Design Resource
Moonj Basketry - Allahabad
The craft of Moonj-wild grass products
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Dyeing
Dyeing is done to color the grass. Kaccha rang-raw colors are used to dye the grass. Water is boiled at high temperature in aluminum container and the color powder is added to it. The dried off-white Moonj grass is immersed in the boiling solution to absorb the color. During the dyeing process salt is added to the boiling solution as it helps to sustain the color for a longer period. The grass is removed once it attains color and allowed to dry under shade. The dyed grass is mainly used to create and highlight the motif patterns. Red and green are the two main dominating colors used in basket weaving. Purple, brown, pink colors are rarely used as per the customer requirement.
