Ahir Embroidery - Kutch, Gujarat
Embroidery involves the embellishment of fabric with pattern and design with a needle. The embellishment is made on fabric with colorful threads and other accessories such as mirrors and sometimes beads. The design that is needed to be stitched is drawn on the tracing sheet (gateway sheet) and it is given a dotted outline from the tailoring machine, sheet is passed through the machine and dotted outline is created. Fabric of needed length is cut with the help of scissors and the tracing or the gateway is placed on the fabric. Usually cotton and silk are the most preferred fabrics to carry out the embroidery.
Cotton cloth is cut to the required lengths and a gateway sheet is placed on the fabric. A color mixture (kerosene plus color plus chalk powder) is applied on the trace sheet. The color settles on fabric through the dotted outline and becomes a reference to begin with the embroidery. Bright colors are used to embellish the fabric and make it more attractive. There are various stitches that are adapted. The designs are stitched with free hand embroidery, there are numerous stitches that are followed even today and are traditionally sewed. The women folks mostly work on the embroideries. Each community has their own set of stitches and it all comes from ancestors. It adds to the family income and there are more than two thousand artisans who are involved in embroidery work. There are centers which help artisans preserve, evolve and promote these stitch works. Bhujodi and Qazab in Bhuj are few of such centers which aims at getting quality work of embroidery, promote the artisans and help them uplift their living.
