Embroidery

Embroidery in cotton, silk, wool, gold or silver thread has a longstanding tradition in Pakistan with distinct styles and designs. It is the folk art of the women and the basic materials used is hand-spun and hand-woven cotton. This material is generally embroidered in fixed patterns and colours, but each piece has its own individuality. Swat is famous for its Kashida embroidery.

          Phulkari and bagh embroideries are the specialties of the Hazara district. The traditional Baluchi and Sindhi embroidery presents fascinating works of art in colour and clearly stands out among the best in the world. The Baluchi embroidery alone has 118 different basic designs. Minute mirrors are used as an additional embellishment, but in a more sophisticated manner than in the embroidery of Sind. The Sindhi embroidery consists of a variety of stitches, repetitive geometric and floral patterns and motifs using abstract forms of birds and animals. Sind is also famous for its colourful patchwork quilt called rilli, made from old, dyed pieces of cotton or silk cloth. The leather embroidery of Sind and Baluchistan is a popular medium for decorating shoes, hand bags and horse and camel gear.