PROCESS

The Wangkhei Phee is made with very fine white cotton yarn with a closely woven texture. The interlacing of cotton weft and warp is woven by women, in series and widely spaced from each other, which makes the fabric "fully transparent". Patches are incorporated by weaving with standard designs; the designs are called Kheiroithek, Thangjing Tangkai, KabokChaiba, and several others, and all have Moirang Phee designs on both of its longitudinal borders.

The weaving process involves two methods based on the use of shuttles: fly shuttle loom and throw shuttle loom. In the first type, it is made as a complete fabric in a single piece. In the second method, the fabric is made in two pieces and then joined by stitching to make it a full fabric.

Fabric & Dyes

The fiber used for making the yarn is derived from "Lashing" (Cotton ball) and "Kabrang" (Mulberry cocoon). It is also extracted from the bark of the tree species locally known as "Santhak". The local fiber is spun into threads and then dyed using the extracts of plants, bark, leaves, and flowers.