Chikankari Mul Chanderi Dress Material Cream Pink Floral

A unstitched dress material in soft cream hand embroidered in the heritage white thread craft of Lucknow Delicate pink blossoms with sage green leaf and vine work frame the neckline placket and run down the front yoke while the matching cream dupatta carries scattered floral butis a fine golden zari edge and knotted tassels The set arrives as three unstitched pieces kameez fabric bottom and dupatta ready to be tailored to your size Look closely and the embroidery tells you it was worked by hand The petals are stitched in bakhiya or shadow work sewn from the reverse so the thread sits softly under the sheer cotton rather than as a hard printed line Flower centres are built from murri tiny raised rice grain knots tied one at a time and the open trellis fillers are jaali where the karigar teases the weave apart with the needle to make the little holes instead of cutting threads Turn the cloth over and you will find thread trails and knots a powerloom print or machine imitation looks flat identical on every repeat and clean on both sides Chikankari has been worked in Lucknow since the Mughal court and was recognised as a Geographical Indication craft of the city in 2008 A piece like this passes through several hands block printer embroiderer washer over many days which is why no two are ever stitched exactly alike Easy enough for daytime and pretty enough for a festive afternoon this set suits anyone who likes understated handwork Have it stitched as a straight or A line kameez pair it with the cream dupatta and add oxidised silver or pearl jewellery to let the embroidery lead