approximate size: length 260cm x width 120cm
hand embroidered silk on cotton from punjab region of india.
traditionally soon after a female child was born, her grandmother would begin embroidering her wedding shawl. after many years of labour and love and patient attention, these pieces would be given to a bride at the time of her marriage. this satisfied an inner urge for creativity, and also brought colour into day to day life.
the main characteristic of phulkari embroidery is the use of darn stitch on the wrong side of coarse cotton cloth with floating coloured silken thread. in phulkari, embroidery decorates part of the cloth, whereas in bagh entirely covers the garment so that the base cloth is not visible. each stitch is individually counted, embroidered in sections and sewn together.
this tradition began to die out around the time of partition in 1947.
the shawl can also be used for numerous other purposes such as a hanging wall tapestry or a decorative bed throw/cover
care instructions: washing is not recommended