Chikankari work is an embroidery work from the city of Lucknow, India. Lucknow is rich in its tradition, culture and fashion. It plays a major role in depicting the richness of Indian culture and heritage. From Indian sarees to Indian lehenga, you will find a lot of alluring Indian dresses with intricate designs from the city of Lucknow. These days you can also find a lot of chikankari Indian dresses online.
Chikankari work is one of the distinguished crafts among other crafts in Indian fashion. It is believed that the chikankari work in India has been popularised by Nur Jahan, the wife of Mughal emperor Jahagir. Chikankari work is an intricate embroidery work done on a fabric with the help of a needle. It takes a lot of time to create this elegant design. You can find a lot of sarees and salwar kameez online with the complex design of chikankari work.
This delicate and alluring work became famous when Persian nobles started visiting the Mughal courts. The patterns generally include, bakhia, murree, keel kangan and lerchi and the motifs influenced from the Mughal architecture. Fabrics such as cotton, silk, organza, net, chiffon and muslin are used to carry out the intricate and elegant designs of chikankari work. Let us now have a look at some different types of chikankari work that are used in almost all Indian dresses.
Chikan Embroidery Work
Chikan embroidery work is one of the most famous and basic chikankari works you will find in Indian dresses. The needle work is done by placing the fabric in a frame called adda. Skilled craftsmen are appointed to carry out the design. The craftsmen stitch and design the motifs depending upon the region.
Chikan Mirror Work
Skilled craftsmen use different types of stitches for chikankari work on a fabric. These include, knot stitches, flat stitches and raised stitches. The designs can be made, either from the front or from the back of the fabric. Sometimes highly embellished and remarkable mirror works are done on the chikankari fabrics. This gives a shiny, elegant and alluring look to a fabric. Chikan mirror work is found in many Indian dresses like sarees, lehengas, salwar kameez, etc. You can find many Indian dresses online with chikan mirror work.
Chikan Gota Patti Work
Both the chikankari work and gota patti work are epitome of royalty and grace. They represent the beauty of an Indian woman with their intricate and highly embellished designs. Not only this, but they also represent the beauty of Indian culture through their motifs and patterns. When the chikankari work and the gota patti work are combined together, they form a unique design that further makes the fabric unique and delicate. There are many Indian sarees in chikan gota patti work. You will even find an Indian lehenga in the design of chikan gota patti work. Chikankari fabrics like silk, cotton and polyester are used for the design of the gota patti work. The intricate designs are done either before dyeing the fabric or after dyeing the fabric.
Chikankari Work with Sequins
Chikankari embroidery work is versatile in nature. What it means is that, with this design, you can combine other designs and patterns to give it a unique look. Many craftsmen add pearls, sequins and beads on the chikankari fabric to give it a distinctive look. In fact different colours of threads are used to create designs on the fabric. The most popular are gold and silver threads. Generally silk fabric with white background is used to design with the golden thread. Highly embellished and detailed designs are created with the help of these threads.
Summing Up
Chikankari work has had its influence on Indian dresses since the time of the Mughals. Therefore, the designs on the chikankari fabrics are ornamental and detailed. It depicts the rich culture and tradition of India. Apart from that, it represents the unique culture and tradition of Mughals. Be it a saree or a dress, the chikankari embroidery work makes it look attractive and appealing. These days many Indian sarees with chikankari work are available online. Not only that, you can find many Indian dresses online with chikankari designs. Like A Diva is one of the best online stores that comes with varieties of Indian dresses with chikankari work. You can opt for chikankari dresses both for casual and special occasions.
