FABRIC EMBELLISHMENT

SHAZMAH BASHARAT
Ph.D. Scholar
Textiles & Clothing
College of Home Economics
 Introduction
• Textiles is a non verbal language of the people.
• Raw materials speak of Geo- Climatic region & trade
linkages.
• Techniques speak of Civilizations as well as links with
others.
• Motifs tell us of their beliefs, legends & myths.
• And, Embroidery is an expression of creativity that
embodies all the above.
• Embroidery is the fascinating cloth art that involves the use of
needles and thread.
• According to Mary Norden “Embroidery encompasses many different
types of fabric decoration, so beautiful and detailed that it is difficult
to believe that a needle created them”.
• . It is an art rightly described as "painting by needle"
• Embroidery is the art of handicraft of decorating fabric or other
material with design stitches in strands of threads or yarns using
a needle. Embroidery may also incorporate other material such
as metal strips, pearls, beads, quilts and sequins.
• Sub continent embroidery is a craft that epitomizes the
enchanting confluence of cultures.
• Indian embroidery owes its amazing array to the resulting cross-
fertilization of cultures. That is why, practically all stitches known
the world are employed in India.
 The origin of Indian textiles can be traced to the Indus
valley civilization. The art of embroidery is clearly of the
Eastern origin and is of such ancient lineage that our
knowledge of it stretches into pre-historic ages.

Indian embroidery and artistry has always been

seducing people from different corners of the world,
with its colours, individualities and ability to keep the
gazers awestruck at the skill which has come down from
one generation to the other without a loosening of the
cords of tradition. India has long been known for its
golden thread, zari and its various products (Crill, 1999).
Mughal Court Embroideries (17th- 18th Century)
• These Embroideries reflected the Persian & Central Asian
Embroideries preferred by the Mughals.
• Royal workshops or Karkhanas came into existence in major cities
such as, Delhi, Agra, Lahore, Ahmedabad & Bidar.
• In addition to craftsmen from abroad, these workshops also
employed best local traditional artisans.
• This Accomplishment resulted in great workmanship & change.
• The Mughal motifs are quite distinct of its contemporaries, were used
in dresses, sashes, tent linings, summer quilts, floor spreads hangings
etc.
Most of the Mughal work is in
chain stitch & satin stitch with silk
thread and sometimes Gold &
Silver Zari on Cotton, Silk & Satin
Fabric
.

A fine example from the Jehangir

Period. A cream coloured Satin Coat
embroidered in Silk Satin Stitch, with an
all over pattern of hillocks, flowering
trees & plants, peacocks, storks,
butterflies, insects and animals.
Sumptuously embroidered Qanat panels are a remarkable example of Court
Embroideries. They are worked on cotton or silk, padded and embroidered in
multicolored silk and couched in zari.
 Zari Embroideries
• After the dispersal of craftsmen from the Royal Karkhanas,
they were setup in provincial capitals by the Nawabs.
• The craftsmen brought their skills to these provincial courts
and worked on commission or for the prosperous towns
people.
• From the second half of the 18th century to early 20th
century, two distinct types of gold embroideries found ready
patrons
The Zardozi & Kalabattu
 The ZarDozi
This is a heavy and more elaborate silver gilt
thread work upon a foundation padded with
cotton thread or paper.it also uses varieties of gold
threads, spangles, beads, seed pearls, wire, and
gota. It is used to embellish wedding outfits, heavy
coats, cushions, curtains, canopies, animal
trappings, bags, purses, belts, and shoes. The
material on which this kind of embroidery is done
is usually heavy silk, velvet and satin. The kind of
stitches found are salma-sitara, gijai, badla, katori,
and seed pearls, among others.
The ZarDozi
 Kalabutta

Kalabutta work is light delicate

embroidery, in gilt silver or silver
thread, strips of gilt silver spangles
upon fine silk, cotton or muslin.
Kalabutta work adorned saris,
odhnis, borders, skirts and a variety
of dresses.
Various Zari Embroideries

Danke-ka-kaam is a speciality in terms of

places like Udaipur. This craft is
primarily distinguished by the use of
small metallic square around which
zardozi is done. The danka is a small
square plate which is variable in size
not bigger than 1.5cm. Although
danka was originally made in gold,
but nowadays silver plated with gold
is also used (Mehta, 1994).
Various Zari Embroideries

Makaish This is one of the oldest

styles and is done with silver wire or
badla. The wire itself serves as a
needle, piercing the material to
complete the stitches. A variety of
designs are produced in this manner.
Various Zari Embroideries
Gota work: Gota is
a band of gold or silver ribbon of that
varies with width, woven in a satin
weave. Gota` and `Kinari` are golden
and silver coloured pieces and laces
those are sewn on the cloth. The
work is done on the fabric with the
appliqué technique. With hemming
or simple running stitch the gota is
attached in stylish design flow from
the artisan`s fingers on to the
garment.
regional Embroideries
Applique/ ralli:
For this mill made medium weight
white cotton cloth forms the base on
which Patches of various tints ,shades
,sizes and shapes are arranged in a
pictorial pattern later trimmed, slip
stitched ,whipped sometimes and
finished with running stitch and
button hole.
regional Embroideries
Applique/ ralli:
The quilts made by patchwork
known as ‘Ralli’ are the traditional
product of Rajasthan. The quilt is
made by sewing several layers of old
fabrics ,where the upper most layer
being made of new cotton cloth.
The colors used for patch work are
olive green, brown, maroon and
black.
The corners are decorated with
tassels of either cotton or silk and
Sequins called ‘Phuladi’ .
 BEADWORK

• This time consuming art seems to have initiated through contact with
the African ports.
 Chamba Rumals
• The Chamba Rumals are made of fine cotton
or muslin and are embroidered with silk and
sometimes with silver and silver gilt wire.
• The rumals, handkerchiefs, were used on all
festive occasions as a symbol of goodwill and
affection. They were presented as gifts and
were used for wrapping gifts exchanged at
weddings.
• Colors are bright and bold—orange, red,
black, yellow, ultramarine, purple, pink and
green.
• The work was so exquisitely done that it
looked exactly alike on both sides.
 Chikankari
• Chikan is a traditional embroidery style from
Lucknow, India. Literally translated, the word
means embroidery. Believed to have been
introduced by Nur Jehan, the wife of Mughal
emperor Jahangir, it is one of Lucknow's best
known textile decoration styles.
• Chikankari is a delicate and artfully done hand
embroidery on a variety of textile fabric like
muslin, silk, chiffon, organza, net etc. White
thread is embroidered on cool, pastel shades
of light muslin and cotton garments.
 Sindhi Ajrak
• The word Ajrak is derived from an
Arabic word “azrak” which means
‘blue’. It is a cloth of 2.5 – 3 meters
length, decorated mostly with rich
crimson and a deep indigo color but
a little bit of white and black is also
used to give definition to the
geometric patterns. It is commonly
used in Sindh as men use it as a
turban and curled it around the
shoulders while women use it as a
shawl.