STUDY MATERIAL

UNIT I

TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSING

Learning Outcome

After finishing this unit, students will be able to understand –

 Various technical terminology used in the industry.

 Various types of impurities presents in the substrates.

 The processes involved in removing impurities.

Overview

In this chapter students will get to know about various techniques of preparatory process
of textile material which is the essential part of the processing. Without preparatory
process it is very difficult to achieve the desire result in the dyeing, printing and finishing
process.

After studying this chapter, the students will be familiarized and will be able to understand
terminology used in the Industry, impurities present in natural and synthetic fibers (Raw
Cotton, Wool, Silk, Polyester, Nylon and Acrylic) and their effective and cost economic
removal.

This unit also deals with Chemical Processes, Chemical Treatment, Process Flowcharts of
Cotton, Wool, Silk and Synthetic fibers, Elementary Knowledge of Sizing, Resizing,
Scouring & Bleaching. After understanding these terminology students will be able to
know the processes involved in achieving desired fabric quality.

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 INTRODUCTION TO CHEMICAL PROCESSING: PRE-TREATMENTS

1.1 TEXTILE CHEMICAL PROCESSING FOR THE FIBERS (PREPARATORY

OPERATIONS)

Newly constructed fabric as it comes from the mill is called gray good. This does not imply
that the fabric is gray in color, it simply denotes any unfinished fabric. The goods must
pass through various finishing processes to make it suitable for its intended end use.
Finishing may change the appearance of the fabric, its hand (feel), its serviceability, and
its durability.
Gray goods must be cleaned before they can be finished. They may contain warp sizing,
oils, other additives, dirt, and soil. Complete removal is necessary in order to finish, dye
and/or print goods effectively. The method of cleaning depends upon the fiber in the
fabric, the kind of impurities present, and the construction of the fabric. For example,
cotton may be mercerized, wool is scoured, silk is degummed.
The fabric collected from various weaving setups, cannot be used directly for
manufacturing various textile products. There are number of impurities present in the
fabric such as dust, dirt, oil stains, oil and waxes, starches or other sizing materials, seed
particles, and natural coloring materials.

1.2 IMPURITIES IN NATURAL AND SYNTHETICS FIBERS:

I. Natural Impurities &

II. Added Impurities

Natural Impurities: - Natural impurities are generally presents in the natural fibers in the
form of oil, waxes, natural color, vegetable matters (such as leaves particles, Seed
particles, etc.), Dust particle. In case of wool sweat is also considered as impurities which
are deposited on the sheep‟s or goat‟s hair.

Added Impurities:- These type of impurities are manually added to the yarn or fibres
during the manufacturing process to increase the efficiency of the weaving process such
as, Sizing materials (which includes starches, or polyvinyl alcohol are applied on the
surfaces of the yarn to reduces the breakage of yarn during the weaving operation and
increase the weaving efficacy.) Spin finishes are another example of the added impurities.
These types of impurities are generally added to synthetic yarns which contain Antistatic

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 agents and Lubricants. Which reduces the statics charge buildup and friction during the
weaving operation.

These impurities make fabric hydrophobic in nature and limit the fabric for further
processing.

The main objectives of preparatory treatments of textile materials are,

 To remove all the impurities, both naturals and those added during production that may
interfere in subsequent dyeing or finishing process.

 Improve the ability of the fibers to absorb water, dyes solutions and chemicals.

 Impart proper brightness or whiteness to fabrics according to need, especially when

brilliant or pastel shades are desired.

1.3 ELEMENTARY KNOWLEDGE OF PROCESSING:

All of these impurities cannot be removed by a single operation. It requires sequences

of operations, which is called Processing. All the operations before the dyeing of fabrics
are called Preparatory Process or Pretreatments. This pretreatment includes Singeing,
Desizing, Scouring, Souring, Bleaching and Mercerizing. All of these Operations have
the specific objectives and it is not necessary to use all the operation to all the fabrics. It
generally depends on the type of fabrics, contains of the fabric and the end uses of the
fabric.

1.4 DIFFERENT PROCESSES E.G. SINGEING, DE-SIZING, SCOURING, BLEACHING AND

MERCERIZING:

Singeing: During the weaving operations, warp yarns pass though held wires, and
reed. It is continuously under friction during weaving process. Due to continuous friction,
yarn develops hairiness. This hairiness is undesirable in the fabric and provides an
unpleasant feel to the fabric or garment.

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 The main objective of the Singeing is removal of protruding fibers from both sides of
fabric. For this purpose, the fabric is passed through singeing Machine in open width,
flat and under tension. Fabric is passed over an open flame at a high speed (300 yards/
min) to prevent scorching. Uneven singeing leads to unleveled dyeing.

Pic.: Plate Singeing Machine Pic. : Singeing Machine

De-sizing

Size is added during the weaving preparatory process. Main objective of the sizing is to
provide strength to the yarn. This improves the weaving efficiency by reducing the yarn
breakage. After the weaving is completed, the size material is undesirable in the fabric
and it makes the fabric stiff and hydrophobic in nature. The main objective of the De-sizing
is removal of starch from fabric. For this purpose, the fabric is impregnated in the de-sizing
bath and stored for 8-12 hrs. The Impregnating bath contains required amount of enzyme,
Wetting agent and Sodium Chloride (Nacl). After this process, fabric is thoroughly washed
with hot water.

In Enzyme application of De-sizing, the fabric padded with enzyme bath is then passed
through steam of 96-100°C temp. This is a rapid process in which De-sizing process
complete in less than one minute. The main advantage of De-sizing with enzymes is that
there is no risk of damaging the fibres. The process is an eco- friendly and relatively
expensive.

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 Scouring

The yarn made of natural fibres contains natural oils and waxes. These oils and waxes
make fabric hydrophobic and do not allow dyes and chemicals to penetrate into the fibres.
The Scouring is a cleaning treatment in which oil, waxes and residual sizes are removed
from the fabric by the chemicals. After scouring the fabric becomes absorbent in nature

In this process, fabric is treated with strong alkali solution (5-10 gm/lit NaOH or mixture of
NaOH & Sodium Carbonate) close to or above the boiling temp. for 1-2 hours with hot
rinse and final cold rinse with acetic acid. The final rinse with acetic acid is also called
souring process.

Pic.: De-sizing & Scouring Machine Pic.: De-sizing & Scouring fabric

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Bleaching

After scouring process, the fabric is free from oils and waxes, however natural coloring
matter are still present in the fibre. If this colour is not removed at this stage than it will be
very difficult to attain the desired shade in dyeing process.

The main objective of the bleaching process is removal of natural coloring matter and to
make the fabric perfect white with minimum damage to fibres and within the shortest
possible time. Bleaching is generally carried out by oxidative process. Some of the
examples of the Bleaching agents are: Sodium hypo chlorite, Sodium chlorite and Hydrogen
peroxide. Hydrogen peroxide is also called as “Universal bleaching agent”. Since, it is a very
mild bleaching agent, It is used for almost all type of cotton, polyester/ cotton blends and silk
fabrics.

Pic.: Before Bleaching Pic.: After Bleaching

Peroxide bleaching is carried out generally near or above boiling temperature, under
pressure, for one hour or more. After bleaching, the fabric is thoroughly rinsed with slight
amount of basic solution to avoid formulation of insoluble salts of silicates.

After bleaching, fabric may be sold as perfect white cloth. For achieving perfect white cloth,
fabric is treated with Optical whitening Agents, such as Tinopal , Ranipol etc and blueing
agents such as Robin blue, Ujala etc.

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Mercerization

Mercerization process was invented by John Mercer. He was a young chemist. One day,
while he was filtering some chemical solution using cotton cloth, he observed some
changes in the cotton fabrics. He studied the changes in detail to standardize the process.
In the Mercerization process, cotton fabric or yarn is treated with a cold concentrated
solution of sodium hydroxide for one minute or less. In this process cotton fibers swell,
untwist and their bean shaped cross section changes into a round form.

Mercerization improves the following properties of the cotton fabric.

 Strength would be increased to 15-25.

 Enhanced luster.
 Greater affinity to water dyes and other chemical finishes.
 Shrinkage control in both the direction of the fabric.

Pic.: Fabric passing through Pic. Cross Sectional changes in Cotton

Mercerization solution

Fabric is padded with about 20-25% NaOH solution containing a wetting agent. Fabric is
passed over several cans to allow a doweling time of approximately one minute.

During this time, NaOH will penetrate the fibres and react with them. At this stage the tension is
applied lengthwise. The fabric is then placed on a “Stenter” machine and is pulled to its desired
dimensions.

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Exercise

Fill in the blanks

1. Removal of protruding fibers from both sides of fabric is called as . .

2. Removal of starch from fabric is called as ..
3 . ……….. treatment removes oil, waxes and residual sizes from the fabric.
4. Objective of the…………… ..process is to remove natural coloring matter to
make perfect white fabric.
5. Hydrogen peroxide is also called as ..
6. The treatment of cotton fabrics or yarns with a cold concentrated solution of
sodium hydroxide solution for one minute or less is called.

Short answer questions

1. What are the chemicals used in De- Sizing?

2. What are the chemicals used in Scouring?

3. What are the chemicals used in Mercerizing?

4. What are the chemicals used in Bleaching?

5. What are the main objectives of preparation treatments?

6. What are the main objectives of De- Sizing?

7. What are the main objectives of Scouring process?

8. What are the main objectives of Bleaching process?

9. What are the main objectives of Mercerizing process?

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 UNIT - 2

Textile Dyeing

Objectives

 To introduce the technique of resist dyeing for value-addition.

 To create awareness about the different resist dyed textiles of India.

 To understand the origin of technique and design with reference to resist dyed
textiles.

 To learn about the evolution of resist dyeing over a period of time.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the unit, the students shall be able to

• Understand the finer nuances of resist dyed textiles.

