Mashru
A quaint blend of cotton and silk, and the textile our Patan Center works to keep alive by training women in Mashru weaving.
Patan, Gujarat
Patan Center
Upholding the culture of handcrafted wonder
20 womenfirst brought together to learn Mashru weaving
Patan Center
The revival of Mashru craft of Patan
The Patan Center of Gramshree focuses on the revival of Mashru craft, which was becoming obsolete due to the lack of fair wages received by artisans.
Mashru is widely known for its quaint blend of cotton and silk. To keep the textile alive, Gramshree initially brought 20 women together to educate them in Mashru weaving.
The Craft
Two textiles, one living heritage
Along with Mashru, Patan is also known for its renowned Patola sarees.
Patola sarees
A practice performed by generations of families, Patola is a skill-intensive, handwoven art form.
Families and their values
Having two textiles in practice makes Patan a great place for the holistic development of both the families and their traditional values.
PatchworkRamiben leads this department at Patan
Meet the Artisan
Ramiben Makwana, master artisan of patchwork
Ramiben is among the founding artisans of Gramshree Patan Center.
In the interiors of Patan, Gramshree witnessed the creativity and skill of local women artisans turning patches of cloth into functional creations. Ramiben was among the few highly skilled and passionate patchwork artisans who connected with Gramshree to earn for her family and uplift the sisters of her community. Her passion and love for the craft have made her the leader of the Patchwork department of Gramshree Patan Center.
- Helps marginalised women become skilled artisans
- Trains women and conducts workshops
- Aims to generate as much employment as possible through handicrafts for the people of Patan, especially women
Our Journey
Patan in the Gramshree story
How our work in Patan grew, from Gramshree’s founding to weaving at the Patan Center.
- 1995
Gramshree is founded
Smt. Anandiben Patel, who later became the first woman Chief Minister of Gujarat, founded Gramshree with social entrepreneur Smt. Anarben Patel.
- 2001-02
A centre in Patan
Gramshree started working in Ludiya village and started a centre in Patan.
- 2003-05
Weaving begins
Gramshree started weaving at Patan, and a new production centre at Ranip, Ahmedabad.
20Women first trained in Mashru weaving
2Textiles in practice: Mashru and Patola
3Gramshree centres: Patan, Ludiya, Rudra
30+Years of Gramshree, since 1995
Our Centres
Explore our other centres
Our centres bring women together to learn, earn and create, keeping traditional textile arts alive for the next generation.
See all our work
Ludiya, Kutch
Ludiya Center
Embroidering a beautiful life
One of the oldest centres established by Gramshree, Ludiya specialises in pure Kutchhi handcrafted products of embroidery and weaving.
Ahmedabad
Rudra Center
Building an inspiring community, one stitch at a time
A space that enables women of Ahmedabad’s slum communities to be catalysts of economic and social change, bringing prosperity through patchwork.
Help keep Patan’s textiles alive
When one woman is trained, the ripple effect reaches her children, her neighbours and the wider community. Sponsor our work or give your time.