briding with phulkari..

hey peeps!
phulkari has many different and beautiful styles. They are mesmerizing.
 Wanna see some amazing designs of lehangas with phulkari work!
have a sneak peak here....

  guysss.. isn't it beautiful?
I feel like getting married..just so I can wear these!
lol!
isn't phulkari love!

the appealing phulkari..!

hey sweets..
how are you guys?
I hope good...!

I ll introduce you to the modern phulwork!

Phulkari, when it comes to street fashion, the Phulkari dupatta, also called Phulkari chunni has proved to be a big hit. These can be easily mixed and matched with both Indian and western tops and tunics. It is a great way to incorporate this unique embroidery into diverse wardrobes.
 On the other hand, the bridal Phulkari suits are quite ornate and rich should be matched with beautiful golden jewelry sets containing the classic bridal accessories like kaleera and churi.

Phulkari Saree & Salwar Kameez

The salwar kameez has been the traditional garment in this region for many years which is why there is a tremendous variety of designs and colors available in the Phulkari suit.
Typically, the Phulkari suits design for bridal wear would be the most intricate, detailed, colorful and ornate and would be done in typical red, maroon or pink bridal shades which are the norm in Punjab. One can also find more stylish, simple Phulkari suit designs which would be appropriate for office and daily wear.

Phulkari Indowesterns

Nowadays, Phulkari is also used to decorate other traditional Indian garments such as kurtas or sarees. Phulkari sarees have a very graceful, attractive look and are typically made of fine materials like georgette and silk. On the other hand, Phulkari dupattas or ethnic scarves are also immensely popular, especially with the younger generation.
Bright colors like blue, green, yellow and orange are used though monochrome or metallic tones can also be employed in Phulkari boutique designs crafted by high end designers with a more innovative vision.

phulkari..works with everything and anything..!
flowers everywhere...!

bollywood PHULing..!

heyyyy guys..
today is quite interesting..
we gonna tlk about BOLLYWOOD AND PHULKARI!!

The Phulkari embroidery has made a come back....It was extensively used by the costume designers for the movie  'teri meri kahani' in the traditional suits worn by priyanka chopra .I could find only few on google .all her dupattas had a phulkari border.. Bright color combinations are used for the floral patterns and they can be seen in almost all traditional attire.

There are many celebrities in indian film industry who have been captured by photographers wearing the Phulkari designs
Not only the designers, even Bollywood is drawing inspiration from the lovely art form. Kareena looked absolutely stunning in the Phulkari embroidered outfit in the movie Jab We Met designed by the most renowned designer of Bollywood – Manish Malhotra. The hot pink and orange Phulkari embroidered outfit with lovely colourful embroidery and gold sequin made a fashion statement!

Another recent movie where phulkari was incorporated was, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’. Namratha Jani the costume designer created a very colourful phulkari halter which Kangna is wearing over a white shirt in the movie!

 

A traditional suits worn by Kangana Ranaut  in bollywood movie 'Tanu Weds Manu',  . 

•  Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi:Anushka Sharma had a very subtle yet chic sense of style.I liked how she paired plain salwar suits with Phulkari dupattas .These dupattas became very popular after this movie.

few of the celebrities wearing phulkari in punjabi movies (regional movies).

• she is Neeru Bajwa (punjabi films actress) .i just love her dupatta .her dupatta also has mirror work with the phulkari work on it..

 'Teri Meri Kahaani'-in movie 'Teri Meri Kahaani' Priyanka Chopra was seen wearing phulkari bordered dupattas .

NOW you see guys..how impactful is the beauty of phulkari work that even our most loved celebrity faces cannot resist it!!!

moreeee is art!!

Helloo guys..
you know what.. some people who love beauty couldn't get enough of it!
so they find ways to keep it close..
PHULKARI  is not only practiced on clothes but also in different styles and products!