• Classify the regional tie-dyed textiles of India.

• Identify specific tie-dyed textiles of India on the basis of technique, colours,

patterns and layout.

• Identify the influencing factors for development and evolution of a specific resist-
dyed textile.

UNIT OVERVIEW

In this unit we will learn about the two major resist dyeing textile techniques of India:
Bandhani or Bandhej in terms of process, production centres, colours, patterns and
layout.
Resist dyeing is a technique of colouring yarn or fabric in order to create a pattern by
blocking or resisting certain areas, so that only the unblocked areas receive colour.
Resist materials like thread, wax, rice or mud paste can be used keeping in view the
patterns.

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Traditional resist dyed textiles of India can be broadly classified into two categories:

• Bandhani or Bandhej - Cloth resist dyed textiles

Bandhani, derived from the word „bandha‟ which means to tie, are tie-dyed textiles
primarily from Rajasthan and Gujarat. Tie-dye is a resist dyeing technique in which pre-
determined areas on the fabric are tied tightly with thread to protect them from the
colour, followed by dyeing and removal of threads to reveal an interesting pattern on
fabric.

The earliest reference to bandhani dates back to 6 th-7th century ad at the ajanta cave
paintings that portray women wearing bodices with resist dyed designs. There is a
literary reference to bandhani textiles in Harshacharita written by Banabhatta in 7 th
century ad. The biography quotes the wedding of King Harsha‟s sister, Rajyashri and
details the tie-dyeing of the bride‟s odhani.

The word „chunari‟ is a commonly used term that refers to patterns created by fine tie-
dyed dots. Since the resist dyeing is done on head-cloths, chunari is also the name of
the garment worn by women in rajasthan (Pic. 2.1).

The basic steps of creating a bandhani textile are as follows:

Pre-preparation of fabric: The fabric generally used for tie and dye is finer variety of
cotton and silk, so that dye can penetrate deep into the layers of tied fabrics. It is soaked in
water overnight and washed thoroughly to remove the starch in order to improve its dye
uptake. The fabric is bleached by drying it in the sun.

Chunari- head cloth worn by women of Rajasthan

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• Tracing of design: The fabric is folded into four or more layers for convenience of tying as
well as to achieve symmetry in design. The design layout is marked on the folded fabric
with wooden blocks, dipped in washable colours like neel or geru.

 Tying of fabric: as per the design, the folded fabric is raised with a pointed metal nail
worn over the finger. A cotton thread coated with wax is wrapped tightly around the raised
area to create a simple fine dot: bundi or bindi, which is the basic motif of the design.

• Dyeing of fabric in the lightest colour: after tying, the fabric is dyed in the lightest colour
first from the selected colour scheme. After dyeing, fabric is washed, rinsed and dried.

• Renewal of tying and dyeing in next-darker colour: Parts of the fabric to be retained in
the lighter colour are covered with tying and then the fabric is dyed in the next darker
colour. The Process of re-tying and dyeing is continued till the darkest colour in the
scheme is applied.

• Washing: Following the final dyeing, the textile is washed to remove excess dye and
starched.

• Opening the ties: The ties of the tie-dyed fabric are kept tied till purchased by a consumer
in order to differentiate between a bandhani textile and a printed imitation. Only a portion
of the bandhani textile is opened to display the colour scheme to the customer. To unravel
the ties, the bandhani textile is stretched crosswise to open all ties at the same time.

The tie-dye in India can be categorized according to region into Bandhani of gujarat and
Bandhej and leheriya of rajasthan

BANDHANI OF GUJARAT

The tie-dye from Gujarat called Bandhani is regarded for its fine resist dots and intricate
designs. Traditionally the tie-dye is done on silk, cotton and wool. The motifs created by
outlining with tiny dots are animal and human figures, flowers, plants and trees. The
products range varies from odhanis, saris, shawls to stitched garments like kurta and skirts
(Pic. 2.2).

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The major centers of bandhani in Gujarat are Jamnagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and
Porbandar.

Bandhani woolen shawls

SPECIAL BANDHANI TEXTILES FROM GUJARAT

Gharcholu: a popular bandhani textile produced in Gujarat is called gharchola or

gharcholu, a traditional odhani for Hindu brides, which is nowadays available as a sari worn
on auspicious occasions. The tie-dyed textile in cotton or silk is red in colour and the layout
is a checkerboard created with woven gold threads. Each square within the check contains
a different tie-dyed motif like dancing lady, parrot, elephant, peacock, flowering shrub and
geometric forms (Pic. 2.3).

Cross view of Gharcholu

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Chandrokhani: The traditional odhani for Chandrokhani: The traditional odhani for a Muslim bride in
red and black colour is called chandrokhani. It is a tie-dyed textile with a big medallion in the center
surrounded by four smaller medallions and wide borders (Pic. 2.4). Motifs created with small tie dye dots
are small paisleys, zig zag lines, sunflowers etc.

Crose view of Chandrokahni

Aba or Abo: The traditional upper garment for Muslim women is called aba or abo. The
kurta has an intricate tie-dye pattern shaped like a yoke on the bodice front, which is
identical in the front as well as the back.

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Bandhej and Lehariya of Rajasthan

The tie-dyed textiles produced in Rajasthan are known as bandhej and are similar to the
bandhani of Gujarat in terms of production process. Besides the fine resist dots, other types
of shapes seen in bandhej are tiny boxes called dabbi, sweetmeats termed laddu and cowrie
shells named kori. The tie-dye motifs range from very simple to complex forms including
geometric and floral designs. The tie-dye done on fine cotton and silks are used as odhani
for women, turban cloth for men and stitched into garments like skirt and bodice. The
colourful textile that is considered auspicious is also offered to goddesses on special
occasions.

Rajasthan is also known for its multi-coloured resist dot pattern that is produced by a
process called „lipai‟ (Pic. 2.5). In this technique, the fabric is first dabbed with various
colours according to the design, followed by tying the coloured areas to resist penetration of
dye. The tied fabric is finally dyed in order to obtain multi-coloured dots in localized areas on
a coloured background.

Multi-coloured resist dots pattern

Another category of tied-dyed fabrics which are very popular from rajasthan are lehariya
(Pic. 2.6). The patterns are diagonal or zigzag lines created by wrap-resist technique. Fine
cotton or silk fabric is diagonally rolled into a tight rope and tied with thread at regular

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intervals to obtain stripes on dyeing. The fabric may be rolled again and re-tied to resist the
existing colour and add another colour in the leheriya pattern. The fabric when opened fully
shows diagonal white and varied light coloured lines on a darker background. lehariya
fabrics are used as head cloth

The finest bandhej is made in Sikar and Bikaner in Rajasthan. Other production centres for
bandhej and leheriya are Jodhpur, Udaipur, Barmer and Jaipur.

SPECIAL TIE-DYED TEXTILES FROM RAJASTHAN

Piliya/Pilado: The traditional odhani in red and yellow colour scheme is an important part
of the costume for young mothers. These textiles were dyed with turmeric to impart
properties of anti-inflammation. Hence it had social significance as they were gifted to the
mothers of new born boys. a typical piliya is largely yellow in colour with red appearing in
borders, big central circular motif and four smaller circles around it (Pic. 2.7).

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 Close view of Piliya

Mothra: A traditional leheriya textile that has a fine checkered pattern created by
crisscrossing diagonal lines.

Close view of Mothra

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DYES

To select the proper dye for a fiber, it is necessary to know which dyes have an affinity for
the vegetable, animal, or manmade fibers. In general, the dyes used for cotton and kinen
may be used for rayons, but other fibers require different dyes.

When a dye colors fiber directly with one operation of impregnation, without the aid of an
affixing agent, the dye is said to be a direct dye for that fiber. Direct dyes are the easiest to
produce, the simplest to apply, and the cheapest in their initial cost as well as in
application.

SELECTION OF DYEING METHOD

Textiles may be dyed at any stage of their development from fiber into fabric or certain
garments by the following methods:
Stock dyeing, in the combed wool sliver stage.
Yarn dyeing, after the fiber has been spun into yarn
Piece dyeing, after the yarn has been constructed into fabric
Solution pigmenting or dope dyeing, before a manmade fiber is extruded through the
spinneret
Garment dyeing after certain kinds of apparel are knitted.

Stock Dyeing
In this process of dyeing, loose fibers are dyed by circulating the dye liquor continuously
through fibers.

Important Features of Stock Dyeing:

 Expensive method of dyeing
 Production is less
 10-15% waste of dyed fibers during dyeing
 Excellent penetration of dye in to fiber

Fashion risk - It means that final color of the fabric has to be decided in earliest stage in its
manufacture

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Reason for use:

 Heather-like effect for woolen yarns or to produce “Melange yarns”

Yarn Dyeing

In this type of Dyeing machines, dyeing is carried out in yarn stage. There are various
types of yarn dyeing machines; such as Slacer Dyeing Machine, Rope Dyeing Machine,
Hank dyeing Machine, Package Dyeing and Space dyeing.

Important Features of Yarn Dyeing

Some of these dyeing machines are cheaper than Stock Dyeing Machine:
 Excellent color penetrations of dye into fiber than piece dyeing

Reason for Use,

 To produce stripes, plaids and checks and other multi colored designs

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Natural Dyes

Primitive people obtained days from flowers, nuts, berries, and other forms of vegetable
and plant life, as well as form mineral and animal sources. These sources out civilization.
They are no longer used in quantity by the dyeing industry, but they are still used in Oriental
countries to a certain extent for rug dyeing and in many parts of the world for native
handicraft.

