Kutch Design - Work in Progress

Here's something that I am working on right now.

In the center I have an elaborate Kutch embroidery and on all four sides just basic Kutch worked on diamond prints. I have used back stitch to connect them.
I also added more diamonds in the center to fill up some of the green space. I am not sure how they will be filled at this point. I will post my completed work ASAP!

Mirror Work

Mirror work is an 'evergreen' facet of Indian Embroidery. It has always been popular. It was first introduced by the people of Gujarat.

Many types of stitches are used to hold the mirrors in place. Common ones are sheesha, buttonhole and chain. Sometimes a small white plastic ring is placed around the mirror and stitched.

Last weekend I experimented with a few different techniques. The rhinetones and beads that I used for this photograph got the attention of my five year old. He had a big smile when I told him that he could hold the mirrors in place for me. That was an afternoon well spent!!

I have posted the Buttonhole method in the tutorial section. Be sure to check it out!

Kutch Work

In this article I would like to introduce KUTCH, a part of India that has contributed many wonderful embroidery styles and techniques.

Examples are Kutchi Bharat, Ahir, Heer Bharat (all over embroidery), Abhla Bharat (use of small mirrors), Chain Stitch of Bhavnagar, Sindhi Bharat (use of interlacing stitch) and Moti Bharat (use of beads). Of these the most prominent ones are Kutchi Bharat and Ahir embroideries.

A little history... Kutch is the largest district in the western state of Gujarat. It is made up of many small communities many of whom have settled here after years of migration. These communities live in isolation and each has developed its own style of embroidery, thus contributing a wide array of styles to the embroidery world.

The embroideries of this region are very bright, bold, and colorful, perhaps to beat the mood of the dry desert land. Mirrors, beads and tassels are liberally used making the embroidery very rich, yet not gaudy. Threads and fabrics traditionally used are cotton and silk. These days however, cotton fabrics and threads are favored. Some of the stitches used are chain, double buttonhole, interlacing, running, stem and herringbone.

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