List of products by brand Dhaliya Craft

Amit Kumar Dhaliya comes from a family who have been making Punjabi Juttis for four generations. Amitji has been involved in the craft since the last 20 years,after dropping out from school at a younger age he has been helping his father in making Juttis. Amit Kumar constantly innovates with new designs and uses of a variety of different materials and fabrics.

There were about 800 families making juttis in Patiala, now only 4-5 families make them. There is a demand for his juttis in the area, in the cities and even abroad.  The demand has grown considerably due to the new fashion trends. Both men and women are involved in the making of jutties, 8 men do the stitching and 12 women do the embroidery.

Originally made of local leather, it developed different styles based on variations in climate, materials and usage of different regions. In Punjab, this traditional footwear continues to be popular, with Patiala being an important production center and market for the jutti. The Patiala jutti was once associated with ornate designs on leather, in metallic thread embroidery, as favored by the royal family of Patiala. In the present time, the traditional craftsmen who make the juttis have a wide variety of materials to choose from. The so-called Patiala or Punjabi jutti is thus no longer restricted to leather or to metallic thread-work. The process of making the Patiala Jutti involves a craftsman using a wooden template for a jutti. This will be inserted in the shoe in order to ensure the correct shape and size. Its use also stretches the leather, preventing any unwanted wrinkles. Wooden templates also do not have a distinct left or right foot. This particular form is popularly used for making men’s juttis. The front is elongated, curving upwards. The template used for women’s juttis, along with a finished piece. The front is rounded, with a slight depression in the center.

The jutti is made of essentially three sections: the sole, the front upper and back. In earlier times, different varieties and grades of leather were used for each of these parts. While leather is still used, a large part of jutti production is now done with alternative materials such as artificial leather (rexine or Taiwanese sheet), rubber, foam, hardboard and fabrics. Artisans are specialized and each responsible for a particular task. An artisans makes designs on the upper side of leather,with the help of wooden sticks and by putting pressuring layers on the jutti's back by using a mallet to give it a proper shape. An artisan die-cuts material for the sole. Traditionally, tough hide was used for this purpose, after it had been treated and softened. Most production has now shifted to using the Taiwanese sheet, a type of artificial leather. The primary tools of the artisan: a cutter, ramba, and a wooden mallet used for flattening and applying pressure. A foam sheet being marked to cut out a layer of padding for the sole. Only tough leather is used for the sole, without any padding or softening layer, layers are stuck together that make up the insole, padding and sole of the jutti. A craftswoman adding a line of metallic thread embroidery to a shoe upper. While men do the cutting, assembling and stitching of the jutti, the work of adding design and embellishment is done by women artisans. However, some functions, such as the internal stitching in the sole of the shoe, are still done entirely by hand. While the more affordable products, made of cheaper materials, have expanded the market for juttis, the most prized pieces are still the leather ones with fine hand work.The sewing on the inside of the jutti. Although technological advancements have enabled various processes to become mechanized, the stitching of the different parts of the jutti is still done by hand. An artisan applies a softening solution in preparation to stitching the sole. Buffalo or ox hide was the common material used for the sole earlier; various synthetic alternatives are now available.Finally, the jutti is stained or painted upon as per the requirement. Here, the leather jutti is stained to a tan color.

A stack of ready juttis with punched designs on them kept to dry. Some embellishment like adding hand painted elements on the jutti, is also done at the end. Here, a woman sits in the courtyard of her home, painting designs on juttis. The final stage is a craftsperson checking the finished pieces and clipping extra unwanted threads.