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66-409: Some of the basic techniques or stitches of the earliest embroidery are chain stitch , buttonhole or blanket stitch , running stitch , satin stitch , and cross stitch . Those stitches remain the fundamental techniques of hand embroidery today. The process used to tailor, patch, mend and reinforce cloth fostered the development of sewing techniques, and the decorative possibilities of sewing led to

132-441: A folk art , using materials that were accessible to nonprofessionals. Examples include Hardanger embroidery from Norway; Merezhka from Ukraine ; Mountmellick embroidery from Ireland; Nakshi kantha from Bangladesh and West Bengal ; Achachi from Peru ; and Brazilian embroidery . Many techniques had a practical use such as Sashiko from Japan , which was used as a way to reinforce clothing. While historically viewed as

198-407: A fabric mesh to create a dense pattern that completely covers the foundation fabric. Examples of canvas work include bargello and Berlin wool work . Embroidery can also be classified by the similarity of its appearance. In drawn thread work and cutwork , the foundation fabric is deformed or cut away to create holes that are then embellished with embroidery, often with thread in the same color as

264-507: A few similar stitches in a variety of hues. In contrast, many forms of surface embroidery make use of a wide range of stitching patterns in a single piece of work. Training women in traditional embroidery skills in Inner Mongolia , was begun by Bai Jingying as a reaction to the financial pressures caused by the impact of climate change, including desertification , in the region. Embroidery can be classified according to what degree

330-412: A loop of the thread on the surface of the fabric. In the simplest of the looped stitches, the chain stitch, the needle comes up from the back of the fabric and then the needle goes back into the same hole it came out of, pulling the loop of thread almost completely through to the back; but before the loop disappears, the needle come back up (a certain distance from the beginning stitch -the distance deciding

396-425: A man were still in a town, and so many people as if a man were in a market." Akbar visited the city only once in 1601 after abandoning it. William Finch , visiting it 4–5 years after Akbar's death, stated, "It is all ruinate," writing, "lying like a waste desert." During the epidemic of bubonic plague from 1616 to 1624, Jahangir stayed for three months here in 1619. Muhammad Shah stayed here for some time and

462-413: A painting by William Purser, Futtypore Sicri (Fisher's Drawing Room Scrap Book, 1833), Letitia Elizabeth Landon associates its abandonment by Akbar with 'the revenge of the dead'. Vita Sackville-West , in her novel All Passion Spent , places the key meeting between Deborah, Lady Slane, and Mr FitzGeorge, at Fatehpur Sikri. She stood again on the terrace of the deserted Indian city looking across

528-423: A pastime, activity, or hobby, intended just for women, embroidery has often been used as a form of biography. Women who were unable to access a formal education or, at times, writing implements, were often taught embroidery and utilized it as a means of documenting their lives by telling stories through their embroidery. In terms of documenting the histories of marginalized groups, especially women of color both within

594-433: A predetermined number of threads in the foundation fabric. Counted-thread embroidery is more easily worked on an even-weave foundation fabric such as embroidery canvas , aida cloth , or specially woven cotton and linen fabrics. Examples include cross-stitch and some forms of blackwork embroidery . While similar to counted thread in regards to technique, in canvas work or needlepoint , threads are stitched through

660-426: A result of an increasing need for relaxation and digitally disconnecting practices. Modern hand embroidery, as opposed to cross-stitching , is characterized by a more "liberal" approach, where stitches are more freely combined in unconventional ways to create various textures and designs. Modern canvas work tends to follow symmetrical counted stitching patterns with designs emerging from the repetition of one or just

726-464: A rocky ridge, 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) in length and 1 km (0.62 mi) wide, and the palace city is surrounded by a 6 km (3.7 mi) wall on three sides with the fourth bordered by a lake. The city is generally organised around this 40 m high ridge, and falls roughly into the shape of a rhombus. The general layout of the ground structures, especially the "continuous and compact pattern of gardens and services and facilities" that characterised

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792-532: A scholar of Islamic architecture and Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Polytechnic University of Bari , Italy, notes that "Babur and his successors" wanted "to get away from the noise and confusion of Agra [and] build an uninterrupted sequence of gardens on the free left bank of the Yamuna, linked both by boat and by land." Petruccioli adds that when such escapist landscapes are envisioned,

