EMBROIDERIES OF INDIA / KASUTI WORK / FEATURES

- Kasuti work involves embroidering very intricate patterns like gopura, chariot, palanquin, lamps and conch shells.

- Exquisitely carved sculptures embellishing temples in the land, are believed to have inspired Kasuti as women embroidered religious motifs – like temple gateways, vehicles of deities, lamp pillars, plant holders of holy basil, chariots and palanquins – on cloth.

- Apart from sacred motifs, birds, animals, fruits, trees and flowers are also worked into fine embroideries. The motifs can range from architectural designs to a cradle and from an elephant to a squirrel.

- The main motifs are found to be larger near the pallav, and as they move downwards in a saree the motifs get smaller and smaller.

- Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal stitches are used for Kasuti embroidery.

- The motifs have to be completed as the stitching line comes back to fill in the blank spaces.

- Kasuti basically involves working around the weave.

- Motifs are not traced on the cloth, but worked by memory and by counting of threads of the fabric, to obtain even and neat stitches.

- As Kasuti is usually done on dark backgrounds with red, orange, purple, green, blue and yellow threads, the effect is always striking.