Embroidery, Decorative Work and Surface Ornamentation
Questions ask you to name a stitch from a description, state where a decorative technique is used, and recognise Bengal's own traditions such as Kantha. Diagrams of a few embroidery stitches are frequently required.
Hand embroidery stitches
- Stem or outline stitch, chain stitch, satin stitch, long-and-short shading, lazy daisy, French knot, herringbone and cross stitch.
- Work with a crewel (embroidery) needle, two or three strands of floss, and the fabric held in a hoop.
Traditions and surface techniques
- Kantha of Bengal - small running stitches in lines across layered soft cloth, often old sarees.
- Chikankari, white on white; zardosi with metal thread; mirror work or abhla bharat; appliqué, where a shape is stitched onto a ground fabric; patchwork.
Rules for good work
- Transfer the design by tracing, by carbon, or by prick-and-pounce.
- Keep tension even; avoid knots at the back, weave the thread in instead.
- Back satin stitch with muslin so the fabric does not pucker.
Worked example
A cushion cover in Kantha. Two or three soft cotton pieces are layered and tacked together, then small, even running stitches are worked in horizontal lines about 5 mm apart across the whole surface. Reasoning: the character of Kantha lies in the regular ripple produced by the running stitch, and the tacking is essential because otherwise the soft layers shift and the lines waver.
Traps that cost marks
- Using too many strands, so the motif looks bulky rather than fine.
- Knots at the back that show through sheer fabric.
- Working without a hoop, so the ground fabric puckers.
- Confusing appliqué (a shape stitched on) with patchwork (pieces joined edge to edge).