Our Embroidery Circle: A Running Thread
The end of the short course on Kasuti embroidery led to the emergence of our Embroidery Circle where we decided to meet once a week to embroider together. This piece is in a way a running tapestry with some observations and glimpses from our gatherings. It begins with the latest entry.
August 2026
Last month was good! We spent a quite a bit of time working with mirrors and learning Sindhi embroidery with the goal of the month being the integration of both.
Through repetition and close observation, we learned a good deal about embroidering with mirrors and Sindhi embroidery. For instance, with mirror work, it is important to lay a good foundation i.e., a strong grid, as a good foundation provides the framework for the scaffolding that comes later. The density of the grid affects how the mirror looks after the scaffolding and so I encouraged members to make a dense grid. One can clearly tell the difference between mirrors with dense underlying grids vs. mirrors with less dense grids.
After mirror work, we moved to learning Sindhi embroidery. Sindhi embroidery is a lot of fun and each design, right from beginning with the fundamental unit of a single square to more complex patterns that are assembled by joining squares, are basically beautiful puzzles to be solved by learning the flow of the thread.
As we progressed, some of my initial rules were revised. For instance, I had watched several YouTube videos where end points of the lines are numbered, the grid laid and then the thread woven. This is a way of making the grid, however more fundamentally, what emerged is that the grid needs to be laid such that it follows a woven structure where the horizontal and vertical lines interlock. Once this is clear, you don't need a numbering system and furthermore, the logic allows you to work on any design without numbering. And so gradually through the month, a few heuristics emerged:
- The grid must be laid such that the lines interlock
- The woven thread must be "locked" at each of the corners or "something is not right"
- Whether you go over or above a segment is determined by the previous action on the grid. The grid is the reference and not the thread that is getting woven
- End where you begin
And so we chugged along every Monday. Just like in life, there are days when things flow beautifully and then there are days, when they don't go as wished, it is pretty similar with embroidery. Some days you can hardly believe that your own hands can create something so wonderful and then other days are, well, "Today is not my day!"
One of the more touching moments for me was watching the women teach the newer members of the group. They were often unsure of their own techniques (“For knots, I just do something at the back”) and there was plenty of self-deprecating humour along the way, and yet, somehow, the knowledge was passed on, mostly successfully.
July 2026
This month, we wandered a little beyond embroidery.
We tried appliqué, cutting small circles of fabric and learning how to turn and hem their edges. Some things worked, some didn't, and there was plenty of experimenting along the way.
A walk through the older parts of Ahmedabad led a few of us, quite serendipitously, to a shop filled with threads. There is something wonderful about encountering embroidery supplies in the places where you least expect them.
Then came cording, which turned out to be great fun. There was something satisfying about watching a simple cord take shape and discovering all the things it could do.
And in between the sessions, members continued experimenting on their own. There were whimsical little pieces and playful ideas. The Circle is slowly becoming a space where people feel free to simply pick up a needle and see where it takes them, like red French knots embroidered on a black-and-white photograph, reminding us of the Gulmohar trees flowering abundantly around us; a bright, colourful hummingbird; or an embroidered pocket on a pair of jeans, giving an old favourite a completely new look.
We ended the month with an introduction to mirror work. We began by learning how to build a strong framework for the mirror, and then practised the deceptively difficult task of placing buttonhole stitches evenly around it.
A month of circles, cords, mirrors, threads, flowers, photographs, and playful experiments, and, as always, a little more learning about what a piece of thread can do when we give it time and attention.
June 2026
Due to some planned travel at the beginning of the month, we couldn't meet. The commitment to getting our regular dose of embroidery, however, remained unwavering. A trip to Kalamkhush was also in order to pick up some handmade paper and notebooks, which were paired with embroidery to create some lovely pieces.
