Quick facts
- Place
- Kutch, Gujarat
- Started from
- Centuries old; stitched for trousseaus long before it was sold
- Made by
- Rabari, Ahir, Mutwa, Jat and Meghwal women
- Worn now as
- Mirror-work cholis and kotis for Garba
Kutchi embroidery is the bright, tight thread work with small mirrors that you see on Navratri cholis. It comes from Kutch, the district at the far western edge of Gujarat, next to Sindh and the Rann.
Kutchi embroidery meaning
Kutchi simply means "from Kutch". Kutchi embroidery is not one style but a family of styles. Each one belongs to a community, and someone with experience can tell where a piece was made just from the stitches.
Who makes Kutchi embroidery
- Rabari: traditionally herders. Bold chain stitch, big mirrors and strong outlines.
- Ahir: finer chain stitch, smaller mirrors and lots of flowers.
- Mutwa, from the villages of Banni: the tiniest mirrors and the finest stitching of all.
- Jat, Sodha and Meghwal: each has its own patterns too.
For generations this work was not made for sale. Girls stitched their own trousseau over many years: cholis, skirts, bags, quilts and decorations for animals. The work you see today on cholis, kotis and dupattas comes from that tradition.
Mirror work: what is abhla?
The small mirror is called abhla. Each one is held down by a thick ring of stitches, so the glass cannot fall out. Old mirrors were cut from blown glass and were a little uneven. New ones are machine-cut and all the same size.
Look at the ring of thread around the mirror. On hand work it is thick and a little uneven. On machine work it is thin and perfectly even, and the mirror is often glued on or is a plastic disc.
How to spot real hand work
- Turn the piece over. Hand embroidery shows knots and crossing threads on the back. Machine work shows a neat, continuous line.
- Look for small differences. Two hand-stitched flowers are never exactly the same.
- Feel the weight. Hand-stitched mirror panels are heavier than they look.
How to care for mirror work
Do not fold a fully embroidered choli. Store it flat, or rolled up with tissue paper. Dry-clean only, and keep perfume away from the mirrors, because alcohol makes them dull. Heavy embroidery sits differently on every body, so check the fit when you try it on; we can alter it on request.
Questions people ask
What is Kutchi embroidery?
Hand embroidery from Kutch in Gujarat. It uses bright thread in tight stitches, usually with small mirrors called abhla held down by a ring of stitching. Each community, such as Rabari, Ahir, Mutwa, Jat and Meghwal, has its own style.
How can I tell hand Kutchi work from machine embroidery?
Turn it over. Hand work shows knots and crossed threads on the back, and repeated flowers are never exactly the same. Machine work has a neat, continuous line on the back, identical motifs, and mirrors that are often glued or plastic.
How do I wash a mirror work choli?
Dry-clean only. Store it flat or rolled in tissue, not folded. Keep perfume and deodorant off the mirrors, because alcohol makes them dull.
Is Kutchi embroidery the same as gamthi work?
They overlap. Kutchi is the name of the district and its community styles. Gamthi means village style and covers the wider folk look of rural Gujarat. Kutchi work is the best-known part of it.
Comments
Be the first to comment on this story.