Synthetic Dyes

Although synthetic dyes were first derived from coal tar in 1856, they were not developed
in the United States to any great extent until World War I, when the supply of imported
synthetic dyes was cut off since then, the United States has built up a dye industry that is
unsurpassed. Innumerable dye compounds made from coal tar have now supplanted
natural dyes. These synthetic dyes are constantly being improved as to beauty of color
and color fastness. Lasting beauty of color is an important factor in consumer‟s finished
goods. Durability of color depends on (1) selection of the proper dye for the fiber to be
dyed (2) selection of the method of dyeing the fiber, yarn, or fabric.

Basic (Cationic) Dyes

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The first coal-tar was a so-called basic dye. It was developed to give many bright shades
for silk and wool. The chemical agent that binds the dye to a fiber, which otherwise has
little or no affinity for the dye, is known as a mordant. Cationic dyes are used with a
mordant for cotton, linen, acetate, nylon, polyesters, acrylics, and mod acrylics. A
fluorescent basic dye which imparts extremely bright shades has been developed in a
wide range of colors. It is suitable for acrylics and certain polyesters.

When used on natural fibers, basic dyes are not fast to light, washing, perspiration, or
atmospheric gases; they tend to either bleed or crock. They give good fastness and bright
shades to acrylics for which they are principally used. Basic dyes are frequently used as
an after treatment for fabrics that have been previously dyed with acid colors.

Piece Dyeing
In this method, dyeing of cloth is carried out, after it is being woven or knitted is known as
piece dyeing. It is the most common method of dyeing. The various methods used for this
type of dyeing include jet dyeing. Jig dyeing, pad dyeing and beam dyeing. Dyeing is
carried out in fabric stage, generally to produce single solid color in the substrate.

Solution Pigmenting or Dope Dyeing

During the production of manmade fibers, a great deal of time and money can be saved if
the dye is added to the solution before it is extruded through the spinnerets to filaments.
This method also gives a greater degree of colour fastness. A Process called solution
pigmenting, or dope dyeing, has been used for manmade fibers ranging from rayon
through saran and glass fiber. Effective results have been obtained. The pigment colors
are the fastest known-much faster than any of the customary dyeing techniques.
Therefore, where warranted, they are to be preferred when fastness to almost any known
factor is important.

Special dyes may be added to the polymer for the production of such fibers as nylon prior
to melt-spinning of the chips. The dyestuffs are resistant to the reducing action of the
polymer under high temperatures. Such dyes well not fade, crock, or run.

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 Garment Dyeing

This type of dyeing is generally carried out for the garments of non-tailored categories,
such as sweaters sweat shirts, hosiery and panty hoses etc. Tailored items like suits or
dresses cannot be dyed as garments because the difference in shrinkage of the various
components of the garments will provide the distortion and misshape the article. Garment
dyeing is done by, placing suitable number of garments depending on the capacity of the
machine into large nylon net bag. Loosely packed 10-50 bags are then placed in dye bath
and kept agitated by a motor driven paddle. This type of machine is also called as
“Paddle dyer”.

Important Features of Garment Dyeing:

 Less fashion risk
 Material need not be dyed until shortly before the actual sale of the merchandise
Limitations

 All fabric used in one garment must come from the same lot of fabric.
 Fabric must be tested for shrinkage before cutting of garments, and must be given
required tolerance to allow for shrinkage so that size will be accurate.
 Thread must be selected carefully and tested to be sure it will accept the dye in the same
way as the fabric.

 Labels, buttons and zippers must be compatible with the garment fabric in terms of
reaction to the dye and shrinkage.

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 Special Dyeing Effects

Cross Dyeing

Yarn, fabric or even garment made with two or more generic fiber types “Blends” having
different dyeing qualities is dyed a single dye bath containing different classes of dyes
e.g. If a fabric is made of 67% Polyester and 33 � cotton fibres. In such case both the
fibre requires two different classes of dyes. And if we choose one colour to dye the
polyester fibre (say Yellow) than any colour other than yellow can be used in the to dye
the cotton, then such type of dyeing is called Cross dyeing.
If different fibers are blended in the same yarn a Heather-like effect is obtained. Different
fiber content yarns used in fabric construction can obtain plaids, stripes and checks.

Union Dyeing
Union dyeing can be defined in the blended fabrics. If a fabric is made of 67% Polyester
and 33% cotton fibres. In such case both the fibre requires two different class of dyes.
And if we choose one colour to dye the polyester fibre than similar colour must be used in
the same intensity to dye the cotton, then such type of dyeing is called Union dyeing.
It means that Union dyeing is achieving single solid color on blended fabrics.

Pic. Cross Dyeing Fabric

The Selection of Dyes

There are various choices available to dye given fabric. The main criteria for selection of
dyes depend upon the following factor.
 End uses of fabric.
 Fiber content.
 Fabric structure.

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  Requirement of color fastness.
 Penetration and absorption of dyes.
 Cost of dye stuff.
 Methods of application etc.

Dyeing Objectives

The main objectives of dyeing are.

 To impart color to the Textile substrates fibers, yarns, fabrics & garments uniformly
and producing uniform leveling.
 To achieve acceptable durability of color to further treatments in production and
normal end use.
 To reproduce the required shade from batch to batch.
 To use reasonably priced dyes and dyeing procedure.
 To provide and use ecofriendly process.
 Fixing the color in the shortest possible time.

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Direct Dyes

These dyes are derived from a formulation of Benzedrine salts. These are water soluble
dyes and least expensive one. These dyes are easy to apply and can be applied directly on
the fabric, without any pretreatment. Dye fixing agents are not
required to fix this category of dye. These dyes are widely used on cellulosic fibers.

Direct dyes are having wide range of colors and shades. The fabric dyed with the direct
dyes generally does not have bright colors. Among the bright colors, only bright greens are
available, but is more expensive than any other color.

Application
These are water soluble dyes; hence, can be directly applied on the fabric. These dyes
have good color fastness to perspiration and dry cleaning. Light fastness of these dyes
varies widely from poor to very good.

Some direct dyes are metalized with copper to increase their light fastness. In other cases,
copper salts are applied as an after treatment for improving light and wash fastness.
These dyes have poor fastness to washing and crocking. Majority of the direct dyes are
used as back ground color for discharge printing.

Azoic dyes
This is the third group of direct dyes that is further identified as naphthol and rapidogen
types. They are quite fast to washing and vary from poor to excellent light fastness. Azoic
dyes are used to a very great extent on cotton and for special purposes on nylon and
acetate.

The method of applying these dyes is somewhat similar to that of developed dyes, as it
involves diazotizing. The fabric is first immersed in naphthol, which impregnates the fibers;
it is then dipped into the diazotized color bath. The dyeing is followed by through soaping
and rinsing. Naphthol or azoic dyes are sometimes referred to as ice dyes because ice is
frequently used to bring the dyes to a low temperature and assure efficient dye formation. A
complete color range is available, but these dyes are used primarily for bright reds, yellows,
and blacks.

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Sulfur Dyes

Sulfur dyes, first made in 1879, are used for cotton and linen. These dyes are fast to
washing, light, and perspiration, but they have one weakness: excessive chlorine bleaching
will strip the color.

Sulfur dyes are insoluble in water and must be made soluble with the aid of caustic soda
and sodium sulfide. (one or two manufactures produce sulfur dyes that have been made
water-soluble.)

Sulfur dyeing is done at high temperature and with a large quantity of salt, which helps to
drive the color into the fabric. Sulfur dyes penetrate more thoroughly than any other dye
because of the high temperature and the alkalinity of the dye bath. They are excellent for
khaki and for the heavy piece goods used in work clothes. Sulfur dyes produce dull colors,
such as navy, brown, and black. They are used for black more than any other dye. If stored
for a great length of time, fabrics become tender.

Vat dyes
The first synthetic vat dye was an indigo created in 1879. Vat dyes are the fastest dyes for
cotton, linen, and rayon. They also may be applied to wool, nylon, polyesters, acrylics, and
mod acrylics with the use of a mordant. Vat dyes are not only resistant to light and to acids
and alkalies, but are also equally resistant to the strong oxidizing bleaches used in
commercial laundries. In this respect, vat dyes excel sulfur dyes, which are not fast to
chlorine washing.
Vat dyes are expensive because of the initial cost as well as the method of application. They
are insoluble pigments; but they are made soluble in water by the use of a strong reducing
agent, such as hydroxide. The fabric is immersed in this solution. Subsequent exposure to
air or immersion in an oxidizing both (dichromate) restores the dye to its soluble form as a
part of the fiber.

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 Disperse Dyes

These dyes were originally developed for the dyeing of cellulose acetate but now
days, they are used to dye nylon, cellulose triacetate and acrylic fibres too.

These dyes were largely used for dyeing of polyester material. Disperse dyes are
Non-ionic aromatic compounds with relatively low molecular weight and has an
extremely low solubility in water. These dyes are available in the form of powders,
granular, liquid or paste form. These dyes can be sublimizing at higher temperature
and this sublimation properties of Disperse dyes at high temperature is used in the
transfer printing and rapid dyeing process.

Dyeing of polyester is generally carried out at high temperature and high pressure.
These dyes are also used for heat transfer printing. Disperse dyes produces very
good range of shades except dark blue and black. These dyes are having good -
excellent fastness to perspiration, crocking and dry cleaning and Fair-Good fastness
to light and washing. When these dyes are used on acetate, it exhibit poor fastness
to light and subject to gas fading.

Acid Dyes

These dyes are sodium salt of sulphonic acid that are having very good affinity to
wool and silk fiber under acidic medium. These dyes are available in a form of salts
and are water-soluble. These dyes are applied in acid medium by exhaust method.
Acid dyes are mainly used for dyeing of wool and silk. However, Acrylic, nylon and
spandex can also be dyed with acid dyes with excellent fastness properties.

Exercises

State whether the following statements are True or False. If False, write down the
correct one.

a. Gharcholu is a traditional lehariya textile.

b. The traditional odhani, Piliya is worn by gujarati women.

c. Aba is traditional tie-dyed upper garment worn by Muslim women of gujarat.

