Ka-Sha dictionary
When on our website and reading about our products you may find words that you don't recognise to describe a technique, a textile or a process. This happens because we end up using technical words (from our time as students of fashion & textiles) or local language words to define our products. Hence we have here our glossary to help you better understand your products from Ka-Sha & Heart to Haat & what is used to make them.
A-E
Appliqué
(v.) to decorate (a garment or larger piece of fabric) with pieces of fabric to form patterns
Angarkha
(n.) refers to the upper body garment with a usual asymmetrical opening in the chest area reaching down to the knees, knotted or secured traditionally by strings worn by men in the Indian subcontinent especially before the introduction of the 'kurta'. Its various forms exist throughout South Asia.
Azo-Free Dye
(n.) a non-toxic dye free from harmful azo compounds, used as a safer alternative in sustainable textile production.
Bandhani/ बांधनी
(v.) to make patterns on cloth by tying knots in it or tying parts of it with strings before putting it in a dye, so that only parts of the fabric receive the dye.
Bhujodi / भुजोडी
(n.) a traditional handwoven textile technique from the Kutch region of Gujarat, India. Characterised by extra weft motifs and use of natural dyes, often in earthy tones, woven by Vankar communities.
Block Printing
(n.) process of printing patterns using engraved or embossed blocks of metal and wood.
Chanderi
(n.) a fabric characterized by its lightweight, sheer texture. The fabric borrowed its named after the town Chanderi in Madhya Pradesh where traditional weavers practice the art of weaving this textile.
Clamp-Dye
(v.) it involves making folds in the fabric and then using a shape (wood/ other materials) as a resist. This shape to resist needs to be placed on both sides of the folded cloth and then is held together tightly with a clamp.
Cupro
(n.) a fabric made from regenerated cellulose fibres from recycled cotton linter, the fluffy fibre around the plant's seeds. It is a by-product of the cotton industry as it is the scrap cotton that remains on the cotton plant after the cotton harvest is complete and usually gets discarded during cotton production.
Chevron
(n.) a V shape stripe that forms repetitive pattern
Cotton Mul
(n.) a soft, fine and light weave of cotton. Such fabrics are very soft, lightweight and very breathable.
Drape
(v.) to arrange or hang fabric softly and gracefully over a form or body, often used to describe the natural fall of fabric in garment design.
F-J
Gathering
(v.) a sewing technique where fabric is bunched together to create fullness, texture, or volume in a garment.
Gota Patti
(n.) a technique of zari applique wherein the zari ribbon edges are sewn down on fabric edges.
Hand Embroidery
(n.) the art of decorating fabric using needle and thread by hand to create patterns, motifs, or textures.
Handloom
(n.) any loom, other than powerloom; and includes any hybrid loom on which at least one process for weaving requires manual intervention or human energy for production
Handwoven
(adj.) (of fabric) woven by hand or on an unpowered loom.
Indigo
(n.) a natural blue dye derived from the indigo plant, widely used in hand-dyeing and resist-dyeing processes across various Indian traditions.
K-O
Kala Cotton
(n.) an indigenous cotton grown across the region of Kutch, the texture of kala cotton is not too soft or too coarse. It is an ideal crop in this region as it grows in adverse weather conditions and is a rain-fed crop requires no irrigation. It is Handwoven in Kutch, Gujarat, India.
Kantha
(n.) a century old tradition of stitching patchwork cloth from rags for the purpose of repurposing done using quilting using running stitch.
Kediyu
(n.) a garment worn by men in the rural coastal parts of western Gujarat, India. The traditional kediyu is a long sleeved upper garment, pleated at the chest, which reaches to the waist.
Khadi / खादी
(n.) a handspun and handwoven fabric, typically cotton, that became a symbol of India’s independence movement. Known for its texture and breathability.
Kota Doria
(n.) a light woven fabric made of tiny woven squares (khat) which is still handwoven on traditional pit looms in Kaithoon near Kota in Rajasthan and in some of the surrounding areas.
Kala Cotton
an indigenous, organic cotton variety from the Kutch region of Gujarat, India, that is entirely rain-fed and requires no pesticides or synthetic fertilizers
Layering
(v.) the act of wearing multiple garments over one another for styling or functional purposes, often used in seasonal, trans-seasonal, or modular collections.
Lining
(n.) an inner layer of fabric used to finish a garment, add comfort, or provide structure — often hidden but integral to construction.
Macramé
(n.) a form of textile produced using knotting techniques which regained popularity in recent years
Mukaish
Mukaish is an ancient embroidery technique from the Indian subcontinent, also known as Badla work, that uses thin strips of silver or gold to create shimmering patterns on fabric
Needlework
Needlework is a broad term for decorative sewing and textile arts that use a needle to pass thread or yarn through fabric to create patterns, textures, and designs.
Ombré
(n.) blending of one colour hue to another in a smooth transition
P-T
Patchwork
(v.) the craft of sewing in which small pieces of cloth in different designs, colours, or textures are sewn together.
Poplin
(n.) a plain woven fabric, typically made with lightweight cotton with corded surface.
Powerloom
(n.) a loom operated by mechanical or electrical power.
Quilting
(v.) Quilting is the term given to the process of joining layers of fabric together either through stitching manually by hand using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a sewing machine.
Reversible
(v.) a garment that can be worn both ways/ inside-out.
Recycle
(v.) convert (waste) into reusable material.
Selvedge
(n.) the tightly woven edge of a fabric which prevents it from fraying; often used as a sign of high-quality handloom weaving.
Stitch Resist
(v.) it involves stitching the fabric in various shapes and motifs prior to dyeing which leads to resist in dyeing of the parts that have been stitched leading to formation of the print.
Screen Printing
(n.) a process of printing pattern by forcing dye pigments through a prepared screen of fine material done in an order to create a picture.
U-Z
Upcycle
(v.) to reuse in such a way that the resulting product is of a higher value than the original item
Zari
(n.) a type of gold thread used decoratively on clothing or in the weave of textiles.
Zero Waste
(v.) the conservation of all resources by means of responsible production, consumption, reuse, and recovery of products, packaging, and materials.
