Workshop on Kashmiri Velvet Hand Embroidery by Fashion Dept. 2021 @ ICAT, Bangalore

Department of Fashion Design, ICAT Design and Media College organized a Workshop on 24th December 2021 on “Kashmiri Velvet Hand Embroidery”. Our guest was Mr.Balkishan, Handwork artist, a highly accomplished artisan with 35 years of rich experience.

Kashmiri embroidery is known for the skilled execution of a single stitch, which is called the Kashmiri stitch. Mostly, nature forms the basis for Kashmiri embroidery motifs. Since Kashmir is so beautifully blessed with abundant natural beauty, the embroidery artists need not look anywhere else for inspiration. Popular motifs include flowers like lilies, tulips, saffron and lotuses, leaves, twigs, fruits like grapes, apples, mangoes, almonds and cherries and various birds like parrots, woodpeckers and kingfishers. Geometric designs and paisley patterns are also quite common. These elements together form the base for Kashmiri embroidery designs.

With all embroidery materials provided by the resource person, he taught the basic important skills of embroidery such as separation of thread from anchor, threading, handling of needle and the developing the Kashmiri stitch. Using the stitch techniques and guidance from the artist, students explored different techniques - Velvet Embroidery, Mirror work & Chain stitch.

The session has added valuable knowledge about Hand embroidery for our students. The Workshop started at 10.00 AM and concluded around 12:30 PM.