Leheria dyeing is done on thin
cotton or
silk cloth, usually in lengths appropriate for
dupatta,
turbans or
saris. According to
World Textiles: A Visual Guide to Traditional Techniques, the fabric is "rolled diagonally from one corner to the opposite
selvedge, and then tied at the required intervals and dyed". Wave patterns result from fanlike folds made before dyeing. Traditional leheria employs
natural dyes and multiple washes and uses
indigo or
alizarin during the final stage of preparation.
Mothara An additional dyeing using the leheria technique produces
mothara. In the making of mothara, the original resists are removed and the fabric is re-rolled and tied along the opposite diagonal. This results in a checkered pattern with small undyed areas occurring at regular intervals. The undyed areas are about the size of a
lentil, hence the name
mothara (
moth means lentil in Hindi). == Use ==