CHAPTER-1

INTRODUCTION

Embroidery is one of the oldest and beautiful way to decorate fabrics,

which began when prehistoric man joined leaves and grasses together for
decorating his body. The man’s basic needs for food, shelter and clothing arose the
craft of intertwining or weaving fibres and grasses into coarse fabrics, baskets and
containers. The necessity of joining pieces of animal skin and fabric led to the
evolution of a coarse method of stitching. When man first invented clothes, he
had to find a method of repairing them when they were torn and also to decorate
them, and so a needle was devised of thorn or fishbone. For thread, animal and
plant fibres were used. Soon it was realized that stitches could be decorative as
well as functional, and, therefore, embroidery as an art was born (Fisher, 1972).
Embroidery can be defined as the decoration of an existing fabric with
ornamental stitches (Ganderton, 1996). According to Lewin (1996), embroidery
means many things to many people like pastime, creative outlet and practical
decoration or exercise of skill. Embroidery is not the method of constructing the
fabric but of decorating it. Embroidery basically utilizes two components, a base
fabric and a colored thread, to decorate it (Naik and Wilson, 2006). It is the art of
enriching a background fabric with a wide variety of stitches and threads in order
to decorate it and create something beautiful. Whether it is worked in a single
color with just one or two simple stitches on cotton fabric, or elaborate stitchery
on silk with silver and gold thread, each type of embroidery serves its purpose in
adding richness and value to the article it adorns. It may also be incorporated with
other materials such as beads, pearls, stones and mirrors. By a careful choice of
materials, thread and stitches, embroidery can be used to reflect one’s way of life,
personality and particular taste in fashion. Therefore, it is one of the most
satisfying and interesting art which is gaining more and more popularity day by
day as it requires minimum equipment and space (Snook, 1972).
 Introduction

It is an ancient craft which existed along with weaving, in the earliest

recorded period of human history in Egypt and Assyria, China, India and Persia,
and was probably first associated with decoration of garments. Over many years it
has been practiced by both rich and poor, amateur and professional to make
household articles and personal possessions, to embellish clothing and accessories,
to decorate furnishings or to add ornate detail to ceremonial robes and banners
(Goodchild, 1988).
Embroidery is an age old art dating back to at least 3000 BC and possibly
much longer. Embroidery and other needlework arts are believed to originate in
Asia and Middle East. This art has rich history that is varied as many cultures it
comes from. The legacy of embroidery has its roots in different parts of the world.
Be it Chinese, Egyptian, European or Indian cultures, all have their own saga to
describe. Persia, Babylonia, Israel, Phoenicia and Syria were the main centres as
per ancient history. Some of the earliest references of embroidery are mentioned in
recorded history carved in stone wall, art and mosaics from Indian Vedas. This
reference of embroidery in the Vedas and later in epics proved that embroidery
was practiced in India from very early times (www.wikipedia.org/
wiki/embroidery).
With the discovery of bronze needles at the sites of Mohen-jo-Daro (2500-
1500 BC), it has been proved that there existed the knowledge of needlecraft even
so long ago. The figurines found at the Indus valley excavations sites are seen with
embroidered drapery. Amongst the old Buddhists stupas and sculptures, the
figures are found with embroidered wrappings. Embroideries can also be seen in
the garments depicted in the Ajanta frescoes. Some of the early styles were
modified by the strong impact of the Persian embroidery in the Mughal days and
these have continued to the present time. In the classical Sanskrit dramatic plays
also, descriptions have been made of rich and gorgeous embroidered fabrics. This
particular craft of the needle appears on the garments and decorative pieces of all
kinds found throughout the country. Mitra (1987) has stated that embroidery is

