Chikankari is hand embroidery from Lucknow, classically white thread on white cotton, built from around thirty named stitches. It holds a Geographical Indication, and the most reliable way to judge a piece is to look at the wrong side of the cloth.
The work is done by hand with a needle on a fabric held taut, and the design is first block printed onto the cloth in a washable blue so the embroiderer has a line to follow. That printed outline is washed out at the end, which is why a genuinely finished piece shows no trace of it. Traditionally the labour is divided: one person prints, another embroiders, a third does the jaali work, a fourth washes and finishes.
A few stitch names are worth knowing because listings use them and they describe real differences. Tepchi is a simple running stitch used to fill and outline quickly. Bakhiya is the shadow work the craft is famous for: it is worked from the reverse of the fabric in a herringbone, so what you see from the front is a soft shaded shape showing through fine cloth. Murri and phanda are tiny raised knots, usually the centres of flowers, and they are the slowest and most skilled part of the work. Jaali is the net effect, and it is not cut: the threads of the fabric are teased apart with the needle and held open with stitching, which is why a real jaali does not fray.
That last detail is the single best authenticity test. On a hand-worked piece, turn it inside out. Bakhiya shadow work will be visible as neat herringbone on the reverse, because that is the side it was worked from. Jaali will show as opened weave rather than punched holes. Machine imitation is uniform, sits on the surface, and usually leaves a trail of jump threads or a backing on the wrong side. Hand chikankari is slightly irregular, the knots vary a little in size, and the reverse is tidy rather than messy.
The base cloth changes both look and price. Mulmul and fine cotton are the classical grounds and the ones where shadow work reads properly, because the stitch has to show through. Georgette, chiffon and organza are common now and take the embroidery well but suit different weather. Cotton is what to buy if you want the traditional effect; anything sheer will need a slip.
Time is the price. A simple cotton kurta with sparse tepchi is days of work. A densely worked piece with heavy murri and jaali can take several people a month or more. A heavily embroidered chikankari kurta at a very low price was made by a machine, and this is the most common thing sold as chikankari outside India.
Wash gently by hand in cold water with a mild detergent, or dry clean anything with heavy jaali. Do not wring. Dry flat in shade, because sunlight yellows white cotton over time, and store away from damp. Chikankari whites are traditionally kept crisp with a light starch, which is worth doing but not on georgette.
American retail sells almost nothing of this, and what is sold as chikankari in Western shops is usually machine embroidery on imported cloth. Buying from India is how you get the hand work at the price the hand work actually costs.
Questions people ask
- How do I tell hand chikankari from machine work?
- Look at the reverse. Hand shadow work is worked from the back and shows as neat herringbone there. Real jaali is made by teasing the weave apart, so it looks like opened cloth rather than punched holes. Machine work is perfectly uniform on the front and usually leaves jump threads or a backing behind.
- Why is white on white the classical form?
- Chikankari was developed as white thread on fine white cotton so the shadow work would read through the cloth. Coloured thread and coloured grounds are common now and entirely legitimate, but the white on mulmul is where the technique shows best.
- What are murri and jaali?
- Murri are tiny raised knots, usually flower centres, and they are the slowest stitches in the craft. Jaali is the net effect, produced by separating the threads of the fabric with a needle and holding them apart with stitching rather than cutting the cloth.
- How should I wash it?
- Hand wash gently in cold water with a mild detergent, or dry clean anything with heavy jaali. Never wring it. Dry flat in shade, because sunlight yellows white cotton.