26
 d. Mothra is an example of a tie-dyed textile with fine resist dots.

e. Lehariya is a tie-dyed textile of rajasthan.

Fill in the blanks.

a. ____________________ is a traditional red and black odhani worn by a

Muslim bride from gujarat.

b. ____________________ is a process to produce multi-coloured resist dot

pattern.

c. Tie-dye is a ____________________ dyeing technique.

d. ____________________ is a tiny square shaped resist in bandhej.

e. Lehariya textile has ____________________ lines.

Exercise

Fill in the blanks

1. ………….are used to impart color to the textile materials.

2. ………......must have substantively to the ¿ber during dyeing stage.
3. …………... must have solubility in water during dyeing stage.
4. Durability of the…. ……..depends upon binders used.
5. Vat dyes are…….. …..organic compounds and not substantive to cellulose.
6 ………...are derived from aryl amides organic compounds.
7. …………. derived from formulation of Benzedrine salts.
8. ………….. derived from the formulation of compounds containing sulfur.

27
Write important feature of the following dyes

 Vat dyes
 Azoic/Napthol dyes
 Direct dyes
 Sulfur dyes
 Disperse dyes
 Basic dyes
 Acid dyes

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 Unit - 3

Textile Printing
Unit Overview

In this unit students will be informed about different styles and methods of printing
designs. The designers should be aware of all style & methods of printing to explore
each technique effectively.. Printing advantages and disadvantages will also be
discussed to understand printing selection for quality production.

Objectives of the Unit

• To introduce styles and methods of printed textiles and its effect on design.

• To learn the process involved in printing textiles.

• To gain knowledge of evolution of printing process.

• To understand the origin and history of styles and methods.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the unit, the students shall be able to –

• Understand the different styles and methods involved in printing Textiles.

• Identify the correct method and style for printing Textiles.

• Recognize the difference between different kinds of prints.

• To get an overview of printing methods.

Textile Printing

The term „textile printing‟ indicates the patterning of cloth by means of printing, dyeing or
painting. The printed fabrics are categorized in four different classes or styles: the „resist‟
style, the „dyed‟ style, the „discharge‟ style and the „direct‟ style. The resist style and dyed
style are the oldest form of decorating textiles. All four styles can be used in conjunction
with a great variety of tools and devices to decorate the textile surface. The students of

29
 textile design need to explore and experiment with the styles of printing to develop
innovative and decorative surfaces.

The tools and devices used in these styles give ample scope of mixing of the simplest
brush techniques to the most elaborate and sophisticated modern screen printing
machinery.

Man‟s urge to decorate his clothing and the fabrics of his environment, by means of
printing, dates from the very earliest times, and fabrics so patterned existed before
woven or embroidered ones. For, although the earliest examples are from the fifth- to
sixth-century Coptic period in Egypt, various records show that printed fabric did exist
about 2500 BC. Patterned garments are shown on wall-paintings in Egyptian tombs and
Herodotus mentions similar findings in the Caucasus of 2000 BC. Whether the people of
China or India were the first to make simple blocks for the printing of cotton cloth is
debatable but it seems certain that textile printing was a fairly extensive industry in India.

An early sample of block printed fabric from India was unearthed in Fostat in Egypt.
Many similar fragments were found in South East Asia and other early civilizations. It was
found that there was a flourishing trade of brightly printed fabrics from India. The British
East India Company set foot first on the Coromandal coast and were fascinated by
inexpensive, intricately hand printed brightly coloured fabrics. The popularity and
subsequent demand of brightly coloured Kalamkari, better known as „Chintz‟ in Europe,
actually resulted in decline in the demand for machine printed fabrics, produced locally.

The traditional method of printing textiles was by using hand carved wooden blocks. The
designs were printed using vegetable dyes to obtain bright terracotta red, indigo blue,
turmeric yellow and deep green. The colouring was a tedious process using vegetable
dyes. as vegetable dyes do not have affinity for fabric, the cotton fabric is firstly
impregnated with metallic salts called mordants. These mordants help in bonding of dyes
to the fabrics. The Indian printer‟s skills were admired the world over to create intricate
patterns using indigenous knowledge of mixing and overlapping to achieve varied tones of
colours.

Introduction to Various methods of Printing:

Hand Block printing:

Hand Block printing requires equipment in terms of wooden blocks, printing tables,
colour trays etc. The blocks are made out of good quality seasoned „saagwan’. Block
carving is done mainly in Pethapur in Gujarat; agra and Farrukhabad in uttar Pradesh
and Delhi. For making a print motif with three colures, four blocks are required; one for
the outline and three coordinates for the rest of three colours. The outline block known
as „rekh‟ is printed first (Pic. 3.1). It is followed by printing of other filling blocks known as
„gad‟. In case of mud resist printing, mud paste is applied on the fabric with blocks known
as „data‟.

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 Wooden tables used for block printing are of two types. Tables are padded with layers of
felt/ blanket material and covered with fine muslin, which absorbs extra dye. The muslin
is changed as and when the fabric is soiled. Traditionally, tables were of low height to
enable the printer to sit cross legged on the floor while printing. These tables were
narrow width and hence the printer used to keep moving the fabric once the fabric in
front of him was printed. at present similar tables are used by printers in some of the
remote villages in Rajasthan. The most commonly used tables are the ones with normal
height so that the printing is done while standing. The width of the table is approximately
55 inches, as the fabric is laid on the table in full width. The printer moves around the
table to complete the printing on both the ends of open width fabric.

The printing trays are square wooden receptacle in which thick layers of absorbent felt
material is spread. The printing paste is evenly spread over the felt material. These trays
are put on wooden trolleys provided with wheels to facilitate easy movement of printer
from one place to another.

Pigment is mixed with gum obtained from the trees such as babool or Arabica, in order to
provide thick consistency to the printing paste.

The printing trays are square wooden receptacle in which thick layers of absorbent felt
material is spread. The printing paste is evenly spread over the felt material. These trays
are put on wooden trolleys provided with wheels to facilitate easy movement of printer
from one place to another.

Pigment is mixed with gum obtained from the trees such as babool or Arabica, in order to
provide thick consistency to the printing paste.

Printing Process

Desizing: The fabric to be printed is first of all washed for desizing, to remove starch or any
other impurity from it. This will ensure evenly printed fabrics.

Mordanting: In case of natural dyes, fabrics are mordanted with metal salts to ensure better
absorption and colour fastness.

Stretching on tables: The fabric is then stretched on the table with the help of pins, which are
inserted diagonally on the edges. This is to avoid the shifting of fabric when printing is taking
place.

Preparation of Colour tray: The wooden tray with felt fabric layers is placed on the table
trolley. The printing paste with pigment of thick flowing consistency is poured over it to spread
evenly (Pic.3.2).

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Printing: The block for outline „rekh‟ is pressed on the colour saturated printing pad and then
pressed on the fabric stretched on the table. The block is then carefully lifted to avoid any
smudging or staining of fabric. The printing is similarly continued according to the layout. Equal
amount of pressure is applied on each block to obtain consistency of colour. Once the first
colour printing is finished, second colour is used with fill in blocks and subsequently all blocks
are printed.

Dyeing: In case of natural dyes, printing is done with mordants and then taken for dyeing.

Washing: The fabrics are then washed thoroughly after completely drying in strong sunlight. It
is spread for few hours in sun and sprinkled with water frequently to ensure colour fastness.

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(Pic. 3.1 Carved out wooden block)

(Pic 3.2 Preparation of colour tray)

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Block Printing:

Block printing is the oldest form of printing where-in a wooden block with a raised pattern
on the surface is dipped into the printing colorant and then pressed down on to fabric to
achieve design on the fabric. In Block printing, the pattern is generated by repeating the
process of block application on the fabric. For a design of four colours, four separate
blocks are developed. Due to manual process, this printing is time consuming and
provides flexibility of changing the pattern placement.

Advantages:

• Due to simple printing method, this style of printing does not require expensive
equipment‟s.

• Provides flexibility in repeat sizing

• Prints produce have greater decorative value and stamp of craftsmanship

Disadvantages:

• Slow production as it involves manual methods

Block Printing

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Block Printed textiles of Rajasthan

Rajasthan is known for its colorful block printed fabrics. The arid Block Printed Textile of
Rajasthan Rajasthan is known for its colourful block printed fabric. The arid dessert land
devoid of colourful natural surroundings is compensated by the love and use of bright colours
in apparel by both men and women and for their homes too.

Block printing is a style of printing which is labour intensive and versatile. The printer
community has been using the same wooden carved out blocks for many generations and are
still able to sustain the craft. Two villages known for two different styles of printing are Bagru
and Sanganer near Jaipur. Both have similar motifs but the technique of production and the
look is very different.

Bagru prints from Rajasthan

Region: Bagru is a small village in Rajasthan, which is known for its mud-resist block prints.

Technique: In Bagru, the printer first processes the raw material which is mainly cotton. Other
natural fabrics are silk, cotton and silk blends etc. The fabric is then printed with mordants in
paste form. The printing is done by using outline and filling blocks. The prints are then covered
with a resisting paste „dabu‟ made of clay and gum. It is then dried and dyed in vegetable dye.
The mud resist paste is used to resist the penetration of dyes, mainly vegetable dyes on cotton
fabric as per the design. After dyeing the fabric is thoroughly washed at the river. The mud
resist paste is washed off exposing printed motifs on white background surrounded by the base
colour. Hence, the resulting effect of dark and deep background with light coloured prints is
achieved by resisting and mordanting.

Motifs: The motifs are inspired by the 17th century Persian motifs and are classified into the
following five categories:

• Single motifs like flowers, leaves and buds. Some examples are suraj ka phool, chakri,
anguthi, gende ka phool.