Today this vibrant folk art of Punjab is now embroidered not only on shawls or dupattas but also on stolls, saris, bed covers, home furnishings, etc in bright and vivid colours. Many people have started getting Phulkari personalised, where some are using it as decorative piece, others are using them asaccessories like juttis (punjabi chappal), bags etc.
To obtain faster and cheaper production a coarser and looser style of embroidery is being employed. With fast growing industries, schooling, lack of interest for manual work, profitability, etc. the textile industry today, is imitating this art with the help of machines. Phulkari today is not as detailed or time consuming. Today the woman does the embroidery from the top of the cloth rather from the wrong side of the khaddar.  Khaddar is being replaced by cotton, chiffon, georgette, crepe and synthetic.

Phulkari is so amazing and beautiful art.

it mesmorises me how conveniently it mixes in our life style!

we use it in so many ways. In dresses..

keychains, jutis and so much more!

variety exists..!

helloo my dears..
guess what?
its not only different types of phulkari but also variety in regions!
wanna know why...its here!!

REGIONAL VARIATIONS

There existed regional variations between phulkaris embroidered in various areas of Punjab. These differences were visible in patterns ,motifs and colors as well as in the quality of the base cloth.

WESTERN PUNJAB

The hindus and sikhs who practiced this art in western Punjab(part of present day Pakistan) were organized and affluent. Thus, the quality of the base cloth and of the floss silk yarn was finer(and hence more expensive). The motifs drew there inspiration from Islam. The base cloth was either red or white and the silken floss was usually in soft colors such as white, yellow, or pale orange. The designs were geometrical, never figurative, and the quality of embroidery was exceptionally sophisticated.

EASTERN PUNJAB

The khadi base and the floss were more vibrant and bold in terms of colours and tones. Shades of red, and other colors of the pat were rich. The pallus of borders were heavily embroidered and the motifs were dominantly inspired by the everyday life.

Now you see...how phulkari is such a beautiful art and differs in so many types!

Beauty is everywhere and In everything!

I just introduced you to one of them...

THE PHULKARI WORK.

dig in moree..!

Hello sweets..!
how are you guys?
I hope you guys are perfectly fine..(fingers crossed)
as promised..in this post I will introduce some important and famous types on BAGH phulkari!

VARI DA BAGH

In west Punjab, following the birth of a boy, it was customary, to begin a vari da bagh. The newborns grandmother would place the first stitch on the embroidery. 

BAWAN BAGH

The bawan bagh is very rare as only a few women were able tofashion this type. Bawan means the number 52; in these pieces we usually find 52different patterns.

DARSHAN DWAR BAGH

Another more typical bagh is the darshan  dwar bagh, meaning “the Gate from which one sees the God”. From the eastern Punjab, this type always has a red ground; a series of large peaked gates are drawn, from four to seven on either side depending on their size and the dimensions of the cloth. 

KAUDI BAGH

Among their patterns, these bagh include chains of small white squares representing stylized cowries. From another point of view, the shape of these shells can remind of female genitals and make them become symbols of fertility. Kaudi phulkari were often worn by women wanting to increase their chance to become pregnant.

PANCHRANGA BAGH

Meaning "Five colors", this bagh is decorated with chevrons of five different colors. In The same way, similar pieces like satranga  ("Sevencolors")  bagh are also available.

SURAJMUKHI

Surajmujkhi, the sunflower, refers to the main pattern of this phulkari. From a technical point of view this type of phulkari is unique as itis the only one that mixes in comparable proportions Holbein stitch (used to make chope phulkari) and the regular darning stitch.

THIRMA

A rarer type of phulkari is the thirma, the name signifying a white ground. Exclusively made by Hindus, they formed an important part of the dowry of a woman from north-western Punjab. The floral patterns were embroidered in red, violet and green -often so thickly that they give a velvety surface. The ends have characteristic diagonal rows in red satin stitch. The patterns of this type differ markedly from all other baghs and phulkaris.

SANCHI
Produced in east and southeast Punjab, sainchi  phulkaris depict scenes of everyday life in the motifs. Sainchis can be divided into two groups. The first have coloured representations on a red ground of human figures, beasts, village scenes and so on, without symmetry and end borders. The second group, with black, dark brown or, very rarely, blue grounds, are symmetrically drawn.

These are some most famous and important types of BAGH phulkari!

I hope now you all can identify which type of phulkari cloth you wear

and which one is your favourite!!!

