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Activities / Kutch Embroidery / Embroidered Bag

Embroidered Bag

Hand-Embroidered Bag: Kutch-Style Stitches on a Cotton Tote

Level
Intermediate
Duration
5 - 10 hours (over a few evenings)
Budget
₹1,200 – ₹1,600
Age
14+
State
Gujarat

Materials

  • Plain cotton or canvas tote bag, natural, about 15 x 16 in
  • Stranded cotton embroidery thread in 4 to 5 colours
  • Embroidery or hand sewing needles
  • Wooden or bamboo embroidery hoop, 15 cm (6 in)
  • Acrylic shisha mirrors, round, about 1.5 cm
  • Water-erasable fabric marker pen
  • Thimble or leather finger protector (optional)
  • Scissors, paper, black pen, coin, iron and a piece of card

Steps

  1. Wash, dry and iron a plain cotton tote bag
    Choose a natural or light cotton canvas tote, about 15 x 16 in (38 x 40 cm), with no print on the front. Wash it in warm water, dry it and iron it flat, so it shrinks now and not after you embroider it. Slip a piece of card inside to keep the front and back apart while you stitch. Common mistake: skipping the wash. The bag shrinks later and the stitches pucker.
  2. Draw a flower and border design on paper, about 15 cm wide
    On a sheet of paper, draw a central flower about 6 cm across with 8 petals, two leaves on each side of it about 4 cm long, and a border strip 15 cm long and 1.5 cm high above and below. Mark three small circles of 1.5 cm in the centre of the flower, which are the places for mirrors. Use a black pen with firm lines. Keep shapes bold and simple, because every curve will be stitched.
    Tip: Trace round a coin for neat 1.5 cm mirror circles.
  3. Transfer the design to the bag with a water-erasable pen
    Tape the drawing to a bright window with the lines facing you, lay the bag's front over it so the design sits about 8 cm below the top edge, and tape the corners. Trace the lines onto the fabric with the water-erasable pen using light, steady strokes. Remove the tape and check that no lines are missing. Common mistake: tracing with heavy pressure on canvas, which makes lines too thick to stitch over cleanly.
  4. Fix the design area in the hoop and thread the needle
    Slide the inner ring of a 15 cm hoop inside the bag, press the outer ring over the front and tighten the screw until the fabric is firm, not stretched. The back of the bag must stay free outside the hoop. Cut a thread about 45 cm long, pull out 3 of the 6 strands, thread the needle and tie a small knot. Common mistake: using the full 6 strands, which makes stitches bulky.
  5. Outline the petals and stems in stem stitch
    Bring the needle up at the start of the line. Make a stitch of about 4 mm forwards along the line, bring the needle up again halfway back along that stitch and keep the working thread always on the same side, say below the needle. Repeat all along each petal outline and stem. The result is a smooth, twisted rope-like line. Common mistake: swapping the thread to the other side, which breaks the rope look.
    Tip: Keep the thread below the needle for the curves that go up and above the needle for the ones that go down.
  6. Fill the petals with satin stitch
    Starting at the centre of a petal, bring the needle up on one outline edge and down on the opposite edge, so the stitch fills the petal's width. Lay the next stitch right beside the first with no gap and keep going to the tip, then do the other half. The stitches lie parallel and look like smooth silk. Common mistake: pulling too tight, which makes the petal pucker, or leaving gaps that show the cloth.
  7. Fill the leaves with rows of chain stitch
    Work chain stitch around the outline of each leaf, bringing the needle up, going down in the same hole to leave a loop, and coming up 4 mm further along inside the loop. Then work another ring just inside, and carry on spiralling to the centre until the leaf is filled. Use a green thread and keep all loops the same size. Finish each ring with a tiny stitch over the last loop.
  8. Sew the three mirrors in the flower centre
    Place a 1.5 cm mirror on a marked circle, hold it with your thumb and sew four long stitches across it in a square cage, two crossing and two parallel. Weave the thread over and under the cage two or three times, then work buttonhole stitches around the mirror's edge, about 1.5 mm apart, until the ring closes. Finish on the back with a few small stitches and repeat for the other two mirrors. They should not wiggle when pressed.
    Tip: Practise this on scrap cloth first, or follow our Shisha Mirror Patch activity.
  9. Stitch herringbone borders above and below the design
    Mark two parallel lines 1 cm apart on each border strip. Using one colour, come up on the lower line at the left, slant up and go in on the upper line about 4 mm to the right, then come out about 2 mm back on the upper line, slant down to the lower line, go in 4 mm further and come out 2 mm back. Repeat across the strip. For the second border, use a contrast colour. Keep every cross the same width.
  10. Finish the thread ends, remove the hoop and press the work
    Inside the bag, weave each thread end under 4 or 5 stitches and trim it close, so there are no loose strands. Unscrew the hoop and take it off, then dab the pen lines with a damp cloth until they vanish. Place the bag face down on a towel and press the back of the embroidery with a warm iron for a few seconds. Wash the bag inside out in cold water and dry it flat.

Sustainability

High - reuses a plain tote bag; embroidery cotton is plant-based

Safety

Needle pricks, so use a thimble; wrist and hand fatigue, so take breaks; eye strain in poor light