For a lot of our pouches and bags we use a particular type of border that is typically green or red with gold. These borders are part of a traditional piece of cloth that men in South India wear during prayer time, festivals, weddings etc. Some are cotton with woven borders while some are made of pure silk. Most men own at least a couple of these. The cloth is usually white and is ideal for lounging around at home. The cotton fabric ensures it is cool and comfortable in the hot summer months. These 6 meter pieces of cloth are called "DHOTIS" or "VESHTIS" (not to be confused with LUNGIS, which are typically colorful and serve the same purpose but do not have borders).
Every traditional household in South India has several of these lying around. Once the life of the dhoti is done people usually use the soft white cotton fabric but the borders are not used. We cut the borders and keep them to enhance our pouches. We wash the borders carefully and dry them in the sun before attaching them to the pouches. While the washing takes away the smell of camphor and incense, the border still evokes memories of prayer time and the special sweets that are made during festival time.