Thulma blanket weaving is an important source of income for the displaced Tibetan Community. The foundation of the blanket weaving is done by cotton thread. The wool is bought from, Tibet and Dharchula by Gandhi ashram khadi uddyog (NGO). The processed wool is provided to the villages by the ‘NGO’ to weave the blanket.
The artisan spins the processed wool in to thread using the traditional method of hand spinning. This hand spin threads is used in fly/throw shuttle while weaving. Threads which are attached to the loom to weave the blanket is spun in charkha machine. The threads are attached to the weaving loom to weave them into Blanket. A wooden log is fixed to the ground to which the warp is tied. This warp is attached to the weaving loom through the four reed .The weaver uses 4 pedaled pit looms to weave the blanket. While weaving a bamboo stick is fixed on woven blanket to maintain the stiffness of the blanket. Woolen thread is arranged on a bamboo stick, which is inserted in the fly/throw shuttle and used while weaving. The wool is weaved into long strips of blanket. Once the weaving is complete the blanket is washed to remove the extra fiber and dried in the sun. Blanket is brushed with a pointed teeth brush on the upper surface, to bring out the hairy texture. This method of washing and brushing is continued until the soft bushiness of the wool is felt.
After the brushing process is done four strips of blanket is stitched together and converted into a big Thulma blanket. This blanket is not dyed in color, they are basically weaved in white woolen thread. Dying is done by the NGO according to the customer’s demand after weaving.
After the brushing process is done four strips of blanket is stitched together and converted into a big Thulma blanket. This blanket is not dyed in color, they are basically weaved in white woolen thread. Dying is done by the NGO according to the customer’s demand after weaving.
