Is it truly handmade? — A journey into identifying handloom vs powerloom fabrics.

In India, we get a variety of textiles right from the rustic handwoven to power loom to mill made ones! Many of us have an association with handloom fabrics in some way or other since grandparents’ days. They evoke memories, look special and promise to be fabrics that breathe! We get attracted to buy them when we see them at stores, exhibitions or online and feel happy to have acquired a beautiful textile when we buy! Alas, we may be in for a shock sometimes as our friend Rahul realized! He was feeling happy to have bought some special handloom fabric but was in for a shock when he showed an artisan the same. The artisan told him that this was not handloom but a power loom fabric. Rahul could not digest this, but set him asking — how do we distinguish between a handloom and power loom fabric? There are many like Rahul who wonder about this but do not how to be sure. Though there is no foolproof mechanism yet, there are a few ways which could help you to identify. A few tips are listed below:

● Handloom fabrics have a certain unevenness that is seen because of the physical inputs of the weavers, aspects such as the use of a handmade reed which lend to a distinct touch and feel to the fabric on the other hand power loom fabrics use a metallic reed which gives a very even spread of the warp yarns thus, making them compact and tightly woven.

● Due to this unevenness, handloom fabrics are soft and breathable as they are woven by hand which is very different from a heat-trapping construction, compact of a powerloom fabric.

● Extra Weft Motif in handloom will be continuously interlaced in the warp threads, except Phekwa sarees of Banaras. In a powerloom fabric, there will be floats of the extra weft which are cut around the motifs

● In a handwoven fabric, the number of weft yarn in an Inch of Fabric will change at different places which makes it easy to count them and check while in a powerloom fabric you will have the same numbers of weft yarn throughout the fabric.

● Selvedge is another area to note the quality of the fabric. Handloom selvedges are always made in a continuous manner as a single weft yarn on a single shuttle is thrown from left to right and back. In contrast for powerloom fabrics, we can see a wide variety of selvedges, ranging from interlocked versions to one which have a frayed edge that we see commonly in suiting and shirting fabrics.

● Another key distinguishing factor in the selvedge is that handloom fabrics don’t feature a monogram or branded tape in the edge featuring names or labels on either side but milled fabrics always feature a jacquard label or an edge design to keep the fabric from fraying off the edge.

● Handloom weavers are known to incorporate a simple tool called the temple, this ensures that the woven fabric has even width, as this temple has a needle-like edge that creates little holes on either width of the fabric. In power looms this temple is marked on the loom itself so in contrast these little holes are created in two parallel rows on both the selvedges evenly.

● Another key point of reference is that handlooms will have knots, they are part of the handloom process and this is a point of appreciation for all things made by hand. If something is too perfect, remember it could be made on a machine.

● Other features to keep in mind are that power loom fabrics are generally treated with various coatings and finishes, but in contrast, handlooms may at most feature a calendared, flattened finish which too can wear off with a wash.

● Any powerloom fabric largely features very simple structures and any design laid within is purely ornamental, while handloom fabrics could feature complex, patterned grounds.

For those who are interested to know more of the details, keep reading!

With the advent of the online market place and an increased interest for Handlooms, people are making their first handloom purchases, either from online retailers or traditional brick and mortar stores. Recently one of our artisans received an order from Rahul, an IT professional from Bangalore, who had purchased a length of yardage from a store and was sharing his experience of moving to handloom goods.

Upon inspection by our Artisan Entrepreneur, Itishree Sur from Gopalpur it was noted that Powerloom fabrics had been passed off as hand made to Rahul. Feeling distraught, he noted that it is important for customers to be educated on how to differentiate between handwoven and powerloom goods.

For a textile connoisseur the nuances of the craft and its knowledge come with experience, but what about those who still can’t make out the difference between a power loom and a handloom product. Well let’s make it easy, following are a few tips for you to understand your textile better.

Look of the fabric:

Handspun handwoven fabrics: If you observe uneven yarn both lengthwise and widthwise on the fabric, it could be handspun and handwoven. In machine spinning, since there is a preset of twist per inch (TPI) the yarn is even, without any uneven spots. In the power loom & mill sector, machine-spun yarn is used. Machine spun yarn has a higher & even& even twist which makes the yarn strong. This strength is needed in mechanized weaving. Uneven yarn will break since it cannot withstand the abrasion of constant mechanized beating. Also when the yarn is sized for powerloom, all unevenness, if any, gets compressed in sizing, making the warp even.so resultant warp is even. This, when combined with the mechanical beating of machines, renders the resultant fabrics flat and textureless.

