TEXTILE

HERITAGE
OF INDIA

UNNATI CHAURASIA
TD SEM-3
 TABLE OF CONTENT-

QUILTING AND DARNING

1. KANTHA EMBROIDERY
2. SUJANI EMBROIDERY

COUNTED THREAD WORK

1. PHULKARI EMBROIDERY
2. KASUTI EMBROIDERY
3. SOOF EMBROIDERY
4. TODA EMBROIDERY

WHITE WORK
1. CHIKANKARI EMBROIDERY
2. KASHIDAKARI EMBROIDERY
3. PARSI GARA EMBROIDERY
4. CHAMBA RUMAL EMBROIDERY
 1. QUILTING AND DARNING
Quilting is the term given to the process of joining a minimum
of three layers of fabric together either through stitching
manually using a needle and thread, or mechanically with a
sewing machine or specialised longarm quilting system.

Darning refers to any of several needlework techniques that are

worked using darning stitches:
.
Pattern darning is a type of embroidery that uses parallel rows of
straight stitches of different lengths to create a geometric design.
Net darning, also called filet lace, is a 19th-century technique
using stitching on a mesh foundation fabric to imitate lace.
Needle weaving is a drawn thread work embroidery technique
that involves darning patterns into barelaid warp or weft thread.
 KANTHA OF WEST BENGAL
1. Kantha is a centuries-old tradition of stitching patchwork cloth
from rags, which evolved from the thrift of rural women in the
Bengali region of the sub-continent - today the eastern Indian states
of West Bengal and Orissa, and Bangladesh.

2. Kantha" refers to both the style of running stitch, as well as the

finished cloth.
3. Kantha comprises of the simplest stitch in the language of
embroidery – the running stitch. It is the way in which this stitch is
used, in different arrangements, that forms the complex vocabulary
of kantha.
4. Traditionally, old cotton saris, lungis and dhotis, which had turned
incredibly soft through wear, were used to make kanthas, with the
thread for the stitching drawn out from the fabric itself. Recycling at
its best!
5. As with all traditional textiles,
kantha was influenced by external
factors such as material availability,
daily needs, climate, geography
and economic factors. Historically,
textile production was one of the
most labour-intensive industries, and
as such, textiles were highly valued.
Thus, the recycling of well used cloth-
turned-rags was a natural step in the
lifecycle of textiles the world over.
6. This most humble of cloths gave
free reign to the imaginations of the
women; kanthas told of folk beliefs
and practicies, religious ideas, themes
and characters from mythology and
epics and the social and personal
lives of the artisans; their dreams,
hopes and every day village
life. Although there is no strict
symmetry to nakshi kantha, a fine
piece will usually have a lotus as a
focal point, with stylised birds, plants,
fish, flowers and other scenes
surrounding this.
 SUJINI OF BIHAR
1. Sujini is also written as Sujani.
It is derived from ‘Su’ and ‘Jani’.
Su means simple and smooth while Jani means birth.
Sujini embroidery is an impressive textile art item.
It was also known as quilting earlier.
It is generally performed on a bed or quilt cover.

2. This was created with the old cloths before but now they use cloth
on which the embroidery has already been done.
Sujini embroidery is only created by women belonging to 15 suburbs
of Bhusra in Gaighat block, Muzaffarpur.
3. The process starts with drawing the
designs on the base fabric.
Then needleworkers start modelling the
background by fine running stitch.
Black or brown threads are utilised for
preparing the themes while the
colourful threads are utilised to fill
colours in the themes.
4. Motifs are stitched as per the choices
of women and show the need of a
mother for her newly born.
This is with the help of stitching done
using dark indicating forces of life, for
example, red and yellow colour.
While the red colour denotes blood,
yellow symbolises the Sun.

How is it different from Kantha stitch?

The main difference is that in Kantha
weaving craftsmen do not follow a
particular method of stitching as they
follow any direction of their choice
while Sunjini embroidery deals with
stitching carried out in straight lines.
Sujini is mainly on cream-coloured cloth
with motifs stitched using black thread
and various hues thread to fill colours.
 COUNTED THREAD WORK
Counted thread stitches are those which are worked on an
evenweave fabric (where the warp threads are of a similar
thickness and spacing to those of the weft). Stitches are counted
over a set number of threads which creates very even stitches.
 PHULKARI OF PUNJAB
1. The term "Phulkari" refers to Punjabi traditional needlework.
Although it refers to flowers, the designs also feature geometrical
patterns, which consist of flowers (phul) and shapes (Akari).
2. This style of clothing art is created on Kurtis, dupattas, stoles,
sarees, salwar suits, and juttis. Handwoven Phulkari dupattas &
Handwoven Phulkari sarees are some of the most famous forms of
work that originate from Punjab.
3. The Phulkari embroidery is created with colourful silken thread and
a darn stitch on the back of khaddar, a coarse cotton fabric. The
primary attribute of this kind of needlework is this.
4. Many stitches are employed, such as the running stitch, button
stitch, and herringbone stitch. These stitches were used to border
the khaddar or to make an attractive design. Typically, these
patterns and motifs are stitched and stitched from the underside of
the fabric, and the finer the thread, the more intricate the work
becomes.

