2. KANTHA OF BENGAL
◦ The traditional folk art of Bengal is famous as “Kantha”.
◦ Kantha (also spelled Kanta, and Qanta) is a type of embroidery craft in the eastern regions of
the Indian subcontinent, specifically in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West
Bengal, Tripura and Odisha. In Odisha, old saris are stacked on each other and hand-stitched to
make a thin piece of cushion.
◦ This is double faced where the design appeared identical on either sides of the cloth. The
great length of stitch is broken into tiny tacking which give almost a dotted appearance on
either side of the cloth.
◦ Kantha is a form of embroidery often practised by rural women.
◦ The field is filled with fine quilted work by means of white thread.
◦ The work is done very neat without tracing or drawing and it is classified as a work of art.
4. ◦ The traditional form of Kantha embroidery was done with soft dhotis and saris, with a simple
running stitch along the edges.
◦ The embroidered cloth has many uses including shawls, covers for mirrors, boxes, and pillows. In
some cases, the entire cloth is covered with running stitches.
◦ Kantha is applied to a wider range of garments such as sarees, dupatta, shirts for men and
women, bedding and other furnishing fabrics, mostly using cotton and silk.
MOTIFS
◦ The motifs used in Kantha embroidery have a great influence of Portuguese & European
traditions.
◦ The motifs are animal figures, human figures, floral motifs like trees, creepers, lotus, birds,
fish, submarine sceneries, dancing peacock, swan, lion etc.
◦ 100 petal lotus is the most common motifs used for kantha. Other than this scenes from day to
day life, folk stories, mythological stories are used. An all over pattern of lotus may have the
petals of red alternating with black petals kantha means patched cloth and special significance
of kantha is quilting.
5. TYPES OF KANTHAS
There are different kinds of kanthas named according to its utility. There are seven
types of kanthas
1) BAYTON KANTHA
Bayton, a three feet square piece serves as a wrap for books and other similar
valuables. It has a central motif, usually the lotus with hundred petals called 'Satadala
Padma'.
2) ARSHILATA KANTHA
Arshilata is used as cover or wrap for mirror, comb and other such toilet articles. It
is a narrow rectangular piece of 6' x 12' length. It has a wide border and the central motif is
taken from the scenes of Krishna leela. The lotus, trees, creepers, spirals, inverted triangles,
zig-zag lines, scrolls are also some of the commonly used motifs.
3) DURJANI KANTHA
It is a square piece Kantha of 16' x 16' covers the wallet, has a central lotus motif
with an elaborated border. The three corners of this piece are drawn together inward to
make the tips to touch at the centre and are sewn together like an envelop.
6. 4) LEP KANTHA
It is relatively a thick quilted wrap by more number of sari layers, placed on top of
each other to provide warmth during winter season. Simple geometrical designs are worked with
running stitch using coloured threads.
5) OAR KANTHA
Oar (ooar) kantha serves as a pillow cover. It is a rectangular piece whose size is about
2 feet by 1 ½ feet.
6) RUMAL KANTHA
Rumal is nothing but a hand kerchief and is the smallest among all the kanthas. A square
piece having a size about one square foot. Lotus is the core and other motifs embroidered
around it. Sometimes plant and animal motifs are also embroidered but invariably has a well
decorated border.
7) SUJANI KANTHA
This is done on blankets or clothes used on ceremonial occasions like sarees and patch
work dupatta.
7.
8. GUJARAT EMBROIDERY
◦ Gujarat, the state situated in the western part of India, is famous for the embroidery of
Kutch and Kathiawar.
◦ The peasant, tribal and ladies of other community residing in the villages have maintained
their tradition, culture and rich heritage through various styles of embroideries.
9. ◦ However, the beauty lies in the rich designs, variety of
motifs and stitches.
◦ This embroidery was introduced by “Kathi” the cattle
breeders, who were basically wonderers.
◦ These wanderers collected and gathered themselves in a
place, and contributed variety, unique elements, patterns,
themes, moods and techniques of needle work, which
became later an integral part of the embroidery of Gujarat.
◦ These wonderers worshipped Shiva and Ganesh and used to
embroider the idols in the small squares called “Sthapanas”.