• Entwined tendrils that include all over jaal of leaves, flowers and buds.

• Trellis patterns include jaalis from the Mughul period.

• Figurative designs that include animal and human figures such as elephant, deer, lion,
peacock, dancing women, warrior men etc.

35
• Geometric designs include waves (lehariya), chess (chaupad), Fortress wall projections
(kangura), lines (dhariya), dots (bindi) etc. (Pic. 3.3)

36
 Pic. 3.3: geometric design on block printed fabri

End use: The brightly coloured block printed fabrics from Bagru are used for apparel as well
as home furnishings such as quilts, bedspreads, cushions and curtains.

Hand Screen-Printing
This is the best method for printing of low yardage, samples of exclusive limited quality
of designs. Screens are generally made of polyester fabric. Sometimes this fabric is
also called bolting Cloth, because fabric is tightened on a light weight metal frame. In
this type of printing large repeat sizes are possible (up to 120”).

Advantage of Hand Screen Printing

 Wet-on dry prints effect possible.

 Better penetration of color than roller prints due to heavier lay-on of color.
 Acceptable to all woven & knitted fabrics.
 Rapid preparation of screens and rapid pattern changes over possible.
 Ability to print cut garment parts and small items (towels, scarves etc.)

Limitations of Hand Screen Printing

 Half tone designs are not possible
 Fine-line paisley prints are not possible
37
 Lengthwise stripe designs cannot be printed
 Slow production
 Uneconomical for large scale production of yardage.

38
Roller Printing

This is method (can be called a machine counterpart of block printing,) engraved copper
cylinders or rollers are used in place of hand carved blocks. The required designs are
engraved on the surface of copper roller, to which dye is applied and excess colour is scraped
off the roller‟s surface, leaving dye in the engraved sections. When rollers come in contact
with a fabric, the dye on the roller gets transferred to the fabric surface.

Advantages:

• Large quantity of fabric can be produced using this method of printing

• Due to precision achieved in aligning the roller, repeats marks are not visible and hence
clear designs are achieved.

• Due to engraving, sharp outlines can be obtained which is extremely difficult to achieve in
Block printing.

Disadvantages

• Not economical for short run of Fabric

• Repeat of the design is limited to circumference of the roller and width of the roller.

• Setup cost of roller, engraving and printing machine is high.

Heat Transfer printing

In this indirect style of printing, dyes are transferred from paper to a thermoplastic
fabric under controlled conditions of temperature, time and pressure. The image is
first engraved on a copper plate and then pigment is applied on these plates. The
image is then transferred to a piece of paper. The paper is then placed on the fabric
and heat pressure is applied to fix the image on the fabric.

Advantages

 Simple operation

 No after treatment of fabric required

 Excellent print quality

39
  Excellent design possibility

Disadvantages

• High cost of printed paper

• Not economical for small orders

40
 Heat Transfer Printing

Styles of Printing

These are specific features in the prints, which provide the unique identity to the
prints. Such types of effects are not possible by any other methods of the prints.
Such as the merging effects of two or more colours are only possible in the Tie and
Dye styles or the cracking effect within the colour are only possible in the Batik style
of printing.

Direct Prints

This print is also called an application print and it is most popular types of print style.
In this print design is printed directly onto a white cloth or over a previously dyed pale
coloured fabric. In this print, the printed portion is considerably darker than the dyed
backgrounds.

Identification of Direct Prints

The background is generally white, or has larger portions of white background.

The printed design is lighter in shade on back of the fabric than on the face. This may
not be evident on lightweight fabrics because of the strike-through of the print paste.

Discharge Prints

In this type of prints, Fabrics are generally dyed in a solid color, prior to printing; the
design is applied by screen or roller with a chemical (sodium sulphoxylate
formaldehyde, a reducing agent). This reducing agent will destroy the color in the
printed portion and white background will appear in the printed area.

41
 Pic: Discharge Prints on Red Background

For example.“White discharge print” White polka dot on a blue back ground can be
made by first dyeing the fabric blue, then printing appropriate dots with the chemical
which removes the blue color.

The colour-destroying chemical does not affect on vat dyes so that “Color discharge
Print” can also be produced. For color discharge, these two substances (the color
removing chemical and vat dye) may be mixed together in the same print paste and
applied in the similar fashion.

When printing with this mixture, the color-

A yellow polka dot on a blue background can be made by first dyeing the fabric
“Blue” then printing with a yellow vat dye mixed with the colour-removing chemical.

Discharge print can be made by roller & screen methods, but not by heat transfer
printing.

Discharge Prints are not widely used due to following reasons:

•Production is more costly than direct print because fabric is to be dyed prior
to printing.

42
 •Very careful and precise process control is required.

Developments of automatic rotary screen-printing, high quality blotch prints, which

can produce the same effect at lower cost.

Identification of Discharge prints

The background is the same shade on the face and back of the fabric (piece
dyed)

 Print design area is white or a different removing or shade than background.

 Back of the print design reveals traces of the background removing.

Discharge Printed Fabric

Resist Prints

In this type of prints, the fabric is printed in two steps. In first step, pattern or design
is printed on a white fabric with a chemical (wax-like

Resinous substance) that will prevent or resist the penetration of dyes. In second step,
the fabric is dyed by piece dyeing method.

43
 Resist prints are not popular type of printing on fabric. It is generally used where
removing of background colour from the fabric is very difficult. It is performed as craft
or hand printing rather than on production basis. Generally used for Batik prints, tie-
dye prints and ikat prints.

Pic. Resist Printed Fabric

Blotch Prints

In this type of printing, complete background has been obtained by printing. It is also
called Direct Print. The print and pattern design color are printed on fabric in one
printing operation that imitates the discharge or resist style of print effects.

Identification of Blotch Prints

 The blotch print background color is lighter on backside of the fabric.

 Possibilities of large background color areas of the print are not covered with
full depth of colors.
 Precise control is necessary.
 If pigment are used in blotch prints, then fabrics very often result in objectionable
stiff hand.

Duplex Prints
In this style of prints, Fabrics is printed on both the sides. This generally provides
imitate Jacquard & Dobby woven pattern to the fabrics. It is very expensive printing.

44
.

Duplex printing

Warp Prints

Warp Prints involve printing the warp yarns of a fabric before it is placed on the
loom for weaving, then, the fabric is woven with a solid color weft usually white or
contrast color.

The result is a soft, shadowy design on the fabric. Producing warp prints require
careful and skilled labor. These prints are found almost exclusively on high quantity
and expensive fabrics.

Warp Printing (Patola Saree)

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Exercise

Fill in the blanks

1. ..…….is used to apply coloring localized area only.

2. .....…. Is also called an application print & most popular print types.

3 …...… fabrics are dyed in solid color prior to printing & the design is applied by
screen or roller with a chemical.

4. In……... production is more costly than direct print because fabric is to be dyed
prior to printing.

5. The background removing is the same shade on the face and back of the fabric
in……

6. In…… the area will be slightly stiffer and a bit thicker than the non-print area.

7. The…… background color is lighter on backside of the fabric.

8. Printing with chemical substance that will destroy the fiber in the printed area is
called….

9. Prints in which both sides of the fabric have been printed are called……..

46
Short answer questions

‡ 1. Write down the limitation of the Screen Printing.

‡ 2. Write the Specific features of the Screen printing.

‡ 3 What are the specific features of Direct prints?

‡ 4. How do you identify direct print on the given fabric?

‡ 5. What are the specific features of Resist prints?

‡ 6 How do you identify Resist print on the given fabric?

‡ 7. How do you identify the Blotch print on the given fabric?

‡ 8 Write down the Specific features of the Following Prints

a) Duplex prints

47
 Exercise

Fill in the Blanks:

1. The term ________________ indicates the patterning of cloth by means of

printing, dyeing or painting.

2. ______________ Printing is the oldest form of printing.

3.

Describe the following

.
 Block printing.

 Roller printing.

48
 UNIT 4
Introduction to Print Design and Design Techniques

Unit Overview

This unit will introduce basic ingredients for print design development to
enable students to develop new and effective designs using relevant
reference materials. Further, they will also learn to ideate design, select
colors, set repeats and plan layouts to enhance prints.

Objectives of the Course

 Understanding Textile Design, repeat and layout.
 To develop an understanding for surface design development.
 To sensitize students towards various types of Prints.
 To understand forms, shape and color combinations for various categories.
 To sensitize students towards specific influencing forms, objects and shapes.
 To develop an ability to recognize the design in each type of print.

Learning Outcome
 Identify the pattern, repeat and layout.
 After completing the unit, the students shall be able to.
 Understand forms and color combinations.
 Develop an understanding for various categories of prints.
 Identify the types of prints.

History of Print and Printed Textiles

The impact of Fashion can be observed in textile usage of any period,
irrespective of wealth, class and different sections of the society. When we look
at old prints, we notice that at every level of the society, prints provide a

49
 commentary on the interplay of Fashion, technology and social change. From
older days, textiles provided the means by which ever large sections of the
community could participate in these rituals of decorating, when other things
were expected to last a generation or more, renewed textiles kept abreast of
Fashion.

A designer‟s job is to combine skills, taste and imagination to produce good

designs. This book will guide students for idea generation for printing on the
cloth. A textile design begins with an idea on paper and ends on printed cloth. All
around the world billions of mtrs. of fabric is being produced by number of Print
Houses. Each print house requires regular supply of new designs and it is
extremely difficult to judge the number of designs that are used in their
production.

Since 1980, computer revolution has also affected the professional practices of
textile design industry and there has been number of innovative developments in
the printing process. However, the three skills required by the designer – idea
generation and conceptualization is still being done in a traditional manner. With
the advent of newer technology, the designs development is being done by
various advanced methods.
Fashion, styles and therefore textile pattern change from season to season, year
after year. Students of textile design should have keen interest in world art and
cultures that is easily accessible now a day. Understanding regional art and
culture gives deeper insight of Regional Textile design development.

