Re: Pakistani Dhabka Work??
Akif- here is another caveat
These websites define zardosi with the same needle i was talking about. Cause a regular needle needs to go down then under and back up again where as the tool/needle i saw went up and down just like in this definition.
http://www.dmi-india.com/glossary.html
http://www.fashiontemptations.com/about%20zardozi%20embroidery.htm
(Zardozi embroidery is hand stitched predominately by Muslim men. Zardozi is fashioned with a needle that resembles a very small crochet hook which is used to run up and down through the cloth, much like a sewing machine, while the cloth is pulled tightly over a large wooden frame. Zardozi has remained as an appliqué method of embroidery. With one hand the craftsman holds a retaining thread below the fabric. In the other he holds a hook or a needle with which he picks up the appliqué materials. Then he passes the needle or hook through the fabric. After days of painstaking labor, the result is an exquisite gold-veined work of art.
This kind of stitching allows the craftsman to use both hands as he works. The hand above the cloth works the needle, while the hand below the cloth ties each stitch - making Zardozi products not only beautiful but durable)
I wish there was a consolidated encyclopedia with images of south asian fabrics and embroidery through the ages!