UPMSP Vocational Embroidery cheat sheet

Needle rule: finer needles (higher numbers, e.g. 9–12) for fine fabric and 1–2 strands; heavier needles (lower numbers, e.g. 1–5) for wool, perle cotton and dense work.

Tapestry needles have blunt tips and long eyes and are used on Aida/evenweave where the needle passes between threads; sharp crewel needles pierce the fabric and suit surface embroidery.

Stranded cotton separates into 6 strands: use 1–2 on muslin or voile, 3 on medium cotton, 4–6 for bold coverage. Perle cotton (sizes 5, 8, 12) is twisted and non-divisible, and a higher number is finer.

Hoop selection: 10–15 cm for small motifs, 20–25 cm for medium designs; fabric must be drum-tight, and the work should be taken out of the hoop between sessions to avoid permanent marks.

Working thread length is about 45 cm (18 in); longer lengths fray, knot and lose their sheen from repeated friction through the fabric.

Keep one small sharp-pointed pair of scissors for snipping thread and a separate pair for cutting fabric or paper; cutting paper dulls embroidery blades.

Real zari is silver wire gilded with gold and wound on a silk core; imitation zari is metalised polyester film on a core and tarnishes when washed.

Stabiliser decision rule: cut-away for knits and stretch fabric, tear-away for stable wovens, water-soluble film for sheer fabric, terry and freestanding lace.

The aari hook (tambour) with an adda frame is the standard equipment for zardosi; the hook pulls zari up through stretched fabric in chain-like loops.

Running stitch: small even stitches of 2–3 mm on both sides; the base stitch for gathering, kantha quilting, darning and simple outlines.

Back stitch: each new stitch starts in the hole at the end of the previous one, giving an unbroken strong line for outlines that must not gap.

Stem stitch: work left to right, bring the needle up halfway along the previous stitch with the thread kept below the needle; the line's slope follows the curve, so it suits stems and curved outlines.

Chain stitch: hold the loop with the thumb while the needle is reinserted in the same hole; loop size controls stitch size, and one loop tacked at the tip makes a lazy daisy petal.

Satin stitch: parallel stitches worked close together across the shape with no fabric showing; pad long shapes with split or back stitch to raise them and prevent snagging.

Long and short (shading) stitch: alternate long and short stitches in the first row; later rows interlock into the previous row to give a graded silk-shading effect.

French knot: wrap the thread 1–3 times around the needle and reinsert one thread's width away; more wraps and thicker thread produce a bigger knot.

Couching: lay a thick thread on the surface and catch it down with small, evenly spaced perpendicular stitches; used for zari, gold cord and heavy yarns.

Start and finish without knots on the front: anchor the thread under 2–3 existing back stitches, because knots create lumps and cast shadows through fine fabric.

Chikankari (Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh): white-on-white work on cotton or muslin; core stitches are bakhiya (double backstitch worked on the reverse for shadow), murri (French knot), phanda, jaali (thread net) and tepchi (running).

Zardosi (Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, Mughal origin): metal-thread work on an adda frame with an aari hook, using dabka (cut coil), kora (flat wire), salma (spiral), sitara (sequin) and beads.

Phulkari (Punjab): darning stitch with floss silk on khaddar cotton, with stitches taken on the reverse so long floats shine on the front; bagh is full coverage, chope is a ritual piece, sainchi is figurative.

Kantha (Bengal): running stitch through two or three layers of old sari cloth with darning-stitch motifs and borders; the stitching also quilts the layers.

Kasuti (Karnataka): counted-thread work on dark Ilkal cotton using four stitches - gavanti (double running), murgi (zigzag), negi (running) and menthe (cross); the reverse is as neat as the front.

Kutch and Gujarat: abhla (mirror) work fixed with buttonhole or chain stitch, alongside Rabari, Ahir and Mochi bharat styles worked in silk on dark grounds.

Kashmir: sozni fine satin-stitch outlining and tilla gold-thread work on pashmina and wool, with boteh, chinar leaf and badam motifs.

Chamba rumal (Himachal Pradesh) uses pictorial double satin stitch so both faces look alike; Toda (Nilgiris) uses darning stitch in red and black on white; Banjara (Telangana) uses mirrors, cowries and coins.

Pipli (Odisha) is an appliqué tradition; Sujni quilting and khatwa appliqué belong to Bihar.

Motif vocabulary: buti = small single motif scattered over the ground; buta = larger single motif; bel = continuous scrolling border; jaal = all-over net; boteh (paisley) = teardrop with a curved tip.

Repeat layouts: straight block, half-drop (alternate rows offset by half a motif), brick, mirror/reflected and ogee (curved onion-shaped grid).

Colour wheel: primaries red, yellow, blue; secondaries orange, green, violet; complementary = opposite (maximum contrast), analogous = neighbours (harmonious), with split-complementary and triadic schemes in between.

Hue is the colour name; value is its lightness or darkness (tint = add white, shade = add black); saturation is its intensity.

Proportion rule of thumb: one dominant colour about 60%, a supporting colour about 30%, an accent about 10%.

Warm hues (red, orange, yellow) advance and enlarge a shape; cool hues (blue, green, violet) recede and reduce it - useful for shading and for balancing a border.

Check the design principles before transfer: balance, rhythm and repeat, proportion, emphasis and unity.

Transfer methods: prick-and-pounce with talcum or charcoal, dressmaker's carbon, water-erasable pen on a light box, or a tracing wheel; test the pen on a scrap first.

