UPMSP Vocational Embroidery key terms

A pair of wooden or plastic rings that hold fabric taut while stitches are worked. The inner ring sits beneath the fabric and the outer ring clamps over it, tightened with a screw.

A hand-sewing needle with a long oval eye and a rounded, blunt tip. It passes between woven threads without splitting them, so it suits counted-thread work, wool embroidery and finishing tasks.

A divisible embroidery thread sold as a skein of six loosely twisted strands. Workers separate two or three strands for fine detail and use all six for bold coverage; it has a soft lustre.

A decorative metallic thread made by wrapping fine flattened wire, traditionally silver or gold-plated, around a silk or cotton core. It is usually couched rather than pulled through the fabric in Indian metal embroidery.

A slim hooked needle set in a wooden or plastic handle. The artisan holds the hook above frame-stretched fabric and pushes it down and up to form loops, producing chain-stitch effects far faster than a straight needle.

The simplest hand stitch: the needle passes up and down through the fabric at even intervals, producing a broken line of small dashes on both sides. It is used for gathering, outlining and Kantha quilting.

A looped stitch made by bringing the needle up inside the previous loop before pulling it closed, forming a linked chain. It gives a raised corded line and appears in Indian work as zanjira and aari chain.

Straight stitches laid side by side across a shape, close enough to cover the fabric completely and give a smooth glossy surface. Long spans may need a padding layer to stop the threads lifting.

A shading stitch in which rows of straight stitches of alternating length overlap, so colours blend gradually. Also called thread painting, it is used for petals, leaves and realistic motifs.

A small raised dot made by wrapping the thread two or three times around the needle before pushing the needle back close to where it emerged. It adds texture as flower centres or as a filling.

A technique where a thick or metallic thread is laid on the fabric surface and held down by small, evenly spaced stitches worked in a separate, usually finer, thread. It protects delicate threads from passing through the fabric.

A traditional running-stitch quilting craft of Bengal and Bangladesh. Layers of old cotton saris are stitched with close parallel lines and simple motifs such as lotus, fish and animals.

A delicate white-on-white embroidery from Lucknow, worked on fine cotton or muslin with shadow work, open-work jaali and small floral motifs. Characteristic stitches include bakhiya, murri and phanda.

A Punjab embroidery of bright floss silk darn stitches worked on the reverse of coarse cotton, covering the cloth with geometric and floral forms. Bagh, where flowers fill nearly the whole ground, is its most elaborate form.

Indian embroidery in which small mirrors or reflective discs are secured to the fabric with buttonhole or cross-stitched bars, often inside a larger floral pattern. It is common in Kutch, Rajasthan and Banjara work.

A counted-thread embroidery of Karnataka worked on dark handloom cloth with four stitches: gavanti, murgi, negi and menthe. Motifs are geometric and symmetrical, echoing temple architecture and everyday objects.

Heavy metal embroidery of Persian origin practised in Indian workshops, where gold or silver zari, sequins and beads are stitched onto silk, velvet or satin stretched on a wooden adda frame.

A single decorative unit, such as a flower, bird or paisley, that can be drawn alone or repeated. Motifs are the building blocks of a design and are adapted in size, colour and placement.

A large single floral or paisley motif applied to a garment or textile, often placed at the hem, shoulder or corner. Smaller versions scattered across the field are called buti.

A circular chart arranging hues by their relationship. It helps a designer choose schemes such as complementary, analogous or triadic, and predict how dyed threads will read against a ground fabric.

A design-transfer method in which the outline is perforated with a needle and fine chalk or charcoal powder is dusted through the holes. The dotted line is then joined with a brush or pencil.

A repeating layout where the motif in the next vertical column is shifted down by half the repeat height, so designs stagger instead of lining up in a rigid grid.

Converting a drawing or scanned artwork into a stitch file that an embroidery machine can read, assigning stitch types, densities, underlay and colour sequence for each shape.

Foundation stitches sewn beneath the visible embroidery to raise the design, stabilise the fabric and prevent gaps. Common types are centre-run, edge-run and zigzag underlay.

A non-woven or film backing, hooped or adhered behind the fabric, that supports stitches so the fabric does not stretch, pucker or distort. It may be cut away, torn away or dissolved in water.

The balance between upper and lower thread as they interlock in a stitch. Correct tension places the knot inside the fabric layers; too tight puckers the cloth, too loose leaves loops on the surface.

A machine fill made of rows of close, slightly staggered stitches. The rows overlap by a chosen percentage to give dense even coverage with a faint directional grain.

The diagonal direction of a woven fabric, at 45 degrees to the warp and weft. Bias cuts stretch most and fray easily, so they are used for binding curves, piping and shaped trims.

The ability of a dyed fabric or thread to keep its colour when washed, rubbed, exposed to light or pressed. Poor fastness causes bleeding onto adjacent pale areas, so testing is essential before production.

A supportive fabric attached to the wrong side of a garment part to give body, strength or shape, for example behind a collar or an embroidered placket. It may be sew-in or fusible.

A permanent label listing fibre content and recommended washing, bleaching, drying and ironing instructions. It guides the customer and protects the maker under consumer law.

Grams per square metre, a measure of fabric weight for a given area. It helps compare similar fabrics and judge whether a cloth is heavy enough for a technique such as zardozi or dense machine fill.

Designing the work station, seat height, lighting and posture so that repetitive stitching causes least strain. Good practice reduces back, neck, wrist and eye fatigue during long embroidery sessions.

Personal protective equipment: items worn to reduce risk, such as finger guards, gloves, dust masks, goggles and closed shoes. It is the last line of defence after hazards have been removed or guarded.

The sales volume or revenue at which total income exactly covers fixed and variable costs, so profit is zero. Calculating it helps a small embroidery unit set prices and judge whether an order is viable.

The total period from receiving a customer's confirmed order to delivering the finished goods, including design approval, material purchase, production and packing. Promising a realistic lead time builds trust.

A legal tag granted to a product whose reputation comes from a particular place, such as Phulkari or Chikankari. It protects traditional makers against imitation and supports marketing.