10. Kutch embroidery
◦ The Kutch Embroidery is a handicraft and textile signature art
tradition of the tribal community of Kutch District in Gujarat,
India
◦ The types of stitches adopted are “square chain, double
buttonhole, pattern darning, running stitch, satin and straight
stitches”. The signature effect of the colorful embroidery
sparkles when small mirrors called abhla are sewn over the
geometrically shaped designs.
◦ It is believed that the Kutch embroidery was taught to
“Mochis”, the shoe makers around 300 years ago by a Muslim
Phakeer of Sindh. However, Kutch embroidery has the
foundation of various clans viz Ahris, Kanbis, Mochis, Rabaris.
11. Ahirs bharat:
◦ The primitive peasants of Saurashtra are known regionally as Ahirs, usually prepared
decorative articles and surface enrichment of their attires. It was totally a home craft,
never attempted as a commercial trade. The ladies of ahir families embroidered their
traditional costumes during their off seasons.
◦ Ahir is the hooked needle, with the help of which the embroidery was executed, appeared
exactly like chain stitch. The embroidery is not only skillful in stitching but talented in
developing designs, preparing pattern, drawing and tracing the same on the fabric.
◦ The hand work was done with colorful cotton thread on dark colored Khaddar in olden days
but now use the twisted silken thread, on choli, pajamas, jackets, bonnets, caps and other
children’s garments.
◦ Birds, flowers, creepers, foliage's are some of the motifs, of them parrots, peacock,
bulbul, human figure, dancing doll, karanphool, the flower shaped ear-ring, are the main.
12.
13. Kanbi Bharat:
◦ Kanbis are basically the cultivators, migrated from Saurashtra, the women communities engage
themselves in the beautiful art of bharat and are known for their patient work.
◦ The embroidery thread is cotton of yellow, orange, green, white and purple colours. The basic
stitches employed are darning for out lining and herring bone for filling.
◦ The designs in Kanbi Bharat are distinct and have the influence of Persian art. They use the
similar motifs as others but the specific ones are the sunflower, and kevada, the cactus flower.
◦ Kanbis believe in worshipping the domestic animals like bullocks, the second lung of the
cultivators. As a token of love and affection, kanbi women prepare many beautiful articles for
their domestic animals to decorate them during the festivals.
◦ The articles mostly prepared are the rectangular cover spread on the back of the bullock,
conical covers, attractively tasseled to cover the horns, gorgeously embroidered veils to cover
the forehead, face and muzzle.
◦ The other household articles like covers for wooden boxes, pataras, blankets and quilts, on
which elaborate embroidery of parrots, peacocks, various shapes of foliages, climbers, creepers,
tender twigs of mango are commonly observed.
14.
15. Mochi Bharat:
◦ Mochi is the community belonged to the artisan, cobbler or shoe maker, who used a unique
technique of preparing chappales and shoes, whose basic stitch has entered as a popular
Kutchi Bharat.
◦ It is similar Arhi bharat, where the thread is pulled from the bottom to the top with the
help of arhi, creating loops and the successive repetition leads to a continuous line of chain
stitch.
◦ On larger surface areas like household textiles, many highly stylized flowers bushes,
dancing doll, peacock, human figures are seen.
◦ Mochi bharat though appears simple, needs thorough, continuous practice to achieve
efficiency. It is elaborate embroidery usually incorporated for filling work, thus time
consuming.
◦ The ground fabric in satin and articles embroidered are choli, ghagra, toran (door
decoration), chaklas (square wall hangings), and borders and so on.
16.
17. RABARI WORK
◦ Rabari belong to a Giri region, usually migrating from place to place.
◦ Their embroidery is relatively effective, impressive and attractive, usually done on a hand
–spun, hand woven khaddar or khadi material of maroon colour.
◦ Rabaris used small piece of cloth of various size, shape, to produce bold effect against a
plain back ground .this craft has no definite design, it appears some what like appliqué
work.
◦ Canopies, door curtains, wall decorations and other household articles were prepared. The
motifs comprised of beautiful birds, floura, human figures and so on.
18.
19. KASUTI OF KARNATAKA
◦ Kasuti is a world famous embroidery of Karnataka. 'Kai' means hand, and 'suti' means
cotton thread. Hence Kasuti means hand work made of cotton thread.