Types of Phulkari Embroidery-

Sainchi
Kata
Chope
Suber
Tilak
Till Patra
Sheeshadar
Thirma
Darshan dwar
 KASUTI OF KARNATAKA
1. Kasuti is world famous embroidery of Karnataka state earlier
known as Mysore state, the motifs and art us a part of women’s
world. Kasuti embroidery speaks about the people of Karnataka, their
traditions, customs and professions.
2. The word Kasuti comprised of ‘Kai’ means hand and ‘Suti’ is
cotton thread, i.e. Kasuti is handwork of cotton thread in Karnataka
language.
3. The motifs used in Kasuti are from temple architecture, the
gopurams of South India and also lotus flower, raths and
palanquins, bird motifs such as parrot, the peacock, the swan and
the squirrel are common. Animal motifs used are the sacred bull, the
elephant and the deer.
4. The other designs used in Kasuti embroidery are cattle, cradle,
flower pot and Tulsi katte (katte is the enclosure for the sacred Tulsi
plant). One will rarely see horses, lions or tigers but catsa and dogs
are never seen. Among the floral motifs lotus is mostly used.
5. Stitches used are the simplest
and so minute that the effect of the
work is intricate and pretty. Four
types of stitches are used in Kasuti,
namely Gavanti, Murgi, Negi, and
Menthi. Some have mixed stitches
while others are worked in one stitch
only. Kasuti is done by counting the
number of threads.

6. The colours mostly used for

Kasuti are orange, green, purple and
red. The colour combination in these
four colours is red, orange and
purple or red, green and orange.
White is predominant on a black and
dark background. Blue and yellow
are rarely used as a combination
because if the contrasting harmony.
Bright pink, pale green and lemon
yellow are hardly used. T
TODA EMBROIDERY FROM TAMIL NADU
1. The Toda Embroidery, also locally known as “Pukhoor”, is an art
work among the Toda pastoral people of Nilgiris, in Tamil Nadu,
made exclusively by their women.
2. The embroidery, which has a fine finish, appears like a woven
cloth but is made with the use of red and black threads with a
white cotton cloth background. Both sides of the embroidered fabric
are usable and the Toda people are proud of its heritage.
3. The distinctive feature of the embroidery is that the patterns are
based on the thread counts unlike modern embroidery, which is
dependent on set patterns and designs.
4. The embroidery is done on specific fabrics with specific colours.
The primary colours used are red and black. The thickness of the
thread ensures that the pattern is finished with an embossed look.
5. The main raw material used were hand woven unbleached matted
and loosely woven cotton fabric, needle and two ply woollen
embroidery thread. The fabrics were purchased from Karoor, near
Tirupur Tamil Nadu.
6. The chosen colour of the base fabric is light cream or white. The
colours of the woollen threads are red, black and occasionally blue.
The traditional patterns were limited to red and black threads. The
colours symbolize their cultural beliefs: the base WHITE indicates
purity and innocence; RED depicts adolescence and youth; BLACK
depicts maturity.
 SOOF OF RAJASTHAN
1. Soof literally means “Neat and Clean”. Soof Embroidery is done by
the Sodha, Rajput and Meghwal communities who migrate from
Pakistan during the 1971, Ind-Pak war and settled in Zura, Sumrasar,
Fragper and surrounding border villeges of Banas kantha.
2. In Soof embroidery artisan create mostly Geometric motifs by using
small “Triangles”. Sometimes they use designs of Flowers, Peacock and
Mandalas. Its V-shaped designs called “ Leher” or “wave”.Their triangle
patterns are highly stylised. Stylised Flower and Figure designs convey
wishes of Fertility and Prosperity for the Newlyweds.
3. Materials: Fabric-Cotton, Specially rough cotton like kala cotton
which have little gap in warp and west yarn , Needle, Threads &
mirrors, Color mixture.
4. In Soof embroidery artisan make motifs with Satin-Stich directly on
clothes without drawings. They create designs by themselves with their
own creativity. Artisan create piece on the fabric by counting Warp and
West yarns.
 WHITE WORK
The term applies to a variety of techniques ranging from the bold
stitches of Mountmellick and Hardanger to the delicate work of
Ayrshire and Fine White embroidery. Traditionally worked with
white thread on white fabric and used for bridal and christening
wear and ecclesiastical embroidery. Whitework techniques adapt
well to contemporary designs and the introduction of colour.
 CHIKANKARI
1. Chikankari is also known as Lucknowi Chikan, Lucknow Chikankari,
or Chikan Embroidery. Lucknow has been the centre of manufacturing
exquisite Chikan craftsmanship for over 200 years.
2. Chikankari embroidery consists of 40 different types of stiches.
Among them, the five basic stiches are Phanda-small circular dot,
Jaali, tepchi-the running stich, murri and bakhia- the most common
and popular stich that gives the shadow effect.
3. Raw Materials:
• Types of fabrics like cotton, silk, chiffon, crepe, georgette, wool,
orange chiffon are used to do the embroidery work.
• Cotton thread is traditionally used to create the design patterns over
the cloth.
• Golden zari, silver zari, wool are the types of threads also used to do
the Chikankari embroidery.
• Indigo color used in printing process.
 Types of Chikankari Embroidery