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 Introduction

thought to be of oriental origin and India is said to be one of its original home. The
way stitches have been used in the Indian embroidery imparts to it a distinct Indian
character.
Embroidery, the tradition of the Indian subcontinent, is one of the most
diverse and masterly in the world (Paine, 1990). One can find a fascinating design
that has grown out of the aesthetic, philosophical and social aspects of the
traditional way of life through the centuries. The range of India’s embroidery
styles is closely linked to the regional variation, both in materials and in stitch
type, as India is a multifaceted cultural land and it is inevitable that each region
has developed a distinctive style of its own, which adds variety and richness to this
craft. Therefore, Indian embroidery, both domestic and professional is regional
and comes almost from every state of India with its specific traditional charm.
Traditional embroidery has always been a form of self-expression for the
women. It mirrors their lives; reflects their hidden desire and aspirations and
expresses the cultural traditions and religious beliefs of the society to which they
belong. Embroidery, which is essentially meant to strengthen the fabric and to
decorate it, was an important part of the household tradition in the past. The
women embroidered clothes for their personal use, for their children and even
special items for the use of their men. Each state has its unique embroidery
expressing the lifestyle of the people inhabited, their occupation, custom, thoughts,
beliefs and liking.
The domestic work of the North-West can be recognized by the ubiquitous
use of mirror glass, known as shisha or abhla combined with embroidery in which
one stitch usually predominates. In north-west India, Karnataka is well known for
its sarees decorated with kasuti embroidery and Bengal is famous for covers and
wraps for precious objects, known as kanthas. The repertoire of the stitches used
in kantha is very small and confined to the running and darning stitches somewhat
similar to that of kashida of Kashmir. The Himalayan people have always been

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 Introduction

deeply influenced by nature and spiritual atmosphere of the lofty mountains and
foothills.
Embroidery has a very personal importance as a feminine occupation. This
art is nourished by the loving hands of women and fed by their passion for color
and integral form, particularly the embroidery of Punjab and Haryana. Embroidery
is a common craft among the women of Haryana and very striking abstract and
figurative work was done by them in their phulkari, baghs and chopes. In
Haryana, women practiced embroidery in leisure time and did it in an informal,
non-professional manner within the environs of their household until they were
married off. The routine life and daily chores in agricultural field gave women
apprentice ample opportunities to look at various hues of nature where they could
closely examine the numerous shapes and forms in which life existed. Women
found it convenient to examine mood of nature and colorful seasons in the
wayside of fields and retained genuine first hand impression to later use them for
conveying through craftsmanship (Singh, 2008).
The traditional head wears i.e. doobla, chhamma and kandh and upper
garment i.e. aangi were elaborately embroidered by young women of Haryana.
Doobla, Dukania or Sopli were the heavy/rough odhanies made from reja/ dovti
(hand spun and hand woven cotton fabric) used in various parts of Haryana. They
were generally maroon in color and embroidered with yellow colored cotton
thread. The geometrical motifs were worked with herring bone stitch, double
daring stitch, satin stitch and cross stitch. Mirror work could also be seen in these
odhanies. Chamma were the maroon odhanies of reja having entire surface
embellished with closely spaced geometrical pattern (like bagh embroidery of
Punjab) created by peela patt. This highly ornamented article was prepared for
marriage related ceremonies. Kandh were the odhanies decorated with figurative
motifs like human figures, birds, flowers, animals etc. embroidered at borders and
pallavs just like dooblas.

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 Introduction

The backless blouse as choli, locally known as aangi, of young women of

Haryana was embellished with herring bone and feather stitches on neckline and
breast pieces. Some really fine work aangis were almost filled with phulkari using
long darning stitch, herringbone, back stitch and chain stitch.
Phulkari of Haryana popularly called chhamas is slightly different from
that of Punjab in design and stitch. Here, the patterns are bolder, freer and more
imaginative expressing women’s dream and aspirations (Nagar, 1995). An
interesting phulkari from Rohtak has the pattern of chain running in the centre and
the big doorways of a haveli (courtyard) on both sides (Chattopadhya, 1965). Well
known centres of this craft are Sonepat, Ambala, Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar and Sirsa
(Sarf, 1982). The cross stitch, herringbone stitch, which is the variation of cross
stitch and satin stitch were the commonly used stitches in the embroidered articles
of Haryana.
Cross stitch is one of the basic and most commonly used stitch of canvas
embroidery. Canvas embroidery is known by a number of names i.e. needlepoint
work, needlework tapestry, canvas needlework and canvas work or canvas
embroidery. The most suitable of the many names applied to the work are
undoubtedly canvas work or canvas embroidery. Originally canvas work was
called tapestry because the early designs always produced an embroidery that
looked like the woven tapestries. Canvas embroidery is the technique of forming
stitches on a special open-weave fabric known as canvas. The canvas is an ancient
material, its name comes from cannabis meaning hemp. The designs of canvas
embroidery are generally geometrical, worked in diagonal, straight or square
stitches with woolen or cotton thread.
Canvas embroidery is one of the oldest forms of embroidery. It has many
variations and is a traditional feature of needlework in every culture. Kindmond
(1972) has stated that cross stitch is by far the earliest of all embroideries, only one
stitch being used throughout a simple stitch in the shape of a diagonal cross.
Denne (1979) stated that cross-stitch has been used for many centuries and found

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 Introduction

on old samples of peasant costumes and household articles in many countries.