Enlarge or reduce a motif by ruling a grid over the original and a proportionally scaled grid on the new sheet, then copying square by square.

Free-motion machine embroidery uses a darning or embroidery foot with the feed dogs lowered; the needle acts as a pencil and the hooped fabric is moved by hand.

Computerised machines need a digitised file: DST (Tajima) is the universal commercial format, while PES (Brother), JEF (Janome), EXP, VP3 and ART are proprietary.

Stitch types: run/bean for outlines, satin for lettering and borders, tatami fill for large areas; underlay (centre run, edge walk, zigzag) is sewn first to stabilise.

Underlay lifts the design, prevents puckering on knits and stops cover stitches from sinking into pile.

Tension check: with balanced tension a tiny dot of bobbin thread shows at the ends of satin stitches on the back; bobbin thread pulled to the top means the top tension is too tight.

Needle guide: 75/11 embroidery needle for fine wovens, 90/14 for canvas and denim, and a large-eyed metallic needle for metallic thread.

Excessive stitch density stiffens the fabric (cardboard hand) and causes thread breaks; lower the density or use a lighter design for lightweight fabric.

Finishing sequence: trim jump stitches, remove tear-away or trim cut-away, wash out soluble film, press face-down on a towel, then edge-finish by overlock, rolled hem or binding.

Zari and metallic embroidered pieces are dry-cleaned and pressed with low heat through a cloth, because water tarnishes real zari.

Match thread and needle weight to fabric: fine muslin or voile takes 1–2 strands and a size 9–10 needle; khaddar or canvas takes perle cotton and a heavier needle.

Grain: straight grain parallel to the selvedge is stable, bias stretches; cut borders and patches on grain or stay-stitch bias edges.

Pre-wash and pre-shrink cotton (expect roughly 3–5% shrinkage) to remove sizing and stop the embroidered area puckering after the first wash.

Colour-fastness test: rub a damp white cloth on a scrap of dark thread or fabric; if dye transfers, do not combine it with pale grounds or washable items.

Iron dots on care labels: 1 dot = 110 °C, 2 dots = 150 °C, 3 dots = 200 °C; a cross over the iron means do not iron, and a crossed triangle means do not bleach.

Silk and wool need mild neutral detergent, no chlorine bleach and no tumble drying; zari and bead work are dry-clean only.

Pre-packing quality checklist: even stitch length and density, no puckering or grinning ground, no knots or loose threads at the back, symmetrical motif placement, clean edges, no dye bleed.

Fabric inspection uses the 4-point system, where each defect scores 1–4 points and a roll passes if points per 100 square yards stay within the buyer's limit.

Storage: roll or fold with acid-free tissue, keep out of sunlight, use silica gel in humid conditions, and refold periodically to avoid permanent creases.

Sharps control: never hold needles or an aari hook in the mouth; use a magnetic pin dish and a closed sharps box for broken needles and blades.

Lighting of about 500–1,000 lux at the work surface plus the 20-20-20 rule (every 20 minutes, look 20 feet away for 20 seconds) reduces eye strain.

Ergonomics: seat height so elbows sit near 90°, hoop held at roughly 45°, and a 5-minute stretch break every 30–45 minutes to prevent neck and wrist strain.

Electrical safety on embroidery machines: earthed socket, no water nearby, unplug before cleaning, and a CO₂ extinguisher (never water) for electrical fires.

Costing formula: total cost = material + direct labour + overheads; selling price = total cost + profit margin. Break-even units = fixed costs ÷ (price per unit − variable cost per unit).

Registration and support: Udyam (MSME) registration for small units, GST once turnover crosses the threshold (₹40 lakh for goods in most states), Mudra loans (Shishu/Kishore/Tarun) and PM Vishwakarma for artisans.

Export basics: an IEC from DGFT and an RCMC from the relevant export promotion council (EPCH for handicrafts) are required before shipping consignments.

UP channel: One District One Product (ODOP) links district craft clusters such as Lucknow chikankari and Bhadohi carpets to marketing and finance support.

Workplace records: order book, sample register, wage or piece-rate register, GST invoices and a per-batch quality checklist.

Emery bag or beeswax conditions thread and keeps it from twisting; a needle threader protects the eye and is useful for metallic thread.

Thimble sits on the middle finger of the stitching hand and pushes the needle through dense fabric without piercing the skin.

Awl or stiletto opens holes in tightly woven fabric for eyelet and jaali work before the edges are buttonholed.

Laying tool or mellor holds metallic and silk threads flat on the surface so they do not twist or lose shine.

Blanket (buttonhole) stitch: spacing between stitches equals the depth of the loop for an even edge; used for appliqué and edging.

Herringbone stitch: slanting crosses worked between two parallel lines; used for hemming and decorative borders.

Split stitch: needle splits the previous stitch, producing a fine chain-like line suitable for padding and delicate outlines.

Fishbone stitch: slanting stitches crossing at a centre line, used to fill leaf shapes with a raised spine.

Banarasi karchobi: raised zari work on velvet and satin, worked over a padding of cotton or cardboard to give a sculpted effect.

Kutch Mochi bharat: silk chain and satin work by the Mochi community, usually on dark grounds with stylised animal and floral motifs.

Bihar khatwa: appliqué where motifs are cut and stitched onto a base, often combined with Sujni quilting.

Parsi and Banjara embroideries use Chinese-style couched gold thread and heavy mirror or coin embellishment respectively.