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Article by Asha joshi
Long time ago, it has been founded as the art of needle and thread. It is a creative and expressive craft of India. It usually done by the Embroidery artists to enhance the beauty of fabric, it is simply just a fabric a needle and thread, in some embroideries it incorporate some other materials like sequins, pearls, quills, beads etc. In past decades embroidery was known as the status symbol of people. Only the people of wealthy families wore embroidered clothes. Indians are so popular for embroidered clothes, sabyasanchi and Manish malhotra are so popular Indian fashion designers who are popular for their embroidered designer clothes. In india embroidery is formed on the basis of texture and the design of the fabric. As we all know India is a multidimensional country, it has so many states, so many cultures so many languages, so many rituals, and so many embroideries. India has 28 states and every state has a different kinda embroidery, which shows their culture and tradition.
EMBROIDERY OF KASHMIR : Kashmeer is also known as the Switzerland of India, because it is beautiful and high in culture. It is popular for its beauty and its fascinating embroideries. The popular embroideries of India are : sozni, crewel gabba, Tila, ari work, rekzar, kashida, amli and mochi. Exquisite needlework allowed by complex thread work involves a single long stitch to distinguish the design, let’s take a deep dive on it.
SOZNI EMBROIDERY : It is one of the most popular embroidery of kashmir, this needlework technique is used to adorn pashmina shawls, to make the shawl look encrusted like tapestry by layering fine embroidery.
CREWEL EMBROIDERY : This thousand years old technique used to decorate wool fabric.
GABBA EMBROIDERY :It is used as a prayer rug, blanket, mattress and carpet, made by kashmeeri women during winter.
TILA EMBROIDERY :It is a traditional craft of kashmir, done on pherans and shawls with the help of silver and gold metallic thread.
ARI WORK :It is a type of decorative needle work which produces a chain stitch. It is also popular as tambour embroidery.
REKZAR EMBROIDERY : It is very similar to sozni embroidery, it is constitutes of longer stitches.
KASHIDA EMBROIDERY : It is a needlework done by embroidererof Kashmir, popular for its colour texture design and technique.
AMLI EMBROIDERY : It is used to decorate shawls (woven decoration) by so many colourful thread.
MOCHI EMBROIDERY : It is done by cotton and silk untwisted thread (called pat), on coarser fabric for making ghagra and choli.
EMBROIDERY OF HIMACHAL : Himachal is popular for its leather work, metalware, woodwork, paintings and its embroideries, some of its popular embroideries are Chamba and applique work.
CHAMBA RUMAL : It is popular Handicraft of himachal, which is done in rectangular and square shaped hanky of Mulmul, maslin, khaddar with the help of silk thread.
APPLIQUE THANGKAS : Thangka is an religious and spiritual message of Tibet. It is done on cotton fabric with silk thread.
EMBROIDERY OF PUNJAB :It is rich in culture and tradition. Its art and crafts are so popular in all India and all over the world. Among all crafts phulkari is so popular art form of punjab.
PHULKARI EMBROIDERY : It is a traditional embroidery of punjab, madeup on thick fabrics (cotton, khaddar) by dark bright colours :red, orange, blue etc.
EMBROIDERY OF UTTAR PRADESH : It’s culture has roots in both Hindi and Urdu. It reflects the traditional essence of Uttar pradesh, some of its popular embroideries are zardozi, patti work, chikan kari, jangla, aughi, naqsha.
ZARDOZI EMBROIDERY : It is a traditional embroidery of lukhnow since mughal empire. It is done by silver and gold thread and also famous as gold embroidery or zari work.
PATTI WORK EMBROIDERY : It was famous during mughal period, It is a kind of applique ( patch work) in which the cutted fabric hemmed into muslin fabric with the help of stem stitch.
CHICKANKARI EMBROIDERY : The technique of creation of chikan work is known as chikankari. It is done on chiffon, silk, muslin, organza etc with the help of White thread.
MUKESH EMBROIDERY : It is a kind of metal embroidery, which done in chiffon, georgete and silk fabrics in which a li’ll strand of metallic wire inserted into the fabric and twisted to create metallic embroidery.
AUGHI EMBROIDERY : It was popular embroidery during mughal era, it has been seen as a ornamentation on footwear in that time. It has been done by gold and silver thread.
EMBROIDERY OF RAJASTHAN : Rajasthan is a land filled with folk arts, traditions and cultures and Its culture attracts so many tourists in rajasthan. So many types of arts are practiced in this state. Its folk art is devided into multidimension. Its embroidery is one of them, embroidery of rajasthan includes dozens of embroidery styles that vary by its region. Every embroidery has its own story, and unique quality, to know the Embroideries of rajasthan let’s take a deedive into it.
RABARI :Rabari embroidery was popular among nomadic tribes of rajasthan. It shows the tradition culture and life of Rabari people of that time, it includes chain stitch, back stitch and herringbone.
SHISHA EMBROIDERY : It is also known as mirror work, in this embroidery, mirrors of different shapes are fixed onto a fabric, and sometime mirrors have been replaced by reflective mirror pieces.
GOTA PATTI EMBROIDERY : It is also known as gota work, in this embroidery, small pieces of zari ribbon, applied onto the fabric with the edges sewn down to create elaborate patterns.
