Hand Woven Cotton Throw, Ochre Diamond

Product: Elegant, very soft, hand-woven cotton blanket with small fringes. 140 x 230cm

A beautiful natural coloured weave, delicately patterned in a light shade of ochre yellow. A perfect touch of texture for any room, can be used as a bedspread or throw for a sofa.

Khadi cotton is both hand-spun and hand-woven. Our throws are very soft, they are woven by a community of women in northern India using traditional weaving techniques.

Craft: Khadi is handmade in Indian homes from cotton, silk or wool yarn spun on a wheel, or 'charkha'. It is woven with the greatest respect for the environment, using few resources such as water or electricity, and is strong and resistant. Khadi is a unique Indian fabric, much valued not only because it is entirely hand-woven, but also for its cultural significance.

This textile tradition was revived by Mahatma Gandhi, who saw the fabric as a tool to bring financial independence to Indians across the country who would practise this craft at home. In his own words:

"I have often said that, if the seven lakhs of the villages of India were to be kept alive, and if peace that is at the root of all civilization is to be achieved, we have to make the spinning-wheel the centre of all handicrafts. ...The spinning-wheel represents to me the hope of the masses....The conviction dawned upon me even before I came to India that the revival of hand-spinning alone could restore India to its pristine glory. I have since compared the spinning-wheel to the central sun round which the solar system of our village economy revolves. It provides the golden bridge between the rich and the poor. "