In order to work in the field of Textile design, students must know the historical
development to gain sensitivity towards its development. Following points show a
brief overview of historical developments in printed textiles.

 During 5000 B.C., Egypt, Flax was used by the early Egyptian cultures along the
Nile to make linen like fabrics.

 During 3000 B.C. in India and in Peru, Cotton was produced simultaneously in
these two almost disconnected parts of the prehistoric world.

50
 During 2640 B.C. in China, Silk was first cultivated and woven. By 1400 B.C. silk
production in China was at its peak.

 During 2000 B.C. in Peru, Clay cylinders were used to print border patterns.

 During 1500 B.C. in Mexico; Peru, Tie-dyeing, batik (a wax resist technique), and
block and small roller printing were developed; a finish for glazing of cotton fabrics
was also perfected during this period.

 During 450 B.C. in Greece, Animal figures were painted on clothing using pigment
dyes.

 During 500-600 in Persia, Patterned cloth was printed in red, black, and powdered
gold.

 During 1100 in Europe, Fabric printing was done at various levels simultaneously
in several countries.

 During 1300-1600 in Europe, The era of great weaving, which includes tapestry,
damask, and silk embroidery, was at its peak. Fabric printing declined during this
period.

 During 1676-1771 in Europe, Cloth printing works started in England,

Holland, Germany, Switzerland, France, Ireland, and Scotland. The factory
at Jouy, France, founded by Oberkampf in 1759, where the famous Toile de
Jouy fabrics are designed and printed were among the best printing setup.

 In seventeenth century Europe, the design and manufacture of woven or

embroidered designs had achieved high level of quality and prints were
often made as cheap version.
 European companies started trading with Asian countries including hand
painted designs from India known as “Calicos” or “Chintz”. The imagery on
these fabrics often in the form of “palampores” was popular and due to its
increased demand, traders have encouraged manufactures to produce
these in large volumes.
 During 1712 - In U.S.,George Leason established the "Calico Printing
Works" in Boston. During the next 150 years, more than seventy print works
were established throughout New England and the Mid-Atlantic States.

 During 1785 in England, Industrialized roller printing was developed.During

1900 in England, William Morris design were popular for printed fabrics and
wallpaper in the Art nouveau Style, which were greatly admired and were
influential in the U.S. Today, Willaim Morris considered the forerunner of
modern design in textiles.

51
  During 1900, screen printing was introduced as a new technique to reduce
cost implication of copper roller printing.
 In 1929, France, the age of synthetic chemical fibers began with the
introduction of rayon, the so-called silk substitute. Although its development
began in 1884, it was finally perfected in 1929.
 It has been said that Indian subcontinent is the most original, creative and
prolific source of patterned textile production in the world.
 Twenty-first centuries: Digital revolution was considered far more significant
then the invention of writing or printing. Digital technique provided exciting
new possibilities for development of print design.

4.1 VARIOUS ASPECTS OF DESIGN

The print design business is complex & demanding and the designer has to
regularly look out for references to “ideate” and “be inspired”. This is a
fundamental skill to start your journey of designing involving an in-depth
study for innovative and creative design development.

Designing trend in style, colours, themes, techniques change constantly. In

order to keep up with these changes, one must be aware of various reference
materials. Every design student should record relevant information for
present and future use. Research provides creative investigation which leads
to ideation and inspiration. This process keeps up with the changing trends to
provide creative food for design development.

Each designer uses one‟s own understanding of reference material. These

individual ideas to create unique designs make each designer different from
the others. With the advent of internet, research is not limited to regional
journals and books. One can research specific information, using this
medium. Though this tool is available with us, however, each student should
learn the ethical methods of using this resource.

52
 Students can regularly update their knowledge by reading Newspapers,
Magazines, Books, visiting Museum, Gallery, Exhibitions, Websites and
collecting regional fabric swatches.

Color wheel

A color wheel or color circle is an abstract illustrative organization of color

hues around a circle, which shows the relationships between primary colors,
secondary colors, tertiary colors etc.

Color wheels are based on three primary colors, three secondary colors, and
the six intermediates formed by mixing a primary with a secondary, known as
tertiary colors, for a total of 12 main divisions.

Layout and Repeats

Designing a textile requires knowledge of layout, color, tracing and painting
techniques as well as correct use of art material, supplies and reference material.

53
Following fundamental methods should be adopted for successful development of
print designs:

Design: Designing can be defined as relating and visually arranging components

or elements to create effects. Space, Line, Shape, Form, Colour, Value and
Texture are the design elements with which artists and designers work to create a
design. Students should gather related reference material for idea and inspiration
to start designing prints. On achieving the idea, students can sketch on the paper
to finalize the design.

Layout (Laying out of Design):

Layout is the process of planning the repeats to create continuous flow in all
directions. Students should select the layout depending on the design
requirement, e.g. for home furnishings, a large repeat size needs to be planned for
an effective layout. Through experience, students can learn to put designs in
interesting layouts to convert a good idea into a good design. The design can be
put in All-over, Tossed, Free Flowing, Stripes, Border, Set, Scenic and Patchwork
layouts.

All over layout Border layout

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All over layout Patch work layout

55
Repeat

The unique characteristic of designing textiles is that, unlike other commercial art
forms, a design must be prepared to be printed over and over again in a
continuous flow, without apparent break/interruption in the pattern. These days,
with a use of computer software, setting repeats has become easy and fast.

The repeats are planned/selected to accommodate selected printing process.

Repeats of block printing would vary in sizes in comparison to Roller screen
printing. The vertical repeat or the repeat‟s length, must fit into the size of the
screen to achieve desired results.

Half drop, Mirror, Brick, Border, Stripe and Square are some of the popular
repeats. These styles can be merged together to achieve interesting pattering.

Ms. Nikita Malik, All over repeat pattern Textile design, New Delhi Colour palette

56
Colour: in achieving desired results, color selection plays an important role in
improving the overall appearance of the design as its usage makes or breaks a
design.

In textile industry “Colorist” is employed to provide colour directions and further

color-ways for the textile pattern as right color combination greatly influence design
success.

Students can paint color charts to develop color selection sensibility.

Exercise

1. Layout is the process of planning the repeats to create continuous flow in all
directions.
2. In textile industry____________ is employed to provide colour directions.

Short answer questions

1. Describe basic requirement for textile design development?

2. Describe the role of repeat setting in design development?
3. Describe the role of layout setting in design development?

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4.2. Print Categories:

4.2.1 Introduction to various types of Design and their categories:-

A design for printed textiles often begins with a drawing or a pencil sketch. The design often
gets its inspiration from a theme. There are many categories of printed textiles. These
categories are based on the certain look each print creates on historic and cultural
references and on themes originating from fashion trends. The trends for these designs are
developed from many sources. For example, when the ecology movement gained
prominence in the 1970s, scenic or landscape patterns, illustrated with sky, birds, water, and
trees, became popular. Whether the designer‟s inspiration is a social movement, Art
movement or natural surroundings, the world of design is constantly changing and
responding to outside influences.

The designer should always be well informed about art, politics and other current events. A
designer usually receives the design concepts and reference material from design directors.
It is the responsibility of a designer to interpret the concept with the help of reference
material into a pattern that is both saleable and aesthetically pleasing.

4.2.2 Geometric Prints

A geometric print comprises of designs made with circles, squares, triangles, spirals and
stars. They are visually stimulating. Geometric motifs can be either evenly or randomly
scattered on the print. They can be placed in a chequered pattern, in stripes, in spiral, in
concentric circles; one inside the other, many small shapes can combine to form bigger
shapes forming narrative patterns, etc. These designs can vary in colour from monotone to
bold and bright hues, can be spaced at varied distances, can be intricate or simplified, can be
expressive and symbolic, and can range from small to large. Colours range from monotone to
bright and bold. Geometric prints worldwide can be used in all kinds of clothing for men,
women and children like blouses, jeggings, skirts, saris, shirts, trousers, kurtas, pyjamas,
night wear, shorts, swim wear and accessories like bags, ties, scarves, dupattas, and shoes.
These prints are also used in home products like table covers, cushion covers, bed sheets,
curtains, towels, napkins, upholstery, etc.

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Geometric print

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4.2.3 Floral Prints
Floral prints are patterned in rich colors with delicate flowers and leaves. It includes
gatherings of a flower garden and also grasses and grains. It excludes agricultural
products like fruits, vegetables, nuts, pinecones and trees. Flowers with dragon flies,
butterflies or lady birds, grasshoppers or insects fall under this category.

