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Activities / Pashmina / Pashmina Sozni Motif

Pashmina Sozni Motif

Sozni-Inspired Needle Motif: Fine Kashmiri Embroidery Practice

Level
Intermediate
Duration
3 - 5 hours
Budget
₹341 – ₹745
Age
14+
State
Jammu & Kashmir

Materials

  • Fine cotton or muslin cloth
  • Cotton embroidery floss in 2 or 3 colours
  • Fine embroidery needles
  • Embroidery hoop, 10 cm (4 in)
  • Water-erasable fabric marker
  • Metal thimble
  • Scissors
  • Iron, folded towel and a clean damp cloth

Steps

  1. Read the plan and gather your cloth, thread and tools
    Real pashmina is woven from the fine wool of Changthangi goats, and sozni is the very fine needlework often worked on it. This is an inspired-by practice: you will stitch the look on a small piece of cotton. Lay out a 15 x 15 cm (6 x 6 in) piece of muslin, 2 or 3 colours of cotton floss, a fine embroidery needle, a 10 cm (4 in) hoop, a water-erasable pen, scissors and a thimble. Sit in daylight.
  2. Iron the cloth and fix it drum-tight in the hoop
    Iron the muslin flat. Loosen the screw of the hoop, lay the inner ring under the cloth, press the outer ring over it and tighten the screw. Pull the cloth edges gently all round until it is taut like a drum. If the cloth wrinkles inside the ring, loosen and pull again. Common mistake: a loose cloth. The stitches then pucker and the motif looks crumpled.
    Tip: Tighten the screw with a coin, a little at a time, while you pull the cloth.
  3. Draw a simple paisley about 5 cm tall with the erasable pen
    Draw a single paisley (a teardrop with a curled tip) in the middle of the hoop, about 5 cm (2 in) tall and 3 cm wide. Draw a smaller paisley inside it, about 2 cm tall, leaving a gap of about 5 mm all around. Keep the shapes simple and smooth. Test the pen on a corner first: the line should vanish with a damp cloth later.
  4. Thread the needle with a single strand of floss
    Cut about 40 cm (16 in) of floss. Floss has six fine threads twisted together. Hold the end and gently pull one thread out, then thread that single thread through the needle and tie a small knot at the other end. Sozni is worked with very fine thread, and one strand gives the smooth, silky look. Common mistake: using all six threads, which makes thick, lumpy stitches.
    Tip: Wet the thread tip with a little saliva, or use a needle threader, if it will not go through the eye.
  5. Outline the shapes with tiny stem stitches
    Bring the needle up from the back at the start of the line. Take it down about 3 mm further along the line and bring it up halfway between the two points, with the thread kept below the needle. Pull gently and repeat. The stitches overlap and form a thin rope. Outline both the large and small paisley this way. Keep every stitch the same length.
  6. Fill the large paisley with tiny satin stitches in one direction
    Between the outer outline and the inner shape, sew straight stitches lying side by side, each from one edge to the other, about 3 to 4 mm long, so no cloth shows between them. Work from one end to the other, always in the same direction. Keep the thread flat, not twisted. Pull each stitch just snug, without puckering the cloth. This is satin stitch.
    Tip: Start in the widest part of the shape and work outward, so the stitches stay parallel.
  7. Fill the smaller inner shape in a second colour
    Change to your second colour. Fill the smaller inner paisley with satin stitch in the same way, again with the stitches side by side and close together. Start a new thread by taking a tiny stitch on the back, never a big knot, so the front stays smooth. Finish the thread the same way. The inner shape should sit like a small jewel in the middle of the larger shape.
  8. Add a row of chain stitch around the shape in a matching colour
    Bring the needle up just outside the outline, then go back down in the same hole, leaving a small loop of thread. Come up 3 mm ahead inside the loop and pull gently so the loop closes into a chain link. Repeat around the whole shape. At the end, take a tiny stitch over the last link to hold it. The chain makes a fine, raised border.
  9. Add a dot at the curl, then finish the back of the work
    At the tip of the paisley, take 3 or 4 tiny stitches on top of one another to make a small dot. Then turn the hoop over and trim every loose thread to about 5 mm. Check the back: loose long threads can show through thin cloth. Take a few tiny anchor stitches to hold any that are loose.
  10. Take it off the hoop, remove the pen marks and press it
    Loosen the screw and take the cloth off. Dab any pen marks that still show with a clean damp cloth and let it dry. Lay the motif face down on a folded towel and press lightly with a warm iron, so the stitches are not flattened. Trim the cloth to a neat square. Sew it to the corner of a plain stole or use it as a pocket square.

Sustainability

Medium - small fabric scrap project. Inspired-by exercise: real pashmina is woven from cashmere fibre and embroidered by trained artisans

Safety

Fine needles prick easily, so use a thimble; stitch in daylight and rest your eyes every 20 minutes