Chikan Embroidery , Lucknow

Indian Regional Folk Embroidery on Textiles

Chikan or Chikankari (Uttar Pradesh)

Chikan embroidery involves the use of white thread on white muslin (tanzeb), fine cotton (mulmul), or voile, fine almost sheer fabrics which showcases shadow work embroidery the best. Other colours can also be used.
The artisans usually create individual motifs or butis of animals and flowers (rose, lotus, jasmine, creepers). The designs are first printed onto the fabric not with chalk, but with a mixture of glue and indigo.
Some of the stitches that are used in Chikankari work include: tepchi, pechni, pashni, bakhia (ulta bakhia and sidhi bakhia), gitti, jangira, murri, phanda, jaalis etc. In English: chain stitch, buttonhole stitch, French knots and running stitch, shadow work. Another is the khatao (also called khatava or katava).

Source : Internet