India has a rich cultural heritage and the art of hand-weaving formed its integral part. Indian weaving history can be traced by the fragments of woven cotton and bone needles to Harappa and Mohenjo-Daro (approx. 5000 years back), which are the ancient seats of Indian Valley Civilization.

The trend continued for centuries until industrialization and demand for cheap mass-produced goods meant weaving skills were almost lost until a timely revival in ethnic and ethical products.

Among the hundreds of small scale and cottage arts and crafts that have survived in the present day India, the handloom weaving is perhaps the most important and occupies a proud place.

The traditional weaving in India involved cotton, silk, jute and other fabrics.

Weaving takes place in many regions of India. Each region has a different traditional design for motifs, designs and colors. The most prominent traditional Indian Handloom Sarees are  Kanchipuram Silk Sarees, Maheshwari Saree, Bagh Print Saree, Chanderi Silk Sarees, Tussar silk saree, Banarasi Silk Saree, Baluchuri Sarees, Sambalpuri Sarees, Kantha stitch Sarees, Bhadhini Sarees and Munga Sarees.

With this workshop, Earthworm is making an effort to take kids on the traditional weaving journey where they can experience the rich heritage of India and appreciate it. With declining art and craft, let the kids take an experience of the ethnic and ethical products and accept the importance.

In this workshop kids will understand the

• History of handlooms
• The science of handlooms and how they work
• See the various traditional fabrics and sarees and know the difference and key identification points
• Try their hands on the traditional loom, smaller version of the loom and basic loom and
• Take back their own weaved piece of the fabric

The only requirement is for the kids to bring old pieces of fabric along, if possible.