I will be back with more of phulkari...

till then stay tuned guys..

and be fine!

the different beauties..!

hello readers..
how are you!!
In next few posts we will be discovering more about phulkari work.
first of all...there are two types of phulkari work itself!
1) BAGH
Bagh literally means “garden of flowers”, and the term distinguishes the flowered Phulkari is that the embroidery is so profuse that the ground colour is no longer visible thus the embroidery becomes the fabric itself.

There are some types of BAGH..

which are mentioned below :-

•Shalimar and chaurasia baghs recall famous Mughal gardens

.•Ikka bagh- playing cards (diamond).

•Dhoop chhaon (sunlight and shade),

•Laharya (wave, patang (kite)

,•Saru (Cypress)

•Suraj mukkhi (sunflower)

,•Panchranga (five colours)

•Satranga (seven colours)

•The danga (river) bagh aptly depicts a row of blue wavy stripes on a white ground.

2) CHOPE

Chope is usually embroidered on the borders. It is gifted to the bride by her grandmother during some ceremony before wedding.

The “Chope” is embroidered straight with two sided line stitch which appears same on both the side. Unlike Phulkari and Bagh where a variety of colours are used, Chope is generally embroidered with one colour (Golden or yellowish golden mostly).

we will discover more about BAGH phulkari in my next post.

till then stay tuned and take care sweets.!

the stitch and needle!

hey my readers!
how are you guys?
having fun!!

today we will discover how the beautiful designs of phulkari are made!

STITCHES

Darning stitch was the most commonly used technique to make phulkari and the quality of a piece could be measured according to the width of this stitch. The narrowest was the stitch, the finest was the piece. In order to create an unusual design or to border the khaddar, some other stitches like the herringbone stitch, running stitch, Holbein stitch or button hole stitch were occasionally used. To fill in the motif either satin stitch or a variation known as stop stitch was preferred.

take care my readers!!

and stay tuned........

the love for designs..

hey readers!
I am back with interestion techniques and tools of our PHUL world!
I will introduce you to the techniques....

TECHNIQUES

The embroidery is done for most part upon khaddar of irregular thickness, generally with between 10-12 wrap threads per cm. Khaddar was woven in narrow strips and sewn together for the required width. Designs and symmetries are created by embroidering from the backface of the cloth. Hence, it was easier to embroider the fabric first and then dye the base fabric(with such a preparation that the silk thread does not get colored) so that the warps and wefts on the lighter colour clearly visible.  Some times pattern to be embroidered were drawn on the fabric before phulkari is done on khaddar. Most of the time, patterns to be embroidered were not drawn on the fabric beforehand, the embroiderer had to count each thread of the khaddar with meticulous care to build the designs. . The fabric itself is used as an inner decoration so that the pattern sewn on it becomes more distinct and attractive. The finished portion of the embroidery is rolled and covered with a muslin cloth, to keep the embroidered part clean while working.

for more interesting and extra ordinary information on our everlastion work of PHULKARI.

stay tuned my readers!

and take care...

              

                                               

playing with rang...

hey readers...
I am back..
how is life treating you guys?
good... I hope!
we discussed about phulkari work.. its origin and its work!
today we will discuss about the material and colours used!!

MATERIALS

Embroidery work was invariably made on a plain cotton fabric(khaddar) whose thread was manually spinned, loomed and dyed with natural pigments. The actual embroidery was done with a Pat, the Punjabi word for untwisted floss silk yarn. This yarn was sourced from China or Afghanistan, and then dyed in Jammu and Amritsar.

                                                                                     

IMPORTANCE OF COLOR

The bright colors are always preferred when it comes to Phulkari because it refers to flowers and garden. The main colors used are Yellow, red, green, orange, pink and blue. The most interesting part of phulkari is that, no different shades are used for shading purpose; rather it’s done with the horizontal, diagonal and vertical stitches.
 Importance of color threads : Red symbolize passion, White symbolize purity, Golden or yellow symbolize desire and abundance,Green symbolize nature and fertility, Blue symbolize serenity, Purple symbolize a symbiosis between reds energy and blues calm, Orange symbolize a mix of desire and divine energy.

society and beauty!!

hey readers!
how are you?
I am suffering from flu!.. I hope you guys are fit and fine!!
 today we will be going throught he social aspect of our beautiful embroidery!
it not only hold cultural aspect but also some social aspects too...and we will go through them today!

