Free-hand embroidery

The craft

Free-hand embroidery

No machine, no stencil to follow blindly. Just thread, a needle and an eye for colour.

  • WhereAll across India
  • StitchesSatin, chain, stem, French knot
  • Made fromCotton and wool threads

A craft with many homes

Every region has its own embroidery: chikankari in Lucknow, phulkari in Punjab, kasuti in Karnataka, mirror work in Kutch. What they share is the hand. Each stitch is placed by eye, so every piece is a little different.

How it’s made

A light outline is marked on the fabric. The artisan then fills it stitch by stitch, choosing the thread, the direction and the density as she goes. A cushion cover can take a full day. A bedcover, much longer.

At Varsaca

Much of our embroidery is done by the women in our Pune workshop.

Care

Turn inside out and wash gently in cold water. Don’t wring. Iron on the reverse.

The hands behind it

  • Priya Rathod

    Embroidery Artisan · India

    Priya treats every fabric as a canvas. With needle and thread, she creates motifs that reflect her imagination and love for detail. Her favourite part is seeing a simple textile slowly transform through her stitches.

  • Farzana Sheikh

    Hand Embroiderer · India

    Farzana believes that beautiful embroidery is built one stitch at a time. She enjoys experimenting with colours and patterns, giving every creation its own personality.

  • Harish Prajapati

    Embroidery Artisan · India

    Harish approaches embroidery with the precision of a craftsman and the eye of an artist. He enjoys the challenge of translating intricate designs into threadwork, where every stitch has a purpose.

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