One of the many forms of traditional Indian embroidery Kasuti story in unique form

Kasuti, which is similar to Blackwork, is a form of hand embroidery practised in the state of Karnataka in India. The word comes from Kai, which means hand, and suti, which means cotton. Kasuti is used extensively on certain kinds of clothes, such as the famous silk Kanchivaram sarees.

Traditionally an art taken to by women, Kasuti is time-consuming because it involves meticulous counting of stitches, and a single work might require thousands of stitches to be made. However, most stitches result in neat work that is reversible, and a finished piece is a reward in itself.

The patterns used are geometrical in nature, and popular designs include temples, chariots, birds such as the peacock, abstract flowers and swirls etc. These are first carefully marked on the fabric using charcoal, and a graph is also prepared often by modern day embroiderers.

The stitches employed are the simple running stitch, which is called Negi, Gavanti is the counterpart of the holbein stitch, made by working running stitch and then filling in the gaps using running stitch again, Muragi, which is a zigzag stitch, which looks like a ladder. These are all reversible stitches. Menthi is the regular cross-stitch, and the reverse of the stitch is not the same as the front.

The speciality of Kasuti designs is that they end at the same point where they are begun.

Unfortunately, it seems that patronage for this art form is declining. Efforts need to be made to revive it. he elaborate work of nature.