During hand spinning, when the fibres are drawn out and twisted and inserted, sometimes there tend to be differential twists and uneven formation, resulting in thick & thin stretches. This is an indicator that the yarn used is handspun. When woven, this yarn creates softer texture, a rich hand feel, a certain rounded quality to the fabric, bounciness, an elegant drape and better wrinkle recovery properties. In fact, handspun handwoven textiles need not be ironed after wash since the fabric will recover on its own. Handspun, handwoven fabrics tend to adapt to weather conditions — insulate warmth in winter, cooling in summer. Also, the durability of handloom is much higher because of the way the fabric is made. Handspun yarn when dyed tends to have differential absorption properties in subsequent dyeing and printing.

• Caution: If uneven yarn (slubs) is only in the weft (widthwise), then there is still a possibility that the fabric was woven on a machine. For confirming that its handwoven, other characteristics will have to be checked.

Handwoven with machine-spun yarns: There would be unevenness in a handwoven fabric as the number of wefts (width wise) yarns in an inch of fabric will change while in a power loom fabric there will be the same number of weft yarns throughout the fabric, making the fabric even.

Rationale: Machines operate at a fixed speed and therefore the number of weft yarns (width-wise) which get interlaced is very uniform. When woven by hand, the number of weft yarns vary due to manual beating.

Caution: Expert handloom weavers weave with perfection and often tend to get very many threads and may appear as machine-made! If it’s claimed handmade, request for a magnifying glass and look closely at different locations.

Pinholes in the border: While you will find holes on both the borders/selvedge of the fabric, the spacing of holes will be uneven in the case of handwoven fabric.

In handlooms, the ‘temple’ which looks like a measuring scale with two nails on the edges, is to keep the width of woven fabric width equal to the width of the warp, since fabric width may decrease because of weft interlacement.

Rationale: Handloom weavers often use a simple tool called the temple. This ensures that the woven fabric has even width as this temple has a needle-like edge that creates little holes on either width of the fabric but being manual is uneven. In power looms this temple is marked on the loom itself so in contrast these little holes are created in two parallel rows on both the selvedge evenly.

Caution: Smart operators are trying to create an uneven effect for the holes, but looking at the fabric combined with other tips above, one can still fairly ascertain.

Bands along the body: In fabric particularly with deeper colour tones, if you hold the fabric against light you would find different colour bands appearing width-wise in a handwoven fabric.

Rationale: In power loom fabric interlacing of weft yarns and their beating remains very uniform, however in case of handwoven fabrics, due to unevenness in beating, bands of colour appear as the number of yarns per inch varies across the length of the fabric.

Caution: Sometimes band formation is also because of the use of dyed yarns from different lots. However, in general since in power loom, yarn requirement is defined chances of colours leading to bands on a plain fabric are very less but increasingly instances of power loom fabrics with bands to pass off as handwoven for increased prices are also seen in the open market.

Multi-coloured or Multiple weft yarns: Though not a sure shot test, will in general help any customer to judge. If the fabric has multiple colours and/or multiple types of yarns in the weft (width wise), the fabric may be handwoven.

Rationale: Power looms operate on the principle of fast production and therefore if they insert different types of fibres or different colours in the weft then their speed of operation will get slowed down and it will be difficult to produce the fabric at a lower price.

Caution: Warp (lengthwise) both handloom and power looms can use multiple colours and multiple fibres, which would be more even in nature. Therefore, while looking at the fabric, weft colours and yarns should be observed along with the other factors described.

Extra weft Motifs: Motifs or ‘Buti’s on a handwoven fabric will be uneven and placement (Spacing and distance between two motifs) may not be very even depending upon the technique used. Extra weft motifs woven in handloom will be continuously interlaced in the

warp threads depending on the nature of the design. In a power loom fabric, there will be floats of the ornamental extra weft which are cut around the motifs and, in some cases, power loom fabrics have been created to mimic the discontinuous extra weft patterning as well.’

In hand-woven fabrics, motifs done with extra weft tend to have texture and a rounded top, (powerloom motifs tend to be flat). Also, the design itself will be sharper, eg. a parrot’s throat will have correct proportions if handwoven rather than on jacquard.

Repeat sizes on machine weaves tend mostly to be limited because of limitations of the jacquard, whereas handwoven designs need not have limitations of repeat lengths.

Rationale: When woven by hand, motif insertion and placement is not very accurate and uniform as weavers try to approximate the design placement when necessary.

