Chikan

‘Chikan’ embroidery is done with white cotton on a fine muslin base.The centres for chikan work are Lucknow in Uttar Pradesh and Gaya in Bihar. Chikan employs several types of stitches such as the running stitch, back stitch, satin stitch, stem stitch, herring bone and button hole stitch, together with several knotted stitches which result in a raised surface. All these stitches are minuetly worked and in good ‘chikan’ work, it is difficult to tell one stitch from another.

One specialty of ‘chikan’ is the ‘jali’ which produces the effect of a net. It is made by drawing out the threads after cutting a hole in the fabric and tightening the edges to give the cloth the appearance of netting. The work is laborious and demands enormous skill and patience. The final product always dazzles.