The tool used is called ‘aari’, and no, dabka is not stitched with aari. As a matter of fact, it cannot be stitched with aari. In Pakistan, just like in India, it is stitched with zardozi. That is really the only way to do it. Doing it with an aari, firstly, is not possible. Even if tried, the aari would strip open the coils. People do experiment using an aari with large sized coils, but large sized dabka doesnt look nice at all, and is barely used.
No an aar ki soowee does not have a hook at the end (that is a latch hook). Its a thin hollow needle through which the thread passes in the entire length instead of just at the tip like a regular needle. The work is done by moving the aar up and down and the fabric is stretched on the adda so taught its almost like a trampoline.
Zardozi is not a way of stiching its the kaam that includes metallic coil or thread.
I have seen this done thus the confidence- Unless the teachers at PSFD were confused- then god bless the designers emerging from that school!
i’ve seen the trampoline thing that you are talking about…i actually went to a karighar in karachi and asked him to teach me how they do the embrodiery and i can do most of the embrodiery myself now but since i don’t speak urdu i don’t know the names of the type of work or the needles they use.
manomano...terminologies differ from city to city. Aari is a long spear shaped needle with a slight hook at the end. In carpentry, aari is a saw, yes, but in embroidery, its a pick.
Zardozi is any type of embroidery that is done with a regular needle, whether you are stitching beads, sequins, kora, dabka, or anything else for that matter. So long as you are using a breakaway thread with a needle, its called zardozi.
The hollow needle you mentioned is not practical for items like dabka. The 'aar ki sooi' is used mostly for ethnic embroideries, like multani karhai, which is almost entirely thread based. Even though for practice purposes, it is possible to use pretty much any tool for any type of embroidery, but different aspects must be considered when choosing the best tool for a job, like time, accuracy, neatness.
Thank you for the info. Next time im in pakistan i will let the school know they gave out wrong information…
And all this time i felt i knew so much more of desi embroidery
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
(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!
manomano…thanks so much for this info…this is exactly what i learned from the karighar who taught me how to do embroidery i just never knew what it was called!!! the only problem is that i don’t have the huge frame they use to put the fabric in and i’m thinking about asking someone to make me one so i can continue doing my own embroidery here.
i just realized something…dabka isn’t done the way they described it above… they basically take the gold coils and cut them into smaller pieces and then they add it onto the fabric they same way you would do with a bead.
