Apparel August 2019 Apparel August 2019 issue | Page 70

Chatterjee
FEATURE
A Fragile Craft
Over the years, chikankari embroidery has blossomed into a revered craft, yet
faces many a challenge. Brinda Gill writes.
Writing of the exquisite chikankari embroidery of
Lucknow in Indian Art at Delhi, 1903, Sir George
Watt describes the work as “the most artistic and
the most delicate form of what may be called the
purely indigenous needlework of India.”
Chikankari, in its traditional form, is worked
with untwisted single white threads on fine white
muslin using a variety of stitches to bring out
the beauty of individual motifs. Garments are
neatly embroidered with judiciously placed motifs
spanning flowers, vines, leaves, paisleys, and
other elements along with appliqué work to create
a seamless, cohesive composition.
Given the delicacy of the embroidery, the
fineness of the fabric and the white-on-white
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work, chikankari garments came to be regarded
as ideal summer wear. Chikankari embroidery
from the second-half of the 19th century and
early 20th century, seen in museums and books,
speaks of skilled embroiderers who designed
motifs and brought them alive with the finest
of stitches.
A PLAY OF STITCHES
Artisans specialising in chikankari create a variety
of effects on fabric even though the embroidery is
done with a mono colour palette of white thread
on white fabric. This is made possible with the
use of a variety of stitches to create varied effects.
These stitches are worked on the surface of the