By style

• Darted everyday blouse: cotton, khun, cotton silk.
• Katori and princess: firm silk, brocade, cotton with a strong lining.
• Puff and gathered sleeves: soft silk, organza (for stand-up puffs), cotton voile.
• Boat neck and high neck: firm fabrics that hold a line.
• Jacket and cape: velvet, brocade, organza, net.
• Heavy embroidery: raw silk, velvet, firm silk; always lined.

By occasion

• Office: cotton, linen, handloom.
• Puja and temple: silk, cotton silk.
• Weddings: silk, brocade, velvet in winter, net and organza for sangeet and reception.

By body and comfort

• Soft, breathable fabrics for long days, pregnancy and older skin.
• Firmer fabrics and linings give more support for full busts.
• Stretch blends for those who prefer an easy fit.

By skill

• Beginner: plain cotton, no pattern to match.
• Improver: cotton silk, khun, small prints.
• Experienced: silk, brocade, velvet, net, stretch.

• Cotton lining (soft “blouse lining” cloth): the usual choice. Breathes and absorbs sweat.
• Silk or satin lining: smooth, for sheer or delicate outer fabrics; less absorbent.
• Interfacing: a stiffening layer for collars, boat necks and areas with heavy embroidery. Fusible (iron-on) or sew-in.
• Canvas or buckram: for very structured blouses and capes.
• Pre-shrink the lining as well as the outer fabric, or it pulls after the first wash.

• Hold it to the light: even weave, no thin patches.
• Scrunch it: does it crease badly and stay creased?
• Pull gently on the bias: does it stretch out of shape?
• Rub the zari: real or good zari is smooth; poor zari sheds or tarnishes.
• Test a corner for colour: rub with a damp white cloth. Colour on the cloth means it may bleed.
• Check the burn test (on a tiny snip, safely, outdoors) if you need to know the fibre: cotton smells of paper and leaves soft ash; silk smells of hair; polyester melts into a hard bead. See Know Your Fabrics.

• Pre-wash cotton the way you will wash the blouse.
• Cut silk with weights, not pins, inside the seam allowance.
• Use a fresh fine needle on silk, net and organza.
• Keep a swatch book: a small piece of every fabric you sew, with notes.
• Teachers: a “feel the fabric” session with ten swatches is worth an hour of theory.
• Readers abroad: heavier silks and velvet suit colder climates; line everything for comfort under coats.

“The blouse piece that comes with the saree is always enough.”

For short sleeves, usually. For long sleeves, larger sizes or designs, often not.

“Polyester is always bad.”

Some blends wear and wash very well. They are less breathable, so choose them for short events.

“Silk can’t be washed.”

Many silks can be hand-washed carefully. Zari and embroidery are the parts that need dry cleaning. See Module 8, Caring for your blouses.

For earning: advising on fabric is a service. Customers trust a tailor who tells them, before cutting, that the piece is too small or the fabric needs a lining.

For teaching: link every fabric to a style: “this khun for a darted blouse, this organza for a puff sleeve”.

• Teacher to check: the fabric quantities, which depend on width, size and design.
• Climate notes are general.
• Burn tests are a rough guide; blends confuse them.

• Can you choose a fabric for an office blouse and one for a bridal blouse?
• Do you know how much fabric a short-sleeved blouse usually needs?
• Do you pre-shrink cotton and lining?
• Can you name two quality checks?

• Blouse piece: the length of fabric for a blouse, often attached to the saree.
• Drape: how a fabric falls.
• Interfacing: a stiffening layer.
• Pile: the raised surface of velvet.
• Bias: the diagonal of the weave; the stretchiest direction.