◦ Its secret lies in the fact that it can be done only by counting the threads of the weft
and the warp. There is no possibility of tracing or implanting the design prematurely as
outlines.
◦ This art was passed from person to person and generation to generation. During leisure
time the grandmothers used to teach Kasuti to their grandchildren, daughter-in-law and
neighbours.
◦ The Kasuti embroidery features folk designs influenced by rangoli patterns of Karnataka,
mirror work embroidery and gold & silver thread embroidery were mostly used for special
occasions like weddings.
◦ In oldern days it was a custom that the bride had to possess a black silk sari called
'chandra kali sari' with Kasuti work on it. As a matter of fact traditionally this
embroidery is done on saris and blouses.
◦ This embroidery is done mainly on handloom ilkal saris.
20. Motifs
◦ The motifs used in Kasuti are taken from mythological stories, cradle, architectural
motifs like gopuras, shiva linga, nandi palanquine etc. are used.
◦ Apart from these various types of creepers, foliages, flowers, animals and birds are used.
21. Types of stitches
Stitches are always worked in vertical, horizontal and diagonal manner. The common four types
of stitches used in Kasuti are Gavanti, murgi, negi and menthi.
GAVANTI STITCH
It is a double running stitch, in which the first running stitch is filled by the second running
stitch on the same line. The second one worked exactly opposite to the first one.
MURGI STITCH
This is a zigzag runnings stitch which appears like staircase. It is same as Gavanti stitch but
works in a stepwise manner. The work in both Gavanti and Murgi stitches is neat and tidy, where the
design appears same on right and wrong side of the material.
NEGI STITCH
Negi is nothing but ordinary running or darning stitch. It is worked in long and short straight
lines or floats and therefore the design does not appear identical on either sides of the cloth.
MENTHI STITCH
This stitch is an ordinary cross stitch. This stitch usually appears heavy as it is used for filling
purpose. This stitch requires more length of thread than the other three stitches. Similar to Negi, even
this stitch does not give same appearance on either sides of the cloth.
22.
23. Chikankari of uttar pradesh
◦ Lucknow, in Uttar Pradesh, was and is the centre of chikan
embroidery
◦ The white embroidery on white cotton especially on muslins is
known as chikan work. It is also famous as shadow work.
◦ Chikankari is though done on the white muslin background now is
done on fine cotton material like voile, two x two ,cambric,
mulmul, chiffon, georgettes, koil cotton, organdy, nets and other
similar sheer fabrics.
◦ The motifs are traced prior to embroidery. The designs are
prepared and transferred on the cloth with help of wooden
blocks with washable color, by simple stamping technique.
◦ Chikankari is something like unity in diversity i.e.., it includes
some simple stitches like satin, back, and stem, buttonhole and
herringbone stitch, giving a clustorious effect which is simple,
gentle and subtle.
24. Styles of chikankari work
◦ There are two styles of chikankari work,
◦ Flat style
◦ knotted embossed effect
25. SOME FLAT STYLES OF CHIKANKARI WORKS ARE AS FOLLOWS
TAIPACHI
Taipachi is is a simple running or darning stitch used to fill the straight or curved lines in the floral
motifs. The motifs employed are mostly flowers, creepers, fruits, like mango, almond, birds like peacock, and
parrot.
BUKHIA
◦ “Bukhia “is nothing but satin stitch, which is done on wrong side of the material and design is delicately
outlined with tiny running stitches from the right side.
◦ This sort of embroidery gives a transparent effect. The effect of fine muslin background produces a
shadow appearance.
◦ The simplified bukhia is herring bone stitch. The stitches that cover the back of the cloth are herring bone
style gives a shadow effect, from the right side.
27. SOME EMBOSSED STYLES OF CHIKANKARI WORKS ARE AS FOLLOWS
MURRI
Murri is the form of stitch used to embroider the centre of the flowers in chikan
work motifs. They are typically French knots that are rice-shaped
PHANDA
◦ Millet shaped stitches; these are used to make vines of flowers and grapes
28. Jaali
◦ Jaalis are the speciality of chikankari work which gives delicate net effect.
◦ A specialty of Lucknow; this technique uses minute buttonhole stitches with a wide blunt
needle to make a Jaali or net where the thread in never drawn through the fabric, making
it impossible to distinguish the front from its back side.