Edward and Pyman (1982) have reported that cross stitch is a form of embroidery
found almost all over the world.
It has been undertaken in various forms in different states of India. Chamba
rumal of Himachal Pradesh is worked with double satin stitch in reversible effect.
This stitch resembles with the straight stitches of canvas embroidery. This work is
done so finely that not only the background is hardly visible but very difficult to
identify the right and wrong side of an article. The other famous embroidery of
Himachal Pradesh which includes satin stitch along with other stitches is kashida.
Although the darning stitch is the basic unit of phulkari but satin and double satin
are also used for various types of phulkari, bagh and chope.
Herringbone stitch which is a major stitch of not only the kashida
embroidery but a number of traditional embroideries of Rajasthan, is a variation of
the basic stitch of canvas embroidery, i.e. cross stitch, the cross being made at the
top and bottom of the row instead of in the middle. This stitch is also used as the
basis of a wide variety of interlaced stitches like sindhi taropa. It is done on the
base of double herringbone stitch in which two rows of herringbone stitch are
worked over each other so that they intersect. Variations in herringbone stitch can
also be achieved by spacing the stitches like in chikankari embroidery of Uttar
Pradesh. It is a very delicate work of Lucknow and famous as ‘shadow work’ and
‘white work’. Herringbone stitch is also used for outlining the borders and
marking the area of phulkari designs. At present, Patiala and Rajpura of Punjab
are the famous commercial centres of hand embroideries, where craftsmen employ
cross stitch and satin stitch to fill the motifs with pat thread as well as with salma
and sitaras.
In almost all the districts of Haryana, canvas embroidery enjoys a high
favour among villagers for their personal use as a bed-cover, table cloth, furniture
coverings and wall panels, etc. It is locally known as dasuti kadhai in rural
Haryana and mainly worked on jali casement and sometimes on khaddar casement

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 Introduction

with woolen or cotton threads. They also use plastic canvas for decorative articles
especially wall-panels. The commonly employed stitch is cross stitch. Satin stitch
is rarely used for canvas embroidery and zigzag running stitch is used for outlines
of designs. The designs are always geometrical or stylized animal or floral base.
These designs are never traced but copied either from other embroidered articles,
books and magazines.
Canvas embroidery is also popular in urban areas of Haryana and used to
produce mainly household articles. The canvas embroidery kits are also available
in urban market. Several manufacturers make these kits that sell in a wide range of
prices, many of them are very reasonably priced. These packages are put up in
different ways and include various materials. Some items have the already worked
design and only the background needs to be filled in. In others, the canvas has a
painted or stamped design with assorted colored yarns to work the design. A
needle is usually included in the package. These kits are mainly available for wall
panels of various sizes and are frequently used by High School girls for art and
craft activities. The results are not only satisfying but useful too.
For most of the Indian women, canvas embroidery means embroidery on
canvas, worked entirely in cross stitch. They consider this embroidery as a form of
relaxation because the basic canvas stitch is repetitive. Denne (1979) has also
reported that working simple cross stitch alone is repetitive and, therefore, to many
people, is a form of relaxation. The designs of canvas embroidery are easy to copy
and the results are always pleasing. To work only in cross stitch can be tedious
indeed, not only in execution, but also in the finished result. Rhodes (1979) has
stated that cross stitch is one of the basic canvas work stitches. Though very
popular in late nineteenth century, it has now lost some of its popularity due to
repetitive use of cross stitch, same old designs and use of cotton threads only.
Innovative designs can give a new dimension to canvas embroidery.
Innovative designs are the designs which are creative and different than those of
the existing practices. This also includes selection and placement of motifs, colour