Floral prints

Floral printed fabrics have been in fashion for hundreds of years which help in
ornamenting us. Many designers like Sabhyasachi Mukherjee or Laura Ashley use
a lot of floral designs in their collections. Flowers have been symbolic of femininity,
and delicacy hence is popular in women‟s clothing. The floral print originates from
the east and Asia. Over time European manufacturers began to copy these fabrics
to suit European tastes. Often we find certain flowers are specific to a region. For
example prints with roses are popular in English textiles, cherry and apple blossom
are native of Japanese textiles, Peony flowers being specific to china, and the
famous buteh design (floral cluster or bouquet of flowers) of India and Persia.
Floral prints are very popular for women‟s clothing or accessories. The layouts of
the floral prints are found in striped format, scattered, bunches and bouquets.
These are also used in home furnishings. (Fig 2.7.1, 2.7.2)

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Floral print

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4.2.4 Animal Prints
Animal prints on textiles resemble the pattern on the skin or the fur of an animal
such as a leopard, cheetah, zebra, tiger, spotted hyena, striped hyena, African wild
dog, giraffe or monkey. Animal Prints date from the early nineteenth century, when
Napoleon brought back real hides collected on his expedition to North Africa. In the
twentieth century, animal skins began to appear on clothing almost exclusively in
fashion for women. They are also used for accessories like handbags, bets, jewelry
and footwear. The two most common kinds- big cats and snakes – have become
perennial favorites in the fashion world. Animal prints have long been a popular style
for many reasons. They are generally expensive and hence they are a symbol of
wealth and status. The look is primal, wild, eye catchy, and savage. Many recently,
with the increasing awareness of ecology and animal rights, view the wearers of real
fur as barbaric, but the fake has become fashionable. A major difference between
animal prints and fur clothing is that animal prints today very often use fake fur
instead of animal coat. Animal print applications extend beyond clothing and art
prints and are commonly used for other decorations, including rugs, wallpaper, or
painted surfaces. The colors used in these prints are those found on the animal‟s
body which generally are shades of brown, black and white. (Fig. 2.10.1, 2.10.2,
2.10.3)

Animal prints

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Animal Print

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 Folkloric Prints and Ethnic Prints.
Folkloric is a term for the folk designs inspired by traditional popular motifs
associated with specific cultures. These motifs include forms of plants,
flowers, birds, animals, human figures, scenic subjects, and geometric
patterns, stylized according to the specific culture. Traditional techniques
specific to some cultures are block printing, stenciling, batik, tie and dye
etc. The layouts can be all over, in huge to tiny repeats, stripes, borders,
and checks. Colours range from bright and brilliant, to dark or earthy
shades. Some of the well-known folkloric prints available in the market are
Chinese, Native American, Japanese, Russian, Egyptian, Mexican,
Indonesian, Persian, and Indian. Warli prints come under this category.
(Fig. 2.12.1, 2.12.2, 2.12.3)

Folkloric print Ethnic print Ethnic print

4.2.6 Dot Prints

Dots have always been in trend. Polka dot prints were the most popular element in
1960‟s. Dots can be various sizes. Just a point or a big circle both are referred to as
a dot. These can be simply printed on two the fabric with a different background
color, or different coloured dots. On a solid background or many dots can make
different design and patterns. There are many Permutations and combinations
possible.

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Dots are very versatile and can be printed on almost everything. Thus, in homes-dot
prints are found on wall papers, bed linens, cushion covers, curtains etc. In clothing
for men, dots can be used in various garments like men‟s shirts, boxers etc. For
women‟s wear dots can be seen on suits, blouses, saris, wrap-around, shirts,
palazzos, shorts, leggings, jeggings etc. In various accessories also dots are used for
ties, scarves, stoles, footwear etc.
Dot prints

Dot prints

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4.3: Print Design Techniques

In the earlier unit you learnt about the different categories of prints. In this unit you
will learn about the different techniques to develop innovative, unique and
interesting prints. Different techniques render different results in terms of look, feel,
mood and texture. Techniques accommodate to the changing fashion trends and
create new looks. Special effects to a design can be given to create a new
appearance or to enhance an existing design. Some of these techniques are Wax
Resist Technique, Fevicol Resist Technique, Bleach Technique, Rubber Solution
Technique, Salt and Sugar Technique, Bubble Effect Technique, Etching

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 Technique, and Intercutting Technique. These techniques bring originality, add
texture and give a three dimensional look to the print design being developed.

4.3.1 Etching Technique

The etching technique consists of layering two or more colors over each other and
then etching out a design from the top layer with a blade/ scraper to bring out color
of the lower layer. For creating an effective design it is better to apply a lighter color
on the lower layer and a darker one over it. Darker the upper layer, clearer will be
the colors of the etched area. (Fig. 3.7.1, 3.7.2, 3.7.3, 3.7.4)

Materials Required:

1. Drawing/ cartridge sheet

2. Poster colours
1. Paintbrush
2. Oil pastels/ wax color
3. Blade
Step

1. Take a Drawing/ Cartridge sheet.

2. Color the entire sheet with bright shades of wax crayon in random patches.
3. Use a darker color wax crayon/ poster paint as the top layer of color over the
previous layer.
4. If poster paint is used, let it dry completely.
5. With the help of a blade or any sharp object, carve an interesting pattern, scraping
off the upper layer.
6. Dust off the scraped colour from the surface of the sheet.
Precautions:
1. While coloring the first layer make sure no white spaces are left.
2. For the second layer, make sure the previous lower layer is not visible.
3. While using poster colour use thick paint and minimum amount of water.
4. While using a blade or sharp object, do not uses too much pressure or you may tear the paper.

Result:
The designs develop an interesting tone on tone, merged effect often having a three
dimensional look to it.
Some Print Designs using Etching Technique:

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Textile Desig Fig. Utkarsh Anand Aashima Vaid
(Textile Design: 2011-2015) (Textile Design: 2011-2015)

Fig. Kuhu Shrivastav (Textile Design: 2011-2015)

68
 Fig. Gausul Qamar Khan (Textile Design: 2011- 2015)

4.3.2 Stamping and Sponge Technique

The stamping block or sponge acts as a medium of leaving an impression on a surface
when it is dipped in colour and stamped. The block could be made up of any material
for example cross section of a lady finger, sponge cut into different shapes, dry leaves
etc. Bock printing is also an example of stamping technique. (Fig. 3.9.1, 3.9.2, 3.9.3,
3.9.4)

Materials Required:

1. Drawing/ Cartridge sheet

2. Photo Ink/ Water colors/ Bleach

3. Paintbrush

4. Water container

5. Color palette/ Mixing bowl

6. Stamping block/ Sponge

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Steps:

1. Take a drawing paper

2. Dip the stencil block in paint/ photo ink/ bleach.

3. Stamp it over the drawing paper.

4. Use different stamping blocks to create different designs.

Precautions:

1. Do not mix too much water in paints or the colour will not stamp well.

2. Stamp using pressure of hand.

Results:

The print is composed of the design of the stamps used

Anupriya Mridha(Textile Design: 2011-2015)

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Gausal Qamar Khan(Textile Design: 2011-2015)

71
„

Prashneet Oberoi (Textile Design:2011-2019

Anupriya Mridha (Textile Design:2011-2019)

72
4.3.3 Dry Brush Technique and Stencil Technique

Different textured surface or sheets can be used for the dry brush technique. The dry
brush effect adds a three dimensional feel to the print. An interesting stencil can be
made, kept over a sheet of paper and a dry brush can be brushed cover the stencil
creating interesting shapes with textures. (Fig. 3.10.1, 3.10.2, 3.10.3, 3.10.4)

Material required:

1. Drawing/ Cartridge sheets (Different textures)

2. Acrylic colors/ poster paints mixed with fevicol

3. Paintbrush Different sizes)

4. Water container

5. Colour palette/ Mixing bowl

Steps:

1. Take a drawing sheet.

2. Put the dry paint brush in acrylic paints.

3. Make any design of your choice on the sheet

4. Use different colour and sizes of brush for making of different designs

Precautions:

1. Wash the brush properly before dipping and using another colour

2. Dry the brush before putting it in acrylic colors.

Results;

Different textured sheet after application of dry brush will look little more embossed and
the entire design gets a three dimension feel.

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Prashneet Oberio(Textile Design 2011-15)

74
4.3.4 Collage Technique
It is the technique of creating collage kind of prints. It is a fast and convenient method of
creating prints. It is created by cut outs of various prints in different shapes and patterns
and then put all together in a same piece of paper interestingly.

Materials Required:

1. Drawing/ cartridge sheet

2. Photo ink/water colour/oil pastels
3. Paint brush
4. Water container
5. Scissors
6. Fevicol/ glue

7. Colour palette
8. Mixing bowl
9. Bleach
Steps:

1. Take drawing/ cartridge sheet

2. Create different types of textures as many as you can using photo ink, water
colour etc.
3. Cut out the printed textures according to your theme or with different shapes and
patterns.
4. Paste the cut out textures creatively in separate sheet.
5. It will create collage of different prints.
Precautions:

Let the printed sheet dry completely before the cut out.
Result:

1. This technique helps in creating beautiful collages.

2. It gives the 3D effect to the print by the emergence of different print in a same
piece of paper.

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 Abhishek Gupta (Textile Design: 2011-2015)

Fig. Abhishek Gupta (Textile Design:2011-2015

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 Abhishek Gupta (Textile Design:2011-20)

Abhishek Gupta (Textile Design: 2011-2015)

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Exercise

Fill in the blanks

1. ____________ is the process of applying color to fabric in definite patterns or designs.

2. A_________ print comprises of designs with regular shapes like circle, square,
triangle, octagons, pentagons and other polygons.
3. Polka dots come under the category of ________________ prints.
4. The layouts of the floral prints are found in _________, _________, _________and
_________
5. Shades of _______, _______and _______are typical to nautical print.

Match the Following

Animal prints
• Floral

• Zebra Stripes Laura Ashley

Exercise
Fill in the blanks
a. Techniques accommodate to the changing______________ trends and create
new looks.

b. The etching technique consists of ___________ two or more colors over each
other and then etching out a design from the top layer to bring out colour of the
lower layer.
Answer the following questions
a) Why are print design techniques important for creating a textile print?

Match the following columns

Engraved
Etching

78
 UNIT - 5
EMBROIDERED TEXTILES
Objectives
• To introduce the technique of embroidery for value-addition.
• To create awareness about the different embroidered textiles of India.
• To initiate identification of regional embroideries developed by various communities.
• To understand the origin of technique and design with reference to colors, motifs,
layouts of different embroidered textiles.

Learning Outcomes

After completing the unit, the students shall be able to –

o .Classify the regional embroideries of India.
o Identify a specific embroidery style of India on the basis of colors, motifs and layout.
o Identify the influencing factors for development and evolution of a specific embroidered
textile.

