IIJW in its first edition last year had truly come across as a platform to strenghten India’s global contribution in terms of jewellery design, innovation and craftmanship. This year, participation from leading designers houses was witnessed and jewellery deisgners in India and brands showcased their exquisite jewellery collection at the show.

IIJW Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor as the Brand Ambassador of IIJW added the glamour quotient to this magnificient event. The shows had been choreographed by leading Indian choreographers Lubna Adams, Achla Sachdev and Elric D’souza.

• Threads are cut and withdrawn from the base fabric.
• Corners, with both warp & weft threads withdrawn, are filled with loop stitch, woven wheels, spiders or fans.
• Remaining loose threads formed into groups with a variety of stitches – tied together with coral stitch, wrapping or whipping, buttonhole – or covered over with darning or needle weaving.
• Generally hemstitching and/or buttonhole on edges of withdrawn threads.
• Designs – geometric.

Drawn Thread - An Example

Drawn thread work is a form of counted-thread embroidery based on removing threads from the warp and/or the weft of a piece of even weave fabric. The remaining threads are grouped or bundled together into a variety of patterns. The more elaborate styles of drawn thread work use in fact a variety of other stitches and techniques, but the drawn thread parts are their most distinctive element. It is also grouped as White work embroidery because it was traditionally done in white thread on white fabric and is often combined with other white work techniques.

The simplest kind of drawn work is known as “hem-stitching” which consists in drawing out a few parallel threads of the material at the head of a hem and fastening up the upper and last cross-thread to the folded hem above it, so as to prevent its raveling downwards; thus leaving small open spaces between each of the clusters of threads. The borders, insert- ions and grounds, the Italian cut stitch, the different kinds of American, Danish and Norwegian openwork and, finally, the Reticella cut work of Italian and Greek origin, are all more complicated and elaborate forms of drawn or openwork. The latter being a transition from openwork on linen to lace works.

Drawn-thread work has its origins in the distant past: it is carried out by counting threads and fashioning an infinity of stitches drawn from these basic ones: Square Stitch, right angled or oblique (which surrounds the meshwork and subdivides the work into small spaces thus making the thread counting easier); and the Lily or Faggot Stitch (which completes and finishes the other stitches), and the more particular stitches of which there are numerous varieties; Curl Stitch, Spirit Stitch, Royal Stitch, Air or Mesh Stitch, Aemilian Stitch, Flat or Satin Stitch, Written Stitch, and Web Stitch. The use of these stitches, brought together and composed according to the embroiderer’s fancy, creates a work that is splendid and very personal.

Origin

Drawn Thread Work - Origin

Sicilian drawn-thread embroidery stitch is one of the earliest and most ancient forms of open work embroidery came from the countries having borders with the Mediterranean Sea. Later this dawn work was introduced into Greece, Italy, Russia, Germany and Spain under the names PUNTO TIRATO (threads drawn one way) and PUNTO TAGLIATO (threads drawn both ways). Towards the end of the 16th century, the art of embroidering on linen was taken up in England by members of the Royal Household, who being clever at lace making, introduced lace stitches intermingled with drawn thread work to enrich their clothes and household linen. Elizabethan portraits show spectacular ruffs decorated with drawn thread work. The embroidery of the 16th Century had such a large number of threads cut and withdrawn that they were strengthened and decorated with darning and needle weaving, and with threads added diagonally and in curves which were held in place with bars. In 19th and early 20th centuries an enormous quantity of drawn thread work was produced on linen and cotton to decorate bed and table linen. This embroidery stitch is used for the decoration of lingerie, handkerchiefs, sheets, tray cloths and tea cloths, towels, nightdress cases and other household fundamentals.

Right from the forehead to the braid, I have designed this hair clip to beautify her long beautiful hair. Two long strands of thread having a very ethnic look are attached to the clip so that they can be braided along with the hair therefore highlighting her long braid. The two patches which are placed on the top and back of the head are ornamented with Kundans of various size, shape and color to stay in sync with the kind of jewellery Jodha adorns. Gold sparkle is used to give it a zardosi look.