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 Introduction

combination and style as per latest market trend. Innovation is not a science but is
more of an art form which is changing constantly with many variables. Design is
of basic importance to the embroidery in an human expression and also in material
production because it gives an identity to an object. Design is the knowledge of
selection and manipulation of the basic art elements to produce a unified
expression of visual statement. Nature and objects in the surroundings inspire the
designer for design creation for various applications. The designs can be created
by taking into consideration various design parameters such as selection and
placement of motifs, compactness of design and overall style.
In recent years, canvas embroidery is being exclusively used for production
of wall-panels and furniture coverings, but by using innovative canvas embroidery
designs and various value addition techniques, one can effectively produce a
variety of new articles as per consumer demand.
A number and variety of threads and fabrics available in so many textures
and colours enable the embroiderer to experiment in interpretation of these
innovative designs in many exciting ways. These designs also allow the
embroiderers to experiment with combination of canvas stitches to achieve
wonderful textural effect by a skillful use of a great variety of diagonal, straight,
cross and composite canvas stitches. Embroidery ornamentation material like
sequins, beads and stones, which are available in various colours, shapes, sizes and
materials can enhance the beauty and details of design and also add glitter and
shine to the design. The selection of these materials depends upon the type of
fabric, design and also place on the articles where one wants its application.
Punia and Singh (2008a) have stated that the tradition of Indian embroidery
is one of the most diverse in the world. To save the reminiscent beauty of the
traditional Indian embroideries, famous Indian designers have given these a fresh
look by using varying stitches, threads, fabrics and by supplementing embroidery
with fascinating embroidery ornamentation material.

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 Introduction

Besides this, we need to be innovative on the front of product development

and diversification that is led by fusion of design and technology. Latest and
advanced technology needs to support new design trends and designers’
aspirations. The use of advanced technologies like automatic digitizing, multiple
sequencing, three-dimensional effects, etc. along with digitizing software ensures
fine finishes and customized designs, making highly saleable custom embroidery
products. Digital embroidery plays an important role in the present fashion world.
The most intricate and exquisite embroidery design can be mass produced with the
help of digital embroidery machines and embroidery digitizing software. The
innovative digital canvas embroidery designs and its presentation in an attractive
style using various value addition techniques will not only help to keep this art
alive but also make it suitable for wide range of articles like clothing articles and
accessories, furnishing articles and utility articles.
Varadarajan (1990) analyzed that lack of adequate market outlets dampened
the enthusiasm of artisans who needed help in terms of product design, consumer
preferences, latest product style and designs. Inspite of the fact that Indian
embroidered articles are popular all over the world, the economic status of the
artisans and craft persons has not improved proportionally. Various studies have
been done on phulkari, chikankari and banjara embroidery in other states of India,
but such efforts are rare in Haryana (Grewal and Kaur, 2004). Moreover, only a
few researches have been undertaken on canvas embroidery. This art of rural
Haryana calls for special attention for its revival as a marketable commodity.
Thus, there is a dire need for new innovative designs and value addition
techniques in respect of different type of stitches, threads, fabrics and embroidery
ornamentation materials. This aspect of value addition would enhance the range of
designing and production of canvas embroidery articles to embrace the global
contemporary market.
In view of the above facts, the present study was proposed to be conducted
with the following objectives:

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1. To study the existing state of art of canvas embroidery.

2. To explore the consumer preferences regarding attributes of canvas
embroidery products for their use.
3. To design and develop a few value added canvas embroidery products
using different value addition techniques by developing a suitable computer
programme.
4. To estimate the cost of developed value added products.
5. To assess the acceptability of developed value added-techniques.
Significance of Study
Indian embroidered articles glitter all over the world but the economic
status of the artisans and craft persons has not improved proportionally. This is
because of lack of knowledge of artisans in terms of type of embroidery and
articles, new designs and value addition techniques as per demand of fashion
conscious consumer. Innovative digital designs and value addition techniques in
accordance with prevalent market trend evolved in this study will break the
monotony and will impart a fresh novel look to the existing canvas embroidery.
It will enhance the range of designing and productivity which will help in
keeping this art alive by making it a marketable commodity.
Limitations
• The study was limited to Hisar district of Haryana state.
• Only topmost design of six value added articles was converted into cross
stitch and replicated in four value addition technique due to terms &
conditions of Wings CAD (India) Pvt. Ltd.
• Various attributes of value addition techniques and their effect, included in
the computer programme are limited to this study only.

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