Buying fabric by the metre

bexta · Sep 3rd, 2004, 18:44

I am a bit of a seamstress and would like to buy fabric by the metre, mainly cotton and some silk. Maybe not sari lengths as the pattern is mostly on the edges and they are narrower. I would be looking for fabric 1.2 mtr wide. Could anyone advise what would be a good price to pay per metre for nice drapey light cotton and where woould be a good place to purchase. I plan to post it home so I dont have to lug it around. We will be in MUmbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Mysore. I have heard Mysore is renown for silk. Is it best to by it from an emporium in town or can you go to the weavers? I would love to watch some weaving and also visit some dressmakers/tailors to talk watch them rather than get anything made. Thanks for any help

ddutta · Sep 3rd, 2004, 19:17

Yes , you can buy fabrics in metre (silk / cotton both ) in India. The width of the cloth varies from 36 inches to 52 inches . The price too , depending upon the quality of the fabric. You will find different types of cotton/linen as well as silk. South silk are very famous.Kashmiri & Murshidabad silks too. Khadi also have varoius kind of materials in cotton & silk. These fabrics are readily available in all the big cities / emporiums.

Nick-H · Oct 5th, 2004, 19:31

Oh, fabric shopping in India! Bliss!

My favourite is Nalli Silks in Chennai. You will find a number of big, big sari shops in this area, T Nagar (Tyagaraya Naga, but the love to abreviate things) and most of them will have fabric departments, sometimes several.

In Nalli, the best silks are in a little, hidden away department on the left hand side of the ground floor; there are raw silks in all colours, papery tussar silks, printed silks all sorts... Prices? the stuff I buy is 100 to 300 rupees a metre and I buy 3 metres for a man's kurta. More stuff and cottons, lining materials etc is in another department upstairs.

It is delicate stuff, though: dry cleaning is best, even a cold, hand wash can be risky.

Happy shopping; happy stitching! But hey: be lazy... tayloring is so, so cheap (less than 100 rupees for a man's kurta); let someone else do the work!

Oh, and... Yes, particular places are famous for particular types of silk or design, but that doesn't mean that they are the cheapest places to buy! I don't know about Mysore (a very soft, flowing sari, If I remember right), but the heavyweight Kanchipuram silks are cheaper in Chennai.

My post may be too late to be useful to you, but I can't resist waxing lyrical on this subject: there is something about Indian silk shops, I get high just on the smells, let alone the colours and patterns :-)))

wonderwomanusa · Oct 6th, 2004, 08:13

I bought beautiful hand-woven ikat cottons in Puri for Rs 75/meter from one of the co-op stores; it was lovely and so comfortable in that climate! Many of the "craft weavers" appear to have formed co-ops and those are normally fixed-price stores.

I've also seen wonderful fabric from all over India at the government-run Central Cottage Industries stores in Calcutta and Delhi; I'm sure you will find these in some of the places you will be visiting.

hobbes · Oct 6th, 2004, 08:25

In Mumbai go to Kala Niketan at Marine Lines. There are also a couple of other shops in the vicinity. Also go to Indian Textiles at the Taj Hotel. In Chennai def Nallis. In Bangalore on MG Rd there is a large shop called Deepam. Weavers are generally located outside the main cities in weaving villages eg Kanchipuram in Tamil nadu from where the famous Kanjivaram saris hail. It is a distance and without a local you will not be able to achieve much. Stick to the large shops in big cities. I am not sure re the 1.2 meter width.

iyou · Oct 6th, 2004, 09:36

Nobody's mentioned the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Mumbai, by which I mean the one and only Mangaldas (Cloth) Market. Let me correct this! Countless sellers clustered under one very large roof, offering every fabric imaginable, as well as many more you can't imagine. Aisle after aisle of stalls selling fabrics, all piled high to the ceiling. Incredible is the only word to describe it. The market's really easy to find, too. It's right across Sheikh Memon road from the one of the largest mosques in the south end of Kalbadevi, just a few steps north of the Crawford Market. Plenty of touts will gravitate towards you as you approach; they won't leave you alone, very annoying, but you can at least get them to show the way if you're feeling lost. Get rid of the touts and then get ready to do some hard bargaining.

Nick-H · Oct 6th, 2004, 14:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by meera

I read that in Kanchipurum you can actually get tours of the silk weaving factory!

I went there only once. Yes, you get taken to see the looms at the back of the shop.

Nick-H · Oct 6th, 2004, 14:32

Iyou, Maybe I'll get to Mumbai one day.

This market sounds wonderful, and I wonder if Chennai has anything like this that I haven't discovered yet.

And I forgot to mention Parthas is Trivandram, if anyone's going that way.

beach · Oct 6th, 2004, 15:01

Handloom retail shop

Nick-H · Oct 6th, 2004, 19:36

Nice vestis, kerala style --- they would say mundu.

