Embroidery

What it is

Embroidery is the decoration of cloth by stitching thread onto it with a needle. Unlike brocade or jamdani, where the pattern is woven in, embroidery is added after the cloth exists, so the same plain saree can be embroidered in many ways. Stitches range from tiny flat ones to raised knots and loops. On Indian sarees the thread may be cotton, silk, wool or metal wire, and the base fabric may be georgette, chiffon, cotton, silk or net. Regional styles are distinguished by their stitches, motifs and colour choices, and many are linked to particular communities, as with Lucknow chikankari, which developed among Muslim craft families.

How it is made, step by step

A pattern is first drawn or block printed on the cloth in a washable ink, and the cloth is stretched on a frame or held in the lap. Embroiderers then work the design with a needle, using stitches that vary by style: in chikankari, shadow work, the tepchi and the murri; in kasuti, the gavanti and the negi; in zardozi, couched metal thread. Different people may do different parts, one stitching the flowers and another the leaves. After finishing, the printed lines are washed away. Fine pieces take weeks. Cloth may be stretched on a wooden adda frame for metal work, while cotton stitches are worked in the lap.

The motifs and looks it is known for

Chikankari is white thread on pale cloth, with floral sprays and the murri, a small rice-grain stitch, and shadow work which shows from the reverse as a soft veil. Phulkari means flower work and fills the cloth with geometric designs in bright silk floss, though it is more often a shawl or dupatta than a saree. Kasuti of Karnataka uses counted stitches in tiny temple, palanquin and elephant motifs. Kantha uses running stitches on layered cloth. Zardozi is gold and silver thread work with sequins and stones. Embroidered sarees are common as party wear, where borders, pallus and scattered buttis carry the work.

Where it is made

Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh is the home of chikankari, with workers in the old city and villages nearby, mostly women. Zardozi is done in Lucknow, Agra, Bhopal and Delhi, and historically in Surat, with male artisans doing most of the frame work. Kasuti is worked in Dharwad and Hubli in Karnataka. Bengal has kantha, and Punjab has phulkari. Gujarat and Kutch have mirror and bead embroidery by pastoral communities. Kashmir has sozni and aari work, usually on shawls and sarees. Sindh and Pakistan have their own variants. Embroidery is a widespread home industry, and it often depends on contractors who supply cloth and collect finished pieces at piece rates.

History in brief

Embroidery appears in cultures across the world, and Indian needlework is old, with references in ancient texts to gold-thread work. Chikankari is often linked to the Mughal court, though accounts of its precise origin vary, and it was patronised in Awadh, the region around Lucknow. Zardozi flourished under Mughal emperors, and after the court patronage ended, the trade declined and later revived. Kasuti was linked to the Chalukyan period, according to local tradition. Lucknow chikankari holds a Geographical Indication registration. In recent decades, designers and cooperatives have helped bring embroidery to a wider market, but wages for hand embroiderers remain low.

Buying and caring for it

Look at the back of the cloth. Hand embroidery has knots and thread tails tucked in, and the stitches may vary a little in size. Machine embroidery has even, mechanical rows, and a lock-stitch pattern is visible on the back. Chikankari shadow work, if genuine, shows on the back as dense crossed stitches. Machine imitation shows plain cloth behind the pattern. Ask whether work is by hand and who made it. Wash hand embroidery gently in cool water with mild soap and dry flat in the shade, and dry clean zardozi. Store folded in cotton with a layer of paper between layers, and avoid hanging heavy pieces, which pulls the stitches.

Where to look

• Lucknow chikankari: White-on-pale shadow work and murri stitches from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
• Kasuti: Counted stitch embroidery of Dharwad and Hubli in Karnataka.
• Zardozi: Heavy gold and silver thread work from Lucknow, Agra and Bhopal.
• Phulkari: Bright silk floss geometric embroidery of Punjab.
• Sozni: Fine needlework of Kashmir, often on shawls and sarees.
• Kutch embroidery: Mirror and bead work by communities of Kutch in Gujarat.
• Kantha: Running stitch embroidery of Bengal, covered as its own entry.

Care

• Wash hand embroidery gently in cool water and dry flat in shade.
• Dry clean zardozi and heavy pieces.
• Fold with paper between layers and avoid hanging heavy sarees.

Sources and further reading

• Embroidery of India on Wikipedia
• Chikankari, Wikipedia