Rahet: A stemmed stitch that is hardly used in its basic

form but is frequently utilised in the double version of
Dora bakhiya.
Banarasi: A knotted stitch made on the right-hand side
of the cloth using six threads. Banarasi Chikankari Sarees
are very famous for the same.
Khatau: a type of appliqué that is similar to Bakhia but
finer. The design is created on calico, then embroidered
into the surface of the finished cloth with paisley and
flower designs.
Taipchi: A long-running or darning pattern to highlight a
particular theme.
Bahia: or shadow labour, is classified into two types:
multi and sidhi.
Phanda: Millet-shaped stitches that create flowers and
motifs such as grape vines.
Murri: rice-shaped micro stitching
Jali: Traditionally worked by ripping the threads of the
material and forming minute buttonhole stitches.
Keel Kangan: This material is used to embellish floral
designs and butties.
Hool: a little detachable eyelet stitch. It is made with six
strands and resembles the heart of a flower.
Zanzibar: After one or more outlines have been done, the
Zanzeera stitch is used to delineate the leaf/petal forms
finally.
 KASHIDAKARI OF KASHMIR
1. Kashida, also known as Kasida, is one of the oldest forms of
embroidery that originated in Jammu and Kashmir. Kashida
embroidery is created by using thick colored threads as well as beads
to create different patterns.

2. Created with a type of a chain stitch, this embroidery is used on

warmer fabrics such as silk, cotton, and wool and on garments as
well as home decor items such as rugs, cushion covers, and
bedspreads.

3. When it comes to kashida work, there is more than one type of

embroidery that can be carried out to create different looks. One of
the most popular styles is the Sozni embroidery. This embroidery is
created so skillfully that the patterns and kashida embroidery motifs
can appear on both sides of the garment in varying shades of color.
4. This embroidery style's allure lies not only in its aesthetic but also
in its symbolism. Through its motifs, Kashida narrates tales of
nature's cycles – the bloom of spring, the warmth of summer, the fall
of autumn, and the hush of winter. These motifs also represent
prosperity, hope, and the enduring spirit of life. Thus, every
embroidered piece becomes a storyteller, connecting the wearer to the
land's heritage.
 PARSI GARA
1. Parsi' embroidery is probably one of the finest and most beautiful
style of embroideries finding a place in the Indian Panorama of arts.
Anyone fond of embroidered work is sure to have come across this
neat embroidery style with very tasteful motifs and color schemes,
which though is a heritage of the Persian community in India,
however, is loved across the country and beyond.
2. Origin of the Parsi embroidery too can be traced back to this era
only, when the immigrant Persian traders traveled to China from
India and fell in love with the fine silks of china with their oriental
patterns.
 3. Parsi embroidery is typically done with white pure silk on dark
base fabrics in black, violet, red or dark green. The colorful
specimens are usually on off-white and beige bases. Motifs are
usually beautiful floral patterns and birds inheriting from Chinese
mythologies and a closeness of Persian culture with nature.

4. The commonly found motifs are the ‘Chinaman’ and woman,

birds, and a lot of flora and fauna — designs that signify fertility and
good omen — there have been transformations with motifs such as
kaanda-papeta (onions and potatoes) and chakla-chakli (male and
female sparrows).
 CHAMBA RUMAL
1. Chamba Rumal is a pictorial craft that represents unique
embroidery, which originated and flourished during 17th –18th
centuries in Chamba town in the State of Himachal Pradesh.
2. The Chamba Rumal derives its inspiration from Paintings in their
general layout and themes, there is a predominance of figures of
deities, especially of Vishnu in his different forms.
3. The “dorukha-tanka” the double satin stitch that is used in the
Chamba Rumal embroidery is unique, which is not noticed in
anywhere else in Indian embroidery tradition. This stitch placed
closely side by side brings such extraordinary effect that the
embroidery comes out strikingly identical on either side of the
Rumal. Knot does not appear in the threads used in embroidery. The
drawing is done in the outline with fine charcoal and brush by
painters well – versed in Pahari painting.

4. This embroidery is mainly done by the women of the upper

classes and the designs were based on nature, articles of everyday
use and happenings of everyday life, animals, birds and trees etc.
that were seen in the surroundings. Also, the designs were depicting
mythological scenes from folklores, scriptures and the geometrical
designs are very popular too.
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