Perfect for Indian climate: leave the trousers at home

Sep 3rd, 2004, 18:44	#1
bexta Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Daintree Queensland OZ Posts: 15	Buying fabric by the metre I am a bit of a seamstress and would like to buy fabric by the metre, mainly cotton and some silk. Maybe not sari lengths as the pattern is mostly on the edges and they are narrower. I would be looking for fabric 1.2 mtr wide. Could anyone advise what would be a good price to pay per metre for nice drapey light cotton and where woould be a good place to purchase. I plan to post it home so I dont have to lug it around. We will be in MUmbai, Bangalore, Chennai and Mysore. I have heard Mysore is renown for silk. Is it best to by it from an emporium in town or can you go to the weavers? I would love to watch some weaving and also visit some dressmakers/tailors to talk watch them rather than get anything made. Thanks for any help

Oct 6th, 2004, 09:36	#6
iyou Maha Guru Member Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Portland, Oregon USA Posts: 502	Nobody's mentioned the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in Mumbai, by which I mean the one and only Mangaldas (Cloth) Market. Let me correct this! Countless sellers clustered under one very large roof, offering every fabric imaginable, as well as many more you can't imagine. Aisle after aisle of stalls selling fabrics, all piled high to the ceiling. Incredible is the only word to describe it. The market's really easy to find, too. It's right across Sheikh Memon road from the one of the largest mosques in the south end of Kalbadevi, just a few steps north of the Crawford Market. Plenty of touts will gravitate towards you as you approach; they won't leave you alone, very annoying, but you can at least get them to show the way if you're feeling lost. Get rid of the touts and then get ready to do some hard bargaining. __________________ . . . --May a moody baby doom a yam.

Oct 6th, 2004, 15:01	#9
beach Lost in translation Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: India ! Posts: 2,233	Handloom retail shop Attached Thumbnails

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Sep 3rd, 2004, 19:17	#2
ddutta Maha Guru Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: kolkata Posts: 803	Yes , you can buy fabrics in metre (silk / cotton both ) in India. The width of the cloth varies from 36 inches to 52 inches . The price too , depending upon the quality of the fabric. You will find different types of cotton/linen as well as silk. South silk are very famous.Kashmiri & Murshidabad silks too. Khadi also have varoius kind of materials in cotton & silk. These fabrics are readily available in all the big cities / emporiums.

Oct 5th, 2004, 19:31	#3
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,197	Oh, fabric shopping in India! Bliss! My favourite is Nalli Silks in Chennai. You will find a number of big, big sari shops in this area, T Nagar (Tyagaraya Naga, but the love to abreviate things) and most of them will have fabric departments, sometimes several. In Nalli, the best silks are in a little, hidden away department on the left hand side of the ground floor; there are raw silks in all colours, papery tussar silks, printed silks all sorts... Prices? the stuff I buy is 100 to 300 rupees a metre and I buy 3 metres for a man's kurta. More stuff and cottons, lining materials etc is in another department upstairs. It is delicate stuff, though: dry cleaning is best, even a cold, hand wash can be risky. Happy shopping; happy stitching! But hey: be lazy... tayloring is so, so cheap (less than 100 rupees for a man's kurta); let someone else do the work! Oh, and... Yes, particular places are famous for particular types of silk or design, but that doesn't mean that they are the cheapest places to buy! I don't know about Mysore (a very soft, flowing sari, If I remember right), but the heavyweight Kanchipuram silks are cheaper in Chennai. My post may be too late to be useful to you, but I can't resist waxing lyrical on this subject: there is something about Indian silk shops, I get high just on the smells, let alone the colours and patterns :-)))

Oct 6th, 2004, 08:13	#4
wonderwomanusa Maha Guru Member Join Date: May 2003 Location: Northern California Posts: 4,261	I bought beautiful hand-woven ikat cottons in Puri for Rs 75/meter from one of the co-op stores; it was lovely and so comfortable in that climate! Many of the "craft weavers" appear to have formed co-ops and those are normally fixed-price stores. I've also seen wonderful fabric from all over India at the government-run Central Cottage Industries stores in Calcutta and Delhi; I'm sure you will find these in some of the places you will be visiting.

Oct 6th, 2004, 08:25	#5
hobbes Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: hong kong Posts: 45	In Mumbai go to Kala Niketan at Marine Lines. There are also a couple of other shops in the vicinity. Also go to Indian Textiles at the Taj Hotel. In Chennai def Nallis. In Bangalore on MG Rd there is a large shop called Deepam. Weavers are generally located outside the main cities in weaving villages eg Kanchipuram in Tamil nadu from where the famous Kanjivaram saris hail. It is a distance and without a local you will not be able to achieve much. Stick to the large shops in big cities. I am not sure re the 1.2 meter width.

Oct 6th, 2004, 14:32	#8
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,197	Iyou, Maybe I'll get to Mumbai one day. This market sounds wonderful, and I wonder if Chennai has anything like this that I haven't discovered yet. And I forgot to mention Parthas is Trivandram, if anyone's going that way.

Oct 6th, 2004, 19:36	#10
Nick-H This is just a cameo appearance Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Chennai, India Posts: 36,197	Nice vestis, kerala style --- they would say mundu. Perfect for Indian climate: leave the trousers at home