Page 12 - HAND EMBROIDERY ARTISAN_TT

Handicrafts & Carpets Related Theory for Exercise 1.1.02
Hand Embroidery Artisan - Introduction to Hand Embroidery

Introduction to trade history

Objective: At the end of this lesson you shall be able to
• describe the history of hand embroidery.

Sozni embroidery is a needle point technique that Born in the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent,
originated in the Kashmir valley of India and has rich Sozni work has a history that goes way back. The Iranian
history that dates back to 14th century. scholar- Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, who preached Islam in
central Asia at the time, brought various arts and crafts to
The delicate, one-of-a-kind Sozni embroidery has been
Kashmir’s well-kept secret for ages. The rich floral the region. He was the highest Sufi of Kashmir and Sozni
and paisley sozni patterns are best seen, adorning the embroidery was one such art form that he introduced in
luxurious pashmina shawls. This is one of the finest forms India. He came to practice Islam in Kashmir, bringing
of hand embroidery and intricate craftsmanship. The word seven hundred (700) companions from Persia. Amongst
sozni comes from “sozan”, which means needle. Locally these Persian sayyids, were a few sozni kaarigars. They
known as, Sozan Kaari - the craft has been in practice were the first generation of sozni-kaars in Kashmir and
since the Mughal era. Sozni work was mainly seen on their future generations have kept the craft alive.
jamawars- long shawls that Mughal emperors draped. When Shah Hamdani discovered the pashmina fabric
For centuries, the craft has been made and mastered of Kashmir, he appointed his kaarigars to do sozni
by generations of expert craftsmen; the sewing is so embroidery on these soft base fabrics. The cashmere
complex and intricate that it takes up to six months for pashmina fabric became all the more regal when sozni
the embroiders to master the grip and movement of the motifs were embroidered with needles. As a result of
cloth and needle. The entire process is done entirely by Sufi Hamdani’s arrival, a new sun dawned on Kashmir’s
hand and there is no involvement of machinery. (Fig 1) legacy with rich art and culture.

Fig 1 Kashmir artisans have been practicing Sozni embroidery
since almost 500 years ago. Its mainly done in woollen
silk fabrics and very famous for its use in Pashmina
Cashmere shawls and jackets. The interesting facts
about sozni embroidery is that its intricacy can vary from
5 stitches per cm to 500 stitches per cm.

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