In Himalayan Kashmir and northern India, chain stitch embroidery is a refined art, …
In Himalayan Kashmir and northern India, chain stitch embroidery is a refined art, worked using cotton, silk, or wool. An awl-like hook called an
ari is used instead of a needle to create a refined ''cobbler's stitch,'' which allows the craftsman to cover a larger area of work in a shorter time. This is one of the reasons why ari embroidery often covers large areas, if not the entire body, of the textile or garment it adorns.
Royal women in Kutch, in northern India, were major patrons of early ari artists, and commissioned work covered in typical Persian motifs of peacocks and flowers. So delicate are some of the best examples of this embroidery that the most intricately adorned fabrics are said to be ''under ari's spell.''
