Maheshwari saris are usually crafted from cotton, and have a pallu on both ends for versatility. The body features light checks, while the pallu has three or five characteristic stripes in two complementary colours. Weavers traditionally use fixed pit looms, as well as metal looms these days. They also add silk yarns with the cotton, with abstract motifs and occasional zari borders. The diverse range of natural dyes come from the palash flower, satalu peach plant and harada, a kind of tropical almond.