Embroidery of India

Embroidery in India includes dozens of regional embroidery styles that vary by region on the varied Indian clothing styles. Designs in Indian embroidery are formed on the basis of the texture and the design of the fabric and the stitch. The dot and the alternate dot, the circle, the square, the triangle and permutations and combinations of these constitute the design.

Blue mural embroidery, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Pink dress with embroidery, detail, Crafts Museum, New Delhi

Mural embroidery, Udaipur, Rajasthan, India

Woman's shirt from Kutch, Gujarat, India

Embroidered hanging, Kutch (western India)

Embroidered textile from Nagaland, Honolulu Museum of Art

Woman's Wrapped Garment (Sari) Uttar Pradesh

Green cloth with embroidery, detail, Crafts Museum, Delhi

Hanging from India, Honolulu Museum of Art

Sari from Bengal India, 20th century, Honolulu Museum of Art

'Banarasi sari' from Varanasi (Banaras), silk and gold-wrapped silk yarn with supplementary weft brocade (zari)

Rajasthani clothes

Kutch cushion embroidery

Aari work involves a hook, plied from the top but fed by silk thread from below with the material spread out on a frame. This movement creates loops, and repeats of these lead to a line of chain stitches. The fabric is stretched on a frame and stitching is done with a long needle ending with a hook such as a crewel, tambour (a needle similar to a very fine crochet hook but with a sharp point) or Luneville work. The other hand feeds the thread from the underside, and the hook brings it up, making a chainstitch, but it is much quicker than chainstitch done in the usual way: looks like machine-made and can also be embellished with sequins and beads - which are kept on the right side, and the needle goes inside their holes before plunging below, thus securing them to the fabric.

Aari embroidery is practiced in various regions such as in Kashmir and Kutch (Gujarat).

Practiced by the Lambada gypsy tribes of Andhra Pradesh, Banjara embroidery is a mix of applique with mirrors and beadwork. Bright red, yellow, black and white coloured cloth is laid in bands and joined with a white criss-cross stitch. The Banjaras of Madhya Pradesh who are found in the districts of Malwa and Nimar have their own style of embroidery where designs are created according to the weave of the cloth, and the textured effect is achieved by varying colours and stitches of the geometric patterns and designs. Motifs are generally highlighted by cross-stitch.

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