Caution: With the growing pace and innovation in technology in the space of powerlooms, it's becoming increasingly difficult to identify a machine from hand. However, if designs are intricate and colour placement is erratic through the length of the fabric it may be woven by hand as such movements are easier on a handloom.

Prints and Dyeing:

Prints on handloom fabrics will have softer outline edges and colour overlaps due to better absorbency properties of handloom fabrics. In handspun, handwoven fabrics, print motifs retaining sharp tight outlines are difficult.

One of the important aspects of handloom is the fact that yarn is dyed and then woven, unlike machine-woven fabrics which is mostly dyed after weaving. Dye penetration is best when the yarn is dyed. When dyed after weaving, dye penetration is less. At points of wear, fading happens faster on fabric dyed machine-woven textiles with the inner undyed core showing through.

Fabric woven from dyed yarn tends to have more body, weight and texture. After a few washes, while handwoven textiles get more enhanced breathability, powerloom textiles tend to take on a “plasticky” feel. This is an outcome of the different beating process on the loom.

Handspun yarn when dyed tends to have differential absorption properties in subsequent dyeing and printing.

Border/Selvedge: Handloom selvedges are always made in a continuous manner as a single weft yarn from a shuttle is thrown from left to right and back. In contrast for powerloom fabrics, we can see a wide variety of selvedges, ranging from interlocked versions to ones which have a frayed edge that we see commonly in suiting and shirting fabrics. Milled fabrics also feature a distinct woven or printed branding that runs parallel to the selvedge. In contrast, handwoven fabrics don’t feature such a woven branding border.

Rationale: Hand-loomed fabrics cannot have frayed selvedge’s as this is a physical limitation of the weaving process unless it serves as a design feature. However, it’s common for Power loomed fabrics to create imitation varieties of handloom fabrics featuring details of handloom fabrics like continuous and a slightly uneven selvedge. Handlooms also don’t generally feature any kind of branding that is woven into the fabric and running along the selvedge.

Caution: Some varieties of handloom fabrics have been noted to possess a printed branding tag but this is not the norm. In order to gain a better price for power-loomed goods, its common to incorporate inconsistencies in the weaving process to ensure the “Handmade Feel”.

Feel of the fabric:

It was common for one to be able to identify a handloom fabric from a mill made one because of the fall and the feel of the fabric that a handloom fabric possesses. It was common for

handloom fabrics to be made entirely using handspun yarns which in turn added tangible qualities like, wicking (sweat absorption), insulation, drape and feel to name a few. However, with innovation in machines and finishes, powerloom fabrics are catching up with handlooms and giving them a run for their money.

Handspun, handwoven fabrics and handwoven fabrics tend to adapt to weather conditions — insulates in winter, cooling in summer. Also, the durability of handloom is much higher because of the way the fabric is made.

Finishes — In order to create a softer touch and feel, fabrics are subjected to textile finishes like bio-washing, enzyme washing, mercerization for a softer feel of the fabric which physical processes like calendaring for sheen and napping and brushing to create matte

and fuzzy textures are applied to simulate tactile touch and feel. Such practices are observed in both handloom and power loom fabrics. These physical finishes are done to impart a better feel of the fabric.

Rationale: Handloom fabrics generally feature a mild calendaring and polishing(for silks) along with starching to bring about the true nature of the fabric. These are some of the commonly accessible resources for the handloom weavers. But instances of handloom fabrics with enzyme finishes are seen in a commercial marketplace.

Caution: Finishes imparted by handloom weavers are done to increase the lustre (polishing) or to create a crisp look and fabric fall.

Coating — An increased number of fabrics are seen featuring a wide number of chemical coatings to add different properties like wrinkle resistance and stain resistance to name a few. Handloom goods are not known to feature such claims whereas these are commonly seen with fabrics that are milled and made for certain applications.

Rationale: Fabric applications and expectations in terms of durability and use are constantly evolving and coatings and finishes help provide these features.

Materials — Material composition lends a very big hand in terms of the fall, hand and feel of a fabric. Handloom goods are known to be made with natural yarns like silk, cotton, wool or linen. However, it’s also common to come across blended fabrics in the handloom domain as the market demands a cost-effective product as well. Historically, handmade yarns were also part of the process of handwoven goods and thus a distinct touch was experienced.

With these few pointers in mind, I am sure you will be able to make an informed decision when you are presented with handwoven fabrics the next time.

Antaran Team,

Transforming Crafts

Tata Trusts