Chikankari is the art of hand embroidery practiced
in the city of Lucknow(India) and its vicinity. The history of chikan embroidery in India dates back to almost 400 years and is believed to be a
Persian craft, that came to India with Noorjahan, the queen of Mughal Emperor
Jahangeer. However, Chikankari flourished under the patronage of the Nawabs(rulers)
of Awadh(Historical name for Lucknow and its environs).
Chikan embroidery has
a repertoire of about 40 stitches of which about 30 are still being used. The main stitches with their
traditional names are:
1. Taipchi: Running stitch worked with six strands
of thread on the right side of the fabric. It is occasionally done within
parallel rows to fill petals and leaves in a motif, called ghaspatti. It is considered
to be the simplest, cheapest and the quickest chikan stitch and often serves as
a basis for further embellishment.
2. Pechni: Here the taipchi is covered by entwining
the thread over it in a regular manner to provide the effect of something like
a lever spring and is always done on the right side on the cloth.
3. Pashni: Taipchi is worked to outline a motif and
then covered with minute vertical satin stitches over about two threads and is
used for fine finish on the inside of badla.
4. Bakhia: It is the most common stitch, done from
wrong side of fabric and is often referred to as shadow work. It is of two
types:
(a) Ulta Bakhia: The floats lie on the reverse of the fabric underneath the motif. The transparent muslin becomes opaque and provides a beautiful effect of light and shade.
(b) Sidhi Bakhia: Satin stitch with criss-crossing of individual threads. The floats of thread lie on the surface of the fabric. This is used to fill the forms and there is no light or shade effect.
(a) Ulta Bakhia: The floats lie on the reverse of the fabric underneath the motif. The transparent muslin becomes opaque and provides a beautiful effect of light and shade.
(b) Sidhi Bakhia: Satin stitch with criss-crossing of individual threads. The floats of thread lie on the surface of the fabric. This is used to fill the forms and there is no light or shade effect.
5. Khatao, khatava or katava is cutwork or appliqué
- more a technique than a stitch.
6. Gitti: A combination of buttonhole and long satin
stitch usually used to make a wheel-like motif.
7. Jangira: Chain stitch usually used as outlines in
combination with a line of pechni or thick taipchi.
8. Murri: A very minute satin stitch in which a knot
is formed over already outlined taipchi stitches.
9. Phanda: It is a smaller shortened form of murri.
The knots are spherical and very small, not pear shaped as in murri. This is a
difficult stitch and requires very good craftsmanship.
10.
Jaalis:
The jaalis or trellises that are created in chikankari are a unique specialty
of this craft. The holes are made by manipulation of the needle without cutting
or drawing of thread. jaalis are created is by pulling apart wrap and weft
threads in a fashion that minute openings are made in the cloth. Shape of
openings and the stitches used distinguish one jaali from another.
Traditionally embroidered on muslin with a white
thread, but at present all types of fabrics and all colors of threads are. The
pattern is block printed on de-starched fabric or on the semi-stitched garment with fugitive colors, and the
embroidery of the garment is then begun. The embroidered piece is then washed,
after which the garment is then starched and ironed. The whole cycle can take
from one to six months.
In chikan some
stitches are worked from the wrong side of the fabric, while others are worked
from the right side. It is however unique in its discipline in as much as
stitches designated for a particular purpose are used only for that purpose ---
they are not replaced by other stiches. Besides, different specialists work
with different types of stitches.
2. Chikan
Industry of Lucknow http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/23080/10/11_chapter2.pdf
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chikan_(embroidery)
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