Manufacturing Process

First of all similar kind of patches are collected. Similar kind is like sitaara (sequin work), vintage beadwork, kutch patchwork etc. These patches are taken out from various kinds of vintage or fresh dress material or textiles mainly for the tapestry wall hangings of vintage patches. However for the tapestry wall hangings which are with new work, the work is also done at times specially afresh for the production of these tapestry wall hangings. Different patches with different kinds of work feature the work of various states, places and communities of India. Like the fulkari work depicts the work of Punjab, Banjara work depicts the work of dessert areas of rajasthan etc. Once the patches are collected, they are pasted together on a canvas sort of material called 'bukram'. The patches are pasted securely and tidily adjacent to each other with the help of a home made glue. After that they are allowed to dry, preferably in direct sunlight. Once the tapestry wall hangings are dry enough they are then passed on to the process of hand weaving where a bundle of thread called 'dori' is hand stitched along the joints of the patches. This dori moves along the adjacent edges of the patches moving all across the tapestry wall hangings giving every tapestry wall hanging a different unique look. The dori moves all across the tapestry giving random patterns in every tapestry. However some fixed type of patterns can also be given where the patches are put accordingly. The lace which is stitched to the tapestry wall hangings is made to run across the tapestry wall hanging to give specific beautiful elaborate figures like elephants, peacocks and other floral designs.

Once the dori is stitched to the patches along the tapestry wall hangings giving it a tidy look, it is prepared for the process of dying. Most of the times the tapestry wall hangings are dyed to give it one color to match with the home decor however at times the tapestry wall hangings are not dyed which give them a multi color patch look with a basic ivory color to match all kinds of home decor. Now if the tapestry wall hangings are dyed, their process is a little different than other normal textile dying processes. This process is followed to safeguard the ethnic vintage precious patches used in these tapestry wall hangings. Under this process, the tapestry wall hangings are spread on the floor and then a dyed color is mixed with a luke warm water generally along with salt and a few other agents to make the color fast somewhat. However there is an attempt to make the color fast but due to this hand process in rural places or small houses, the color fastening guarantee cannot be given. The color is then spread across evenly through the tapestry wall hangings and then allowed to dry. It is very important to get the tapestry wall hangings to dry nicely in this stage as any moisture left in the tapestry will lead to a tapestry with defects and imperfections like fungus, odour and loose hangings at later stages.

After the tapestry wall hangings are completely dry, they are then ironed on the reverse side most of the times and then lined at the back. The linings are generally matching or simply black. Once the tapestry wall hangings are completely ready they are undergone a thorough checking for any loose threads or any patches which are loose.

Its in the rural areas of India specially parts of Gujrat and Rajasthan, there are special markets where the patches are sold markets like Rajkot in Gujrat and Pushkar in Rajasthan, these patches are sold in a proper market of theirs. The patches reach to these markets through the dealers called the 'Thekedars' in different villages who are the hub of collecting this material from various homes. They are the ones who carry the demands of the markets to the manufacturing homes. The Thekedars provide the raw material to the poor homes and needy majorly housewives to work at home and provide their hand work on the apparel. Once the embroidered textiles are ready, they are then taken to the 'Mandis' (markets) and then to finishers who customize it further in the final form of tapestry wall hangings for the rest of the world meeting the needs of this modern era.

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