5.1. Introduction to traditional embroidery textiles from different

region of India.
Embroidery or the art of needlework resulted from the passion of womenfolk to express their
creativity and ornament their apparel and household textiles. Primarily a feminine art, young
girls learned the craft from their mothers and older women in the family. The artistic
expressions of the embroiderer are skillfully created on fabric with a simple tool, needle or a
hook needle known as awl or tambour.

The art of embroidery dates back to as early as the Indus Valley civilization. Bronze and
copper awls excavated in Harappa confirm that embroidery was a practiced craft in ancient
times. Though none of the embroidered samples exist from primitive times, travelogues of
foreign visitors to India mention about prevalence of ornamented textiles in Indian kingdoms.
Megasthenes, a Greek traveler during the Mauryan period in 4th century BC has referred to

79
elaborate gold patterning on robes of royalty, possibly using embroidery as a technique for
fabric decoration. Another traveler from the 13th century, Marco Polo has described the
intricate embroidered textiles from eastern and Western India. The oldest existing
embroidered pieces that are available for reference are from the 16 th century ad, which
include textiles exported to Europe or articles prepared for royalty.

different embroidery styles have developed regionally in India that has a distinct identity of
their own. Cotton, silk, woolen thread or gold/silver is used to embroider on various media,
from cotton, silk, woolen fabric to velvet and leather. Besides thread, pieces of fabric, beads,
mirrors, shells, coins, precious stones and sequins are also used for embellishing the fabric.
With the passage of time, a variety of embroidery designs have been created by artisans
from their own imagination.

The Indian embroideries can be classified on the basis of the technique of production or as
per the region of production.
In this chapter the Indian embroideries are classified on the basis of region as follows:

a. Northern India:

i. Kashida from Kashmir

ii. Phulkari from Punjab

iii. Chamba rumal from Himachal Pradesh

b. Western India:

i. embroidery from gujarat

ii. Parsi embroidery

c. Central India:

‡ Chikankari from uttar Pradesh

‡ Phool Patti ka Kaam from Uttar Pradesh

‡ Zardozi from Uttar Pradesh

d. Southern India:

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 Kasuti from Karnataka

a. lambadi embroidery from Andhra Pradesh

e. Eastern India:

a. Kantha from West Bengal

b. Sujani from Bihar

c. Pipli appliqué from Orissa

5.2 Kashida for Kashmir

Region: Kashida is an embroidery style from Kashmir that is practiced by men folk of the region.

The intricate needlework is inspired from the charming natural surroundings of Kashmir.

Technique: The base material for Kashida is cotton, wool or silk in a variety of colors like white,
blue, yellow, purple, red, green and black. The embroidery threads used to execute Kashida are
wool, silk or cotton depending on the product to be embroidered. The main stitches employed for
Kashida are darning stitch, stem stitch, satin stitch and chain stitch.

Motifs: The motifs used in Kashida depict the natural elements which includes the rich flora and
fauna of the region of Kashmir. Typical motifs are birds like magpie, kingfisher; flowers,
butterflies, maple leaves, almonds, cherries, grapes and plums. A popular motif seen on
embroidered shawls is derived from the cypress cone.

Style of embroidery: There are three styles of embroidery followed in Kashmir. Sozni is intricate
embroidery that uses stitches like fly stitch, stem stitch and darning stitch (Pic. 1.1). The aari
style, also called Zalakdozi employs hook or aari to fill-in motifs with chain stitch (Pic. 1.2). In
Kashmiri couching, zari thread is laid on the fabric along a pattern and is held in place with
another thread (Pic. 1.3).

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 Pic. 1.1: Sozni style of embroidery on shawl

Pic. 1.2: Kashmiri couching using zari thread on shawl

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 Pic. 1.3: Zalakdozi style of embroidery

End use: Kashmiri embroidery is primarily done on shawls and regional garments like phiran. Chain
stitch embroidery is done on woolen floor rugs called Gabbas and Namdas. Nowadays, Kashida is
also used to decorate household items like bed covers, cushion covers, lampshades, bags and other
accessories.

5.3 Phulkari From Punjab

Region: Phulkari is an embroidery style that originated in Punjab. It is used and embroidered in
different parts of Punjab namely Jalandhar, amritsar, Kapurthala, Hoshiarpur, ludhiana, Ferozepur,
Bhatinda and Patiala.

The earliest available article of phulkari embroidery is a rumal embroidered during 15th century by
Bibi Nanaki, sister of Guru Nanak Dev. The needlework is widely practiced by the women of Punjab
and holds significance in a life of a woman, from her marriage till her final abode to heaven.

Technique: The base material to execute Phulkari is handspun and hand-woven Khaddar that is
dyed in red, rust, brown, blue and darker shades. Soft untwisted silk thread ‘Pat’ is used for the
embroidery. The colours of the thread are red, green, golden yellow, orange, blue etc. The basic
stitch employed for Phulkari is darning stitch, which is done from the reverse side of the fabric. The
stitches follow the weave and a beautiful effect is created on the fabric by changing the direction of

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the stitches (Pic. 1.4). For outlining of motifs and borders, stem, chain and herringbone stitches are
sometimes used.

Pic: 1.4 Close view of Phulkari embroidery

Motifs: The motifs used in Phulkari are inspired by objects of everyday use like rolling pin,
sword, flowers, vegetables, birds, animals etc. They are generally geometrical and stylized.
Usually one motif is left unembroidered or is embroidered in an offbeat colour. This motif is called
‘nazarbuti’ which is considered to ward off the evil eye.

Style of embroidery: The two embroidery styles prevalent in Punjab are Bagh and Phulkari.
Bagh is a fully embroidered wrap that is used for special occasions whereas Phulkari is simple
and lightly embroidered for everyday use (Pic. 1.5).

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 Pic. 1.5: Close view of Bagh, fully embroidered wrap

End use: Phulkari is an important part of the bridal trousseau and is worn as a veil or
wrap by women on special occasions like Karva Chauth, a festival celebrated in North
India for longevity of husbands. A specific pattern of Phulkari is also used as canopy
on religious occasions.

Presently, Phulkari is being done on bed linen and apparel like tops, tunics and skirts.

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5.4 Kantha from West Bangal

Region: Kantha is an embroidery style that originated in West Bengal. In the past, it was used
to transform old, used fabric into an embroidered textile.

Technique: The embroidery is executed on layers of old white cotton saris that are stitched
together with simple running stitch in white thread. The motifs are traced and embroidered using
different coloured threads. The embroidery threads used are drawn from the old sari borders.
The basic stitch used is running stitch along with satin stitch and chain stitch (Pic. 1. 6)

Motifs: The motifs used in Kantha are lotus flowers, floral scrolls, tree of life, creepers; animal
and bird forms; fish, sea-monsters, mermaids, ships, submarine scenes; domestic articles like
mirrors, pitcher, nut cracker, umbrella, musical instruments and human figures like gods and
goddesses, horse man, fisherwoman etc. (Pic. 1.7).

Pic. 1.6: a close up of Kantha embroidery executed with running stitch

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 Pic. 1.7: Kantha with florals, human figures & elephant motifs

Style of Embroidery: different embroidery layouts are followed in Kantha. Some examples are: a
central motif and tree of life on all four corners, motifs arranged in panels or a big central panel and
smaller motifs placed around.

End Use: Kanthas were mainly used as quilts and also offered to special guests to sit or sleep on
it. It was presented to the bride and groom as well as used to wrap valuables and gifts. Other uses
of Kantha include bags for keeping money and book cover.

Nowadays, Kantha embroidery is done on single layer of white or coloured fabric base using
contemporary motifs. The product range includes stoles, dupattas, saris and suit materials (Pic. 1.8
& Pic. 1.9).

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Pic. 1.8: Close view of Kantha embroidery on sari

Pic. 1.9: Contemporary Kantha

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5.5 Chikankari from Uttar Pradesh

Region: Chikankari is white work embroidery practiced in Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh. It is believed
that Nur Jahan, wife of Mughal emperor Jahangir embroidered a cap for her husband, and hence
popularized this craft of white on white embroidery.

Technique: The embroidery is done on fine white cotton fabric with untwisted white cotton or silk
thread. There are three types of stitches used in chikankari: flat stitches like stem stitch and
herringbone stitch, raised stitches like bullion and French knots and pulled thread work or jali.

Motifs: The motifs are inspired from nature’s flora including flowers, creepers and lace-like
patterns.

Style of embroidery: a common style present in each piece of Chikankari is the shadow work.
To create the light and shade effect, herringbone stitch is executed from the wrong side of the
fabric which creates shadow of lighter colour on the right side and at the same imparts an outline
to the motif. (Pic. 1.10 & 1.11).

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 Pic. 1.10: Herringbone stitch visible on Pic. 1.11: Shadow effect created
the wrong side of the fabric on right side of fabric

End use: Traditionally the embroidery was done mainly for male garments such as kurta, bandi,
choga etc. for summer wear.

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Exercises
1. Match the following:
a) Zalakdozi a) Chikankari
b) Shadow work b) Phulkari
c) Mirror work c) Kantha
d) Bagh d) Kashmir

2. State whether the following statements are True or False. If False, write down the correct
one.
a) The basic stitch used in Kantha is cross stitch.
b) Soft untwisted silk thread ‘Pat’ is used for to do Phulkari embroidery.
3. Find the odd one out.
a) Phiran, gara, Namda, gabba
b) Mochibharat, Zalakdozi, Sujani, aari
c) Herringbone stitch, Cross stitch, Stem stitch, Pulled thread work

4. Fill in the blanks.

a) The basic stitch used in Sujani is _____________________ stitch.

b) The motif used in Phulkari to ward off evil eye is called __________________ .
5. Write short notes (75 – 100 words) on the following:
a) Chikankari

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