Art of Embroidery

Art of Embroidery

Embroidery is the art or handicraft of decorating fabric or other materials with needle and thread or yarn. Embroidery may also incorporate other materials such as metal strips, pearls, beads, quills, and sequins. Embroidery is most often recommended for caps, hats, coats, blankets, dress shirts, denim, stockings, and golf shirts. Embroidery is available with a wide variety of thread or yarn color.

In other words, Embroidery, an expression of aesthetics, rendered with patient labour, is an art described as "painting by needle". Embroidery adds grace and elegance even into articles of everyday use. Indian embroidery takes its inspiration from nature and the products of various regions reflect the colors of the flora and fauna of that area. Embroidery on leather, velvet, net, cotton, hessian and silk is done all over the country.
Designs in Indian embroidery are formed on the basis of the texture and design of the fabric and the stitch. The dot and the alternate dot, the circle, the square, the triangle and various permutations and combinations of these go to make up the designs.

A characteristic of embroidery is that the basic techniques or stitches of the earliest work—chain stitch, buttonhole or blanket stitch, running stitch, satin stitch, cross stitch—remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today.
Machine embroidery, arising in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, mimics hand embroidery, especially in the use of chain stitches, but the "satin stitch" and hemming stitches of machine work rely on the use of multiple threads and resemble hand work in their appearance, not their construction.
Types

Embroidery has varied categories depending upon the kind of embroidery work required.

Machine Embroidery
Handmade Embroidery
Embroidery Design
Colored Embroidery
Fabric Embroidery
Leather Embroidery
Metal Embroidery



Machine embroidery

is an embroidery process whereby a sewing machine or embroidery machine is used to create patterns on textiles. It is used commercially in product branding, corporate advertising, and uniform adornment. Hobbyists also machine embroider for personal sewing and craft projects.


Chikan work

The practice of the famous Chikan work is now centered at Lucknow (U.P.) and Gaya (Bihar) This Chikan work dates back its origin to the royal courts of Oudh. A study of the origin of chikan reveals that this form of embroidery had come to India from Persia with Noor Jehan, the queen of the Mughal Emperor Jehangir. The word chikan is a derivative from the Persian word 'chikaan' meaning drapery. This is done with white cotton on a fine white muslin base using a variety of stitches minutely worked together with knotted stitches resulting in designs with raised surfaces. The creation of 'jali' or the net effect is one of its specialties. 
 

Embroidery Market

Embroidery work is often regarded as the best form of art which is highly demanded by men and women. Embroidery work is perfect for adding beauty to any dull fabric. It is not just limited to apparels but has expanded to home furnishing products also. Embroidered products are manufactured in various parts of the world. Be it Europe, Africa, the American continents or Asia they all have their own range of products for display with intricate embroidery patterns.
The rich heritage and culture of the place automatically gets reflected in their work. Indian embroidered products have a massive demand at the international level. Indian embroidery projects a picture of a variety of Indian customs and cultures. Zardozi, kantha, mirror and chikankari embroidery are all popular and considered best for enhancing the beauty of any fabric. Embroidery work has been highly acclaimed globally which has boosted up the embroidery market condition.

Here I am attaching few pictures of designs embroidered by me .....

                              

                                        

 

- Swapnil Shukla

copyright©2012Swapnil Shukla.All rights reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced , stored in a  retrieval system or transmitted , in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the copyright owner.