Sindhi embroidery explained: stitches, mirrors, colour

The stitches, including Sindhi tanka

Sindhi work uses many stitches side by side, mostly in geometric motifs: diamonds, stars, circles, zigzags and stylised flowers arranged in bands and grids. The stitches you will notice most are:

• Interlacing stitch: the stitch most people mean by Sindhi tanka (tanka simply means stitch), known locally as hurmitch. A framework of long threads is laid on the surface first, then a second thread is woven over and under it without going through the cloth, building braided diamonds and lattices.
• Chain stitch: used for outlines and for filling shapes in close rows.
• Satin stitch: flat blocks of colour, sometimes counted on the weave to form sharp triangles and bars.
• Buttonhole and herringbone stitch: used for edges, bands and the rings that hold mirrors.
• Couching: a thick thread laid on the surface and tied down with small stitches, for bold lines.

The mirrors

The small mirrors, called shisha, are held to the cloth by a ring of stitches worked round the edge, with no glue and no hole in the glass. They are scattered between motifs or placed at the centre of flowers, and they are what makes Sindhi work flash as the wearer moves. Our mirror work guide explains how they are attached and cared for. In the wider craft, the mirrors are one element among many; a piece can be recognisably Sindhi with very few of them.

Where the work sits

On traditional dress, the richest embroidery is concentrated on the gaj, a solid worked panel covering the chest from the neckline down, sometimes matched by bands on the sleeves and hem. That habit of loading one panel and leaving the rest plain is what modern clothes borrow. Our article on yokes and panels shows how a panel like this is built into a kameez. A Sindhi work suit today usually means one of these:

• A worked yoke or neckline panel on a plain lawn, cambric or cotton kurta in a strong colour.
• Narrow bands in the same style at the cuffs, the daman or the trouser hem.
• A dupatta with an embroidered border and a few mirrors, worn with a plain suit.
• A Sindhi embroidery dress: a loose, long frock with a worked front panel, close to the traditional shape.
• Machine-made versions, which copy the colours and geometry and often use sequins or foil discs in place of glass.

Wearing and washing it

A hand-worked yoke is heavy and firm. It suits sturdier fabrics, sits most comfortably with a lining or facing behind it and is washed by hand in cool water, since strong thread colours can run and glass can crack in a machine. Balochi needlework, from the neighbouring province, is often confused with it; our guide to Balochi embroidery explains the difference.

Asking for the look

Hand embroidery in a named regional style is not something to expect from any maker without asking, and that includes us. What you can do is describe what you like about it: the colours, the geometric bands, the panel shape, with or without the shine of mirrors. Send a photo with your request on the Send Your Design form, and we confirm what is possible on your fabric and design in the written quote. The custom embroidery page explains how embroidery is quoted on an outfit we stitch or on your own fabric or garment.