In “Kutch” (western part of Gujarat, India), embroidery seems to have spread to all aspects of life. It has the finest and richest embroidery in a variety of styles.  The main places where this artistic work grows is small villages of “Bhuj” and “Mandavi” (cities of Kutch).  Kutchi embroidery was practised from the sixteenth and seventeenth century in “Patan” (one of the town in Gujarat), a little town in the state of Gujarat (Gujarat lies on the west coast of India).  It is believed that this art was taught to the Mochi’s (Shoe maker) by a Muslim who came from Sindh. The embroideries of Sindh, Kutch and Kathiawar are very similar and almost identical. The embroidery is very pictorial and original, the mirror work and interlacing stitch set it apart from any other kind of embroidery.

STITCHES:

Following are the stitches used in the embroidery work:

Chain stitch: Chain stitch (Mochi Bharat) is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. 

Herringbone: A herringbone stitch is a needlework stitch used in embroidery, knitting and crochet. It is so named as it represents the bones of a fish extending from the spine of a herring fish.

Darning stitch:  A simple running stitch in which the thread is "woven" in rows along the grain of the fabric, with the stitcher reversing direction at the end of each row, and then filling in the framework thus created, as if weaving.

Buttonhole stitch:  Buttonhole stitches catch a loop of the thread on the surface of the fabric and needle is returned to the back of the fabric at a right angle to the original start of the thread. The finished stitch in some ways resembles a letter "L" depending on the spacing of the stitches.

Mirror (Shisha, Aabhla) work:  A mirror-work is a type of embroidery which attaches small pieces of mirrors reflective metal to fabric.

Cowrie shells work:   The word cowry is also often used to refer only to the shells of these snails, which overall are often shaped more or less like an egg, except that they are rather flat on the underside. Cowrie shell embroidery is done by hand weaving number of cowries together.

Moti bharat (beads work): The distinctive individuality of embroidered beadwork in Gujarat is the texture created by stitching beads all over the fabric and amalgamating it with varied stitches. From simple geometrical designs to complex forms of natural motifs, the flowing patterns of beadwork create the most expressive and illustrious patterns on textiles. 

COLOURS:

Following are the colours used:

Chain stitch is usually done in white or any other colour, interlacing stitch is done with indigo, blue, crimson, red, green, yellow. 

Mirror work is done with red, green, blue yellow predominantly, but other colours could also be used. Herringbone is typically done in 

indigo, blue, crimson, yellow, but not limited to those, other colours could also be used.

Motifs used in this type of embroidery are many- floral, peacocks, animals, birds, trees etc. 

These days’ shiny plastic pieces eg sequins are used in place of mirrors as mirrors are likely to break during laundering.

The embroidery is used to embellish ‘ghagras’ – these are long colorful skirts, cholis or blouses, torans (valance) or wall and door 

hangings, floor mats, cushion covers, bolster covers, footwear called mojadis  etc.

The fabric used is also very brightly colored. All said and done, India is a very colorful place to be in.