This month, we moved from paper to fabric and began learning some of the fundamental embroidery stitches. We started by drawing lines and practicing each stitch in relatively large units to understand the technique. Uneven stitches, frequent knots, and figuring out how to begin and end neatly are all part of the process, frustrating at times, but unavoidable. Fineness comes with practice; understanding the technique comes first.
There is much more to embroidery than simply passing a needle through fabric. The type of thread and fabric, the number of strands, the size of the needle, the length of the thread, maintaining an even tension, and, of course, paying attention to the back of the embroidery all matter.
Learning french knots was quite an experience. They happen to be one of my favourite stitches, so it was rather amusing to hear remarks like, "Look at my French dots!" or to watch an enthusiastic twist of the thread around the needle produce little bubbles instead of neat knots.
We gather around the dining table and embroider quietly. There is no pressure to speak or fill the silence. There is something quietly reassuring about knowing that, every week, we'll gather around the table with our embroidery. It feels exactly where we are meant to be. After all, where else would we be?
After one of our meetings, we shared dinner, and a bottle of bhutjolokia-infused oil was passed around with the warning, "Don't use your hands!" It's not every day you hear someone respond, "This is my embroidery hand!"
And of course, "we formed a chain knot"!
May 2026
We started the month with making Kasuti bookmarks and then moving on to doing embroidery on paper. Assembling bookmarks begins with paying attention to details such as choosing the design and the thread (regular cotton or pearl cotton as each one has a different effect) and the choice of paper (printed or plain, color, and thickness). With decisions made, one slowly begins.
Our stitches are often punctuated with stories related to embroidery. For instance, in some Kutchi communities, how the ability to embroider complex designs increases the worth of a woman when comes the time to get married. Or how through what seems like serendipity, one discovers a treasure trove of Ajrakh fabric in a shop close to Rani no Hajiro and which we must visit and be awed! And of course, information about shops of where we can find good quality and reasonable supplies in close proximity or online is always welcome.
After a few chats and plenty of stitches, the embroidery for the bookmark is over, and we move to the finishing part. The finishing is equally if not more important than the embroidery, because in a way, good finishing seals the craftsmanship. And so, from cutting the paper well to glueing in the embroidery and to finally punching the hole for the tassel, attention is paid to each step. Once the bookmarks are ready, it is but inevitable that we admire them and make plans of books that must be read and friends for whom bookmarks must be made!
After the Kasuti bookmarks, we did some embroidery on paper. We learned stitches like running, back, stem, lazy daisy, chain and the woven rose. Paper is an interesting medium for learning embroidery. It is slightly easy to follow the directionality of the thread but it is less forgiving than fabric as it is not very simple to open and redo a stitch as there is a chance the paper may tear. Despite this, we worked through it as there are beautiful and creative things one can do with paper.
What became apparent through our meetings is that the experience of doing embroidery makes one internalise rules that also seem a part of life more broadly. For instance, while showing back stitch, the observation that you have to go back, so that you can move forward, is something that most of us realise when it comes to certain things in life too. Or in a box full of leftover threads of varying lengths, colours and textures, how do you find the the thread you need? Well, जब मिलना होता है, तब मिल जाता है।
April 2026
Kasuti brought us together. I started learning Kasuti a few months back. The beauty and the precision of the stitches drew me to this form of embroidery which I was then encouraged by a friend to share with others. My friend helped organize the short course, Poems and Pixels at IIT Gandhinagar. We had a pilot session where we started with the basic stitch, double running stitch, and some simple motifs. The energy during the session could best be characterised as "I have to figure this out". You see, Kasuti requires you to decide on a path to take such that you can complete the design in a particular way. The result is the front and the back are indistinguishable. While there is no right or wrong way, there are a limited number of ways, and some times, there is just one way. Initially, like one of the embroiderers said, the dominant feeling is "something is wrong" but slowly, with more and more practice, this feeling morphs into "I have figured it out". As one witnesses this slow morphing of feelings, one cannot help but notice that this change is often accompanied with the biggest and long-lasting smiles.