MEGHWAL EMBROIDERY : It is a popular embroidery of meghwal community it is a kind of mirror embroidery which is rich in colours (red, orange, green) and has elaborated motifs and polished edges.
DABKA EMBROIDERY : It is also known as dapka embroidery. It is detailed type of needlework done by 3-4 karigars at a time, motifs of this embroidery are flowers, leaves and peacock.
RALLI EMBROIDERY : It is a kind of patchwork, in which the piece of cloth torn into squares and triangles and then stitched together. It is good to recycle the fabric.
APPLIQUE OF BARMER EMBROIDERY : It is a kind of patchwork, which is very ancient in technique. In this technique single patterns of different pieces of clothes being sewed in a fabric. Pieces of fabric are applied on top of another for decorative or functional purposes. These can easily found in museums.
TILONIA APPLIQUE EMBROIDERY : It is a traditional embroidery of rajasthan, this style of applique taught to women of tilonia. In this embroidery abstract motifs are cut from block printed fabrics and then stitched on to fabric base.
EMBROIDERY OF BIHAR : Bihar is one of the eastern state of India, which has rich historical past. It has always a center of attention for all. Its culture, traditions, and folk arts are popular among all over world. It is popular for its craftmanship, textile and embroideries. The crafts, textiles and embroideries of this state shows its culture, some of its popular embroideries are sujani and khatwa.
SUJANI EMBROIDERY : sujani or sujini is a compound word of su and Jani, which means easy birth. In this embroidery old clothes are layered with new clothes. The motifs of this embroidery are related to birth giving process.
KHATWA : It is popular applique work of Bihar which recycle old fabric. It is mainly used to create designer tents, canopies and shamianas etc.
EMBROIDERY OF GUJARAT : It is a flourishing state with cultural diversity, it is popular for jewellery, furniture, metal work, mirror work and its embroideries. Kutch embroidery of Gujarat is its textile signature.
ZARI EMBROIDERY : It is a most popular Handicraft of Gujarat, it is done with metallic thread (kalabattu). Zari work is an intricate art of weaving threads made of fine gold and silver. Surat is famous for its art.
DHADKI EMBROIDERY : The word dhadki means’ pieced together’. It is a kind of patchwork in which the pieces of old fabrics are quilted together.
AHIR EMBROIDERY : It is a famous embroidery of ahir community of Gujarat, ahir means fearless, though the people of Gujarat identify themselves as herdsmen, who came with krishna to dwarka and followed gop culture. In this embroidery the motifs are geometric and colours used are yellow orange black and red.
SOOF EMBROIDERY : The women of sudha community makes soof embroidery, it is their tradition. The Embroidery has been done from reverse side.
PAKKO EMBROIDERY : The women of sodha and jadeja community usually practiced this embroidery. The motifs of this embroidery are parrots, elephants & peacocks.
JAT EMBROIDERY : Jat was the people of North Western India, their popular embroidery was known as Jat embroidery, in which the cross stitches worked in geometric patterns.
RABARI : It is practiced by women of sodha and jadeja communities from kutch region of Gujarat. In this embroidery (abla or abhla) mirrors are used by the artisans.
KAMBIRA : The harijan community of Gujarat make these kind of embroidery, the symmetrical patterns of this embroidery gives it 3- d look.
EMBROIDERY OF MANIPUR : It is a northeastern state of India which is also known as jewel of India,Manipuri shamilami is its popular embroidery.
SHAMILAMI EMBROIDERY : It is called shamilami because of the animal prints used in this embroidery, Manipuri shamilami means wild animal patterned warrior clothes.
EMBROIDERY OF MEGHALAYA : It is north eastern state of India, popular for its high rainfall and also for its culture. It has a variety of hand woven textiles, with unique characteristics that reflects the states culture
KHNENG : It is a popular embroidery of khneng Village (meghalaya), this embroidery has done only in borders.
EMBROIDERY OF ODISHA : It is a multidimensional state, its popular for silk ikat weaves. Textile products are produced in every district of this state. Sambalpuri sarees and Berhampur silk sarees are popular sarees of this state. This state is famous for its sarees, textiles and also for embroideries.
PIPLI EMBROIDERY : It is a kind of applique work in which, straight stitch, satin stitch, blind stitch, buttonhole stitch are used by artisans.
EMBROIDERY OF TELANGANA : It is a south Indian state, banjara tribe of this state is so popular among all, their traditions and cultures are still followed by the people of this state, one oftheir popular tradition was banjara embroidery.
DONGRIYAKONDH EMBROIDERY : It is woven by spinsters in their leisure time though it’s use is not gender specific.
BANJARA EMBROIDERY : It is popular for its vibrant colours, woolen tessels, cowrie shells, beads, mirrors, cotton and embellishment.
EMBROIDERY OF KARNATAKA : It is a southwestern state of India, which is popular for its folk art, music, dance, drama, textile and embroidery, also for its silk sarees and embroideries.
KASUTI EMBROIDERY : It is a traditional form of embroidery practiced in the state of karnataka, the colours mostly used in this embroidery are orange, green, purple, red.
SANDUR LAMBANI EMBROIDERY : It is popular embroidery of sandur town( karnataka) , it has 14 kind of stitches and the motifs used in this embroidery are geometrical in shape…….
