Day 11 of 21
Craft of Cloth · Banarasi, decoded · Where the sheen comes from
Brocade & Extra-Weft
Day 11 of 21. Brocade is not a fabric — it is a trick. Extra threads, often gold or silver, woven on top of the base cloth. The real secret behind a Banarasi.
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3
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Today's Lesson Begins
Where a Banarasi gets its raised, glowing pattern
❉
EXTRA THREADS ON TOP
Day 11 · Week 2
Brocade & Extra-Weft
An extra thread, lifted by hand, only where the design needs it.
The Idea
Brocade is a technique, not a fabric.
A normal cloth has one set of length-threads and one set of width-threads. Brocade adds an extra set of width-threads — often gold or silver zari — that float over the base only where the design needs them. These extra threads are not holding the cloth together; their only job is to make the pattern. On the back you can see them floating between designs, sometimes cut away. That extra thread, lifted by a jacquard, is what gives a Banarasi its raised, glowing look. More zari and more hand-lifting means a higher cost.
Quick test: turn the saree over. Floating or cut threads running between the designs on the back mean extra-weft brocade. The pattern is added on top, not printed.
The depth ladder
How much extra-weft work went in
Same gold thread — the more it is hand-lifted and cut, the more days on the loom.
Hand-work in the weave
A few small buti
Less work
A net of design across the cloth
More
Thread runs across, floats behind
Quicker
Each design woven on its own
Most work
Same gold thread · more hands and more days means a higher cost
Side by side
The words on a Banarasi tag, decoded
When a tag says fekwa, kadwa, zari or meenakari — here is what each one is telling you.
🧵
Fekwa
Mark
Continuous extra-weft
Gold runs across, floats behind
Faster
🌸
Kadwa
Mark
Each design woven on its own
Thread cut, no long floats
Costlier
✨
Zari
Mark
Metal or tested thread
The gold or silver shine
The sheen
🎨
Meenakari
Mark
Coloured extra-weft
Colour added inside the gold
Extra colour
In a customer DM
How to explain it
When she asks "why is this Banarasi double the price of that one?"
Both may use the same gold. The difference is how the gold was woven — and the back of the saree shows it.
"Look at the back, ma'am. On the cheaper one the gold thread runs all the way across and floats behind the cloth — that is fekwa, quicker to weave. On this one each flower is woven on its own and the thread is cut, so there are no long floats behind — that is kadwa. Same gold, but far more hands and more days on the loom. That is the difference you are paying for."
Today's anchor: Brocade is a technique, not a fabric — extra threads, often zari, woven on top only where the design needs them. Check the back: long floats mean fekwa (faster), cut threads with no floats mean kadwa (more work, higher cost).
Day 11 Quiz · 3 Questions
Answer to mark your attendance
Banarasi, decoded. Get all three right and you stay in the running for the top-3 craft gift.
Question 1
Brocade is best described as —
A
A type of cotton
B
A technique that adds extra threads on top of the base cloth
C
A kind of dye
D
A printing method
Question 2
Where do you look to spot extra-weft brocade?
A
The price tag
B
The back of the cloth, for floating or cut threads between the designs
C
The colour only
D
The length of the saree
Question 3
A customer asks "why is this Banarasi so much more than that one?"
A
"Turn both over. The cheaper one has gold thread floating all the way across the back — that is fekwa. This one has each flower woven on its own with the thread cut, no long floats — that is kadwa. Same gold, many more hands and days."
B
"Ours is a better brand."
C
"It is imported silk."
D
"The box is nicer."
WhatsApp Number
+91
Same number you used on Day 1 — your ranking and Craft Depth certificate go here.
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