When you look at Chikankari’s design, you may come across various patterns, colours, and fabric materials. It’s said that Chikankari is an elegant and graceful form of art, but it’s also highly comfortable to wear.
Since its origin dated almost 400 years ago, many changes have been made in the fabric material used for Chikankari. Likewise, artisans choose fine fabrics for Chikankari so that beautiful stitches can be drawn on the outer layer.
If you want to buy beautiful Chikankari kurtis and suits, know that there are different types of fabrics. More so, the fabric material of Chikankari depends upon various factors. Let’s begin with the variety of fabric and their uses.
See Also: Popular Chikankari Outfits: How to Style them?
Fabrics of Chikankari Embroidery
The technique of Chikankari that evolved in the Mughal era is still widely popular for its beauty, elegance and grace. Over time, this popular art form spread throughout the country and other parts of the world.
You may likely hear people using the term “Lucknowi Chikankari”, which defines the origin of the beautiful work of Chikankari. Even at present, the base location of Chikankari is Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Chikankari is so highly popular today that this magnificent art form drives people of all classes and cultures. There are various fabrics on which the art of Chikankari is design using different stitches, thread and needlecraft.
Different Variety of Fabrics for Chikankari
While looking at the tradition, there was the more common use of cotton, silk and muslin fabric for making Chikankari. As of now, you can see various types of fabrics for chikankari for creating and designing Chikankari.
Some of the popular types of fabric for Chikankari include –
- Muslin: It’s a sheer fabric with a smooth surface and is highly recommendable for embroidery work. The base material of this fabric is cotton or linen. Likely, the feel of the fabric is quite smooth and soft to the touch.
- Cotton: Cotton is the most common and favourite fabric of all time. Almost every type of clothing can be design while using cotton as it’s inexpensive, lightweight and easy to work with. Also, the use of cotton has been so common that it dates back to prehistoric times.
- Rayon: At the current time, you’ll come across various clothing options that use rayon fabric. The best features about this fabric are that it’s versatile, flowy, lightweight and feels super soft and light on the skin.
- Chanderi Silk: It is a traditionally popular fabric that’s mostly used in ethnic outfits. The appearance of the fabric is so luxurious that the overall making and cost of the product get a little high. It is likely a bit costly in comparison with other Chikankari products.
- Pure Georgette: The term “pure” is added here because many times you may come across georgette Chikankari suits. Many sellers are using low-quality georgette material as it’s cheap but not so smooth on the skin. Thus, the work of Chikankari highlights while use of the most suitable form of pure georgette material.
Recently, famous designers and artisans have started working with rayon, silk, velvet and wool.
The best thing about choosing the right fabrics for Chikankari is that they are versatile, easy to carry and lightweight. Needless to say, the only basis for choosing fabric for Chikankari is so that it’s easy to penetrate the needle and thread through thin fabric material.
Read Also: Embroidery & Needle Work: Best Chikankari Handicraft
Which Fabric is best for Chikankari?
After knowing about all types of Chikankari fabrics, it’s likely to say that a lightweight fabric would be the best choice for designing and embroidery. In most cases, you can see artisans working on fine fabrics that include – cotton, pure georgette, crepe, chiffon, muslin and silk. All these types of fabrics help to highlight the beautiful design of Chikankari handcraft work.
Bottom Line
If you are willing to buy a Chikankari kurta or any other outfit, feel free to explore, as there are a variety of options. While you are looking to buy the best fabric material for Chikankari, make sure you get them in the right size. In addition, there are a variety of options, such as velvet, silk, crepe and chiffon. Hence, you can purchase as per the trend and style that’s currently in for the season!
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Chikankari & It’s Tradition in Lucknow
