Even though machine embroidery is gaining momentum, especially mass production, hand embroideries’ magic and aura have not slackened. India flaunts a stunning array of artistic traditions. Hand embroidery is one of the forms that lead the pack.
The Indian tradition of hand embroidery is so unique, creative, and self-expressive that it is often described as an art of painting with a needle and thread. India is a land of many regions, and each region boasts a distinctive style of embroidery. Taking a step ahead of ornamentation, it silently speaks out the region’s beliefs and stories and reflects their essence of cultural vibe.
Despite modern technology and the mass production phenomenon, hand embroidery remains one of India’s most revered and prized textile traditions. Crafted on various fabrics with different textures, it remains in high demand and aggressively sought by global customers looking for bespoke products in various silhouettes.
Here, we present a brief insight into a few myriad embroideries and needlework techniques that create phenomenal art pieces. Read on!
Aari Taari – Aari Taari embroidery is touted to originate in the Mughal era in the 12th century. Popular as a highly intrinsic and meticulous art form, it is a hallmark embroidery of Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat. The embroidery is also famous as Karchob or adda work.
Here, the fabric is first stretched on a wooden frame or adda to remove unwanted folds. Then the embroidery is done using a pen-like needle or hook, which is plied from the top but fed by various colorful threads from below to create loops.
The needle looks like a fine crochet hook, while the threads can be of gold, silver, silk, cotton, and many other varieties. This fine and intricate embroidery facilitate plenty of embellishments with materials like tiny mirrors, beads, Salma, gota, metal strips, pearls, sequins, quills, etc.
Primarily a design of embellishments, it creates intrinsic and innovative designs that ooze a luxurious, decadent, and royal vibe. Once limited to clothes, this embroidery is today done on shoes, bags, and various other similar accessories. Its surreal appeal keeps its global demand as a high quotient.
Ek Taar Needle Embroidery – Renowned by its Hindi name and meaning ‘one wire,’ the embroidery is traditionally done using a single strand of thin metal. This embroidery is often done in tandem with crystal work. The threadwork is often hidden in most embroideries, but this one stands out in displaying them.
The embroidery was again popular in the Mughal era, with threads used of gold and silver. Mixed with crystal work, it displays a royal and opulent look. Today, it is combined with crystals, decorative elements like beads, sequins, etc., and even semi-precious stones like rhinestones.
This embroidery is practiced all over India, but the Janagaon region of Andhra Pradesh and the Todas region of Tamil Nadu is its hub.
Given its nature, it is a popular intricate embroidery form coveted primarily in wedding apparels for all, from the bride, groom, and wedding guests.
Parsi Garra
In the embroidery name, Parsi stands for its inspiration from the Parsi art and Garra means a sari in Gujrati.
This embroidery is unique in having its roots in Iran during the Bronze Age. It was immigrated to India. Presently, it showcases strong influences from the European, Chinese, Persian, and Indian culture. Also, popular as Gara embroidery, it was first adapted to the Indian sarees by the Parsi women as a sartorial challenge to the European dress of the British era. Gujarat is its primary hub.
The embroidery is hallmarked with an aesthetic composition of pictorial traditions. It flaunts intricate motifs and vivid color schemes like purple, orange, dark green, wine, black, etc., to form a bouquet on the saree. An artisan of this embroidery usually specializes in a particular motif and works with it to showcase the uniformity and specialization in the finished work.
A few of the popular motifs used are birds, flora, scenes, and stories of Chinese origin, and even geometric patterns. The embroidery uses many kinds of stitches like satin stitch, khaki stitch, stem stitch, crewel stitch, French knots, etc. Its saree is still considered a heritage to be passed on to generations.
Zardozi
It is one of the most extravagant forms of Indian embroidery and translates to ‘gold work.’ It was introduced to India by the Mughals in the 16th century. It, too, has a Persian background and was done with real gold and silver threads and embellishments for a royal and bespoke look.
This embroidery in India is credited to regions like Lucknow, Farrukhabad, Bhopal, and Chennai. Today, it used thread wrapped in silver and gold along with various embellishments to create exclusive designer pieces.
This splendorous-looking embroidery is an intricate and motif-based work composed of several stitches like straight, stem, twisted stem, chain stitch, loops, fishbone, filling, etc., on luxurious fabrics like velvet, satin, silk, etc. Today, it is used in several types of clothing and apparel for a glamorous and glitzy ooze and garners plenty of global demand.
Lucknowi
It is a special kind of chikankari embroidery attributed to the ‘Nawabo ka Sheher’ Lucknow. With its roots in Persian art, the embroidery was introduced by Mughal emperor Jahangir’s wife, Noor Jahan, in India in the 17th century.
The embroidery is crafted using 32 kinds of stitches that can be broadly divided into embossed stitch, raised stitch, and open trellis. Flaunting intricate patterns and designs, it displays the discipline and detailed precision of the artisan that he/she has acquired with years of practice.
With its unique grace and elegance, the embroidery finds its place in both casual and haute couture collections.
Wrapping up
India is blessed with several hand-embroideries art as our heritage. Its versatility and creativity scope offers us infinite opportunities to indulge in the art of the bespoke.