weaving interlaces warp and weft on a loom operated entirely by human effort. The weaver uses foot pedals and hand movements to coordinate shuttle movement and thread lifting. Depending on complexity, a weaver may produce anywhere from half a metre to five metres of fabric per day.
Loom Types Used in Handloom Weaving
Common handloom types include:
● Pit looms
● Frame looms
● Stand looms
Pit looms are often preferred because the ground absorbs vibration and tension, helping retain fabric softness and breathability.
Dobby (Petu) Technique
The dobby, locally called petu, uses additional warp control to create patterns, especially borders. Once set, the mechanism automatically lifts selected threads according to the design, enabling repeated motifs without manual selection.
What This Process Means for the Fabric
The cotton handloom process directly shapes how fabric behaves:
● Breathability comes from low mechanical tension
● Texture comes from yarn variation
● Strength comes from careful sizing
● Variation reflects human control rather than machine precision
These are not flaws, but characteristics of the craft system.
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