858-487: Is about 39 kilometres (24 mi) from Agra. The nearest Airport is Agra Airport (also known as Kheria Airport ), 40 kilometres (25 mi) from Fatehpur Sikri. The nearest railway station is Fatehpur Sikri railway station , about 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) from the city centre. It is connected to Agra and neighbouring centres by road, where regular bus services are operated by UPSRTC , in addition to tourist buses and taxis. In her poetical illustration to an engraving of

924-492: Is also the basis for many forms of needle lace. Examples of buttonhole or blanket stitches. Feather stitches can be used for a wide variety of purposes, including foliage, and branches borders, smocking, and crazy quilting. Most are looped stitches, worked alternatively from left to right. They can be worked on plain or even-weave fabrics. Cross stitches or cross-stitch might be the oldest ornamental stitch, and has been found in ancient Egyptian and Hebrew embroideries. It

990-467: Is found in the decorative needlework of many cultures. This stitch has come to represent an entire industry of pattern production and material supply for the craft person. The stitch is done by creating a line of diagonal stitches going in one direction, usually using the warp and weft of the fabric as a guide, then on the return journey crossing the diagonal in the other direction, creating an "x". True cross stitch has legs of equal length that cross in

1056-410: Is prone to breaking and is avoided. There has also been a development in free hand machine embroidery, new machines have been designed that allow for the user to create free-motion embroidery which has its place in textile arts, quilting, dressmaking, home furnishings and more. Users can use the embroidery software to digitize the digital embroidery designs. These digitized design are then transferred to

1122-405: Is used to add logos and monograms to business shirts or jackets, gifts, and team apparel as well as to decorate household items for the bed and bath and other linens, draperies, and decorator fabrics that mimic the elaborate hand embroidery of the past. Machine embroidery is most typically done with rayon thread , although polyester thread can also be used. Cotton thread, on the other hand,

1188-427: Is usually given as the failure of the water supply, though Akbar's loss of interest may also have been the reason since it was built solely on his whim. Ralph Fitch described it as such, "Agra and Fatehpore Sikri are two very great cities, either of them much greater than London, and very populous. Between Agra and Fatehpore are 12 miles ( Kos ) and all the way is a market of victuals and other things, as full as though

1254-484: The Jain community . Historian Sugam Anand states that there is proof of habitation, temples and commercial centres even before Akbar established it as his capital. He states that the open space on a ridge was used by Akbar to build his capital. But preceding Akbar's appropriation of the site for his capital city, his predecessors Babur and Humayun did much to redesign Fatehpur Sikri's urban layout. Attilio Petruccioli,

1320-591: The Marquess of Hastings ordered the repair of monuments at Sikri. Because of its historical importance as the capital of the Mughal Empire and its outstanding architecture, Fatehpur Sikri was awarded the status of UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1986. Archaeological evidence points to settlement of the region since the Painted Grey Ware period . According to historian Syed Ali Nadeem Rezavi,

1386-589: The Mughal Empire in 1571 by Emperor Akbar , serving this role from 1571 to 1585, when Akbar abandoned it due to a campaign in Punjab and was later completely abandoned in 1610. The name of the city is derived from the village called Sikri which previously occupied the location. An Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) excavation from 1999 to 2000 indicated that there was housing, temples and commercial centres here before Akbar built his capital. The region

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1452-507: The Warring States period (5th–3rd century BC). In a garment from Migration period Sweden, roughly 300–700 AD, the edges of bands of trimming are reinforced with running stitch, back stitch, stem stitch, tailor's buttonhole stitch, and Whip stitch, but it is uncertain whether this work simply reinforced the seams or should be interpreted as decorative embroidery. Depending on time, location and materials available, embroidery could be

1518-508: The 16th century, in the reign of the Mughal Emperor Akbar , his chronicler Abu al-Fazl ibn Mubarak wrote in the famous Ain-i-Akbari : His majesty [Akbar] pays much attention to various stuffs; hence Irani , Ottoman , and Mongolian articles of wear are in much abundance especially textiles embroidered in the patterns of Nakshi , Saadi , Chikhan , Ari , Zardozi , Wastli , Gota and Kohra . The imperial workshops in

1584-625: The 2011 census, 98.81% of the people identified as Hindi speakers and 1.04% as Brajbhasha speakers. Fatehpur Sikri is one of the fifteen Block headquarters in the Agra district . It has 52 Gram panchayats (Village Panchayat ) under it. The Fatehpur Sikri , is a constituency of the Lok Sