Chikankari Mul Chanderi Dress Material Ivory Green Floral

A unstitched dress material in soft ivory hand embroidered in the heritage white thread craft of Lucknow here worked in muted olive and sage green Concentric floral medallions and fine trellis fillings frame the neckline placket a slim geometric vine runs along its border and curving paisley and flower butis are scattered across the lower kameez The matching sheer dupatta carries small olive butis a woven golden zari stripe at each end and knotted tassels The set arrives as three unstitched pieces kameez fabric and dupatta ready to be tailored to your size Look closely and the embroidery tells you it was worked by hand The leaves and petals are stitched in bakhiya or shadow work sewn from the reverse so the olive thread sits softly under the sheer cotton rather than as a hard printed outline Flower centres are built from murri tiny raised rice grain knots tied one at a time and the open net 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 copy 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 quiet earthy handwork Have it stitched as a straight or A line kameez pair it with the olive flecked dupatta and add oxidised silver or wooden jewellery to let the embroidery lead