Running Stitch-1

TAST-2012-10th Week-Running Stitch

This week Sharon has announced the Running Stitch for the challenge.You can visit Sharon's Page for TAST-2012 here:

http://www.pintangle.com/journal/2012/3/6/take-a-stitch-tuesday-week-10.html

Running Stitch is very simple and easy but also one of the stitches which can be combined with many other stitches easily. The beauty of this stitch is that one can create so many patterns out of this stitch.

The Running Stitch is used in India in the most famous traditional embroidery of Kanta. In fact Kanta work is one of my favorite work. I have embroidered many saris, blouses, kurthas in this work for the simple reason that it is very easy to work and one can finish off early. There is a rythum in this stitch/work which when achieved is very soothing on ones nerves like knitting. The beauty of well aligned stitches is the high light of this work.

In Kanta work a simple running stitch is used in many ways and combinations. Motifs like, flowers, animals, human figures and the objects found in every day lives of the simple village folk, geometrical patterns are worked. 

Running stitch is also used in Embroideries from Japan of Kogin and Shashiko which are more geometrical.

Here is one of my creations in Kanta which I designed and embroidered with the help of my mother and sister long time back:


This is a mustard colour fine cotton sari from Venkatagiri with green and gold borders. Me and my sister both bought two of the same saris. The design in the borders are different but the peacock motifs on the pallu of both saris are same. I used only three colours-black red and green.

 These are the borders on top and bottom of the sari.

A closer look at the border.

These are the Peacocks on Pallu.

I couldn't photograph my sis's sari. I will try to get one. But do keep an eye for more on this stitch as incidentally I have been working on this stitch building up a sampler.

Pin It