                                                                           

SOCIO-CULTURAL  ASPECT

The motifs of Phulkari embroidery which enlightened the social structure as well as cultural identity of Punjab had been changed after partition. , however, earlier  most of the women were experts in Phulkari would even make mediocre look exquisite. Back in the days, it was a reflection of routine and regular life of a typical Punjabi woman.  each region or village had their own unique way of creating patterns and designs which was influenced by local factors and lifestyles .They used to embroid on a cotton cloth a tale of her tryst with the gardens. It was never made for commercialization. Fabricated for familial customary obligations, Phulkari became famous mainly by word of mouth. For the people of Punjab, Phulkari is not just a style of embroidery. For them it is a traditional family culture, a pious ceremony that begins with the birth of the male child. The grandmother of the baby boy weaves a fabric of love, spinning dreams of his wedded future with a beautiful bride to whom the Phulkari will belong eventually. Phulkari work has spread its fabric from Odinis to full-length suits. The time is not far when we will see it being used on curtains as an essential part of the interiors industry. The rural crafts industry could see Phulkari developing as a trend in designing handicrafts and ornaments as well.

now we know its not only culture but also socially where PHULwork holds great significance!

for more interesting information..

stay tune my reader!

and take careee...

more colours to PHULwork!

hey readers..
how are you all doing?
how is the world of flowers?
interesting ...(I find it).
 today I will make you come across few more legendary points on phulwork.

THE COMEBACK OF PHULKARI

The embroidery took a backseat with the division of India and Pakistan. However, it soon sprang back up like an evergreen style statement. Even though there is an inimitable demand for Phulkari work till date, there are limited credible sources left from where one can purchase a hand-woven Phulkari fabric. With commercialization of the needlework, quicker methods of production were devised.

SOURCES OF INSPIRATION

Thread by thread, each motif was created in a geometric grid, which was a peculiar technique for coming up with a curvilinear final output. Long and short darn stitch was put to clever use for creating horizontal, vertical and diagonal thread work, inspired by routine of the artists, flowers, 
 animals. isn't it quite interesting...how an embroidery art can hold so many things!

stay tuned and take care my readers!

the ride to pastt!

hey readers!
today we will ride through the history and origin of phulkari embroidery!
wear your belts....its all the way to pasttt!

Phulkari is brought to the Indian Subcontinent by the migrant Jatpeople of Central Asia in ancient times. The tradition of phulkari was often associated with the Sikh heritage but as it was also shared. The embroideries were a mere reflection of their life. Things that they see, observe, vegetables that they eat, animals that they owned, were embroidered. Every woman had her own art of embroidery, her way of representing. Phulkari is brought to the Indian Subcontinent by the migrant Jat people of Central Asia in ancient times.  It has it’s origins in the famous love story of Heer & Ranjha (a love tale) by Waris Shah. It’s a present form and popularity goes back to 15th century. The embroideries were a mere reflection of a woman’s life and every woman had her way.

 

stay tuned readers...!

and take care!!

the all of PHULwork!

                                                     HISTORY
hey readers!!
I am back with few pins about the amazing embroidery...
today we will travel around the PHULwork!
exploring its beauty ourselves!...

Punjab is known for its Phulkaris. The embroidery is done with floss silk thread on coarse hand woven cotton fabric. Geometrical patterns are usually embroidered on the Phulkaris. Phulkaris and Baghs were worn by women all over Punjab during marriage festivals and other joyous occasions. They were embroidered by the women for their own use and use of other family members and were not for sale in the market. Thus, it was purely a domestic art which not only satisfied their inner urge for creation but brought colour into day-to-day life.
                                          

The most favoured colour is red and its shades, because Bagh and Phulkari are used during marriage and other festivals. Red is considered auspicious by Hindus and Sikhs. Other colours are brown, blue, black, white. White was used in Bagh by elderly ladies. Silk thread in strands came from Kashmir, Afghanistan and Bengal. The best quality silk came from China.

bye readers!
I will be back with more mouthwatering information!
till then............stay tuned!
and take care.....