This category covers nakshi kantha quilts and throws, kantha-stitched shawls, stoles, cushion covers and runners, and handloom fabric sold by the piece. Sarees have their own page. For the general rules on names, honest claims and the reply format, see the JADUZ listing guide.
What to measure and how to state it
Lay the piece flat, smooth it without stretching and measure edge to edge through the middle. Hand-stitched pieces are rarely perfectly square, so measure both ends too and give the larger figure or a range. State inches first and centimetres in brackets.
- Quilts, throws and bedspreads: length × width, for example 60 × 90 in (152 × 229 cm). Say what bed or use it suits ("a lap throw", "fits a single bed") only if you have checked.
- Shawls and stoles: length × width, and whether the length includes fringes or tassels.
- Cushion covers: the insert size it fits, and how it closes (zip, buttons or an envelope back).
- Fabric by the piece: length in metres and inches and width in inches and centimetres, for example 2.5 m (98 in) long and 44 in (112 cm) wide.
- Weight, if you can weigh it. A thick, many-layered kantha and a light single-layer stole feel very different, and the weight tells a buyer which one this is.
Materials and techniques to name
Name the base cloth (cotton, handloom cotton, silk, endi silk, linen or khadi), whether it is new or recycled from old saris, and how many layers it has. Name the thread (cotton, silk or acrylic) and whether you dyed it by hand. Then name the stitch: running stitch (the kantha stitch), close filling stitch, lohori wave patterns, cross stitch, chain stitch or appliqué. Say plainly whether the whole piece is hand-stitched or whether the edges or lining were finished by machine. Name the motifs you stitched, such as a lotus, tree of life, kalka, boats, fish, birds or village scenes. If one person drew the design and others stitched it, you can say so.
Care
Most kantha and handloom pieces do best with a gentle hand wash in cold water with mild soap, no wringing, and drying flat in the shade. Say if a hand-dyed thread may bleed in the first wash and suggest washing the piece on its own. Silk, zari or embellished pieces are safer dry cleaned. Mention ironing: a warm iron on the reverse, and no iron over raised embroidery.
Example names
- Hand-stitched nakshi kantha throw, lotus and boat motifs, 54 × 84 in (137 × 213 cm)
- Kantha-stitched cotton stole, indigo with white running stitch, 22 × 72 in (56 × 183 cm)
- Two-layer recycled sari kantha quilt, multicolour, 60 × 90 in (152 × 229 cm)
- Hand-embroidered kantha cushion cover, fish motif, 16 × 16 in (41 × 41 cm)
Questions buyers ask
- Is every stitch done by hand? Is there a machine-stitched edge?
- Is it new cloth or recycled saris, and will prints from the inner layers show through?
- How heavy and how warm is it? Is it for winter or a summer bed?
- Will the colour run?
- What does the back look like? Buyers often want to see the reverse, so photograph it.
Words to avoid
Don't write "pure silk", "100% cotton" or "natural dye" unless you know the material and the dye. Leave out "museum quality", "heirloom", "best quality", "rare", "last piece" or "limited edition" used as sales pressure, invented discounts, ALL CAPS and emojis. If a design took a long time, describe what was done, such as "the ground is filled with close rows of running stitch", instead of claiming a number of hours you didn't count.