Chikan Work - Amazing Embroidery

Lucknow is a cultured city of beautiful buildings that lies at the centre of Uttar Pradesh. Now the capital of the modern state, in 1775 it has become the capital of the state of Oudt, when it at once began to attract craftsmen, artists and musicians who were patronized by the court. One of the crafts that developed was that of chikan-kari, or chikan-work embroidery, a kind of whitework. The pattern, of predominantly floral designs, is stitched using untwisted white cotton or silk (and now rayon) on the surface of the fabric. In chikan work, there is a fixed repertoire of stitches and it is usual for several types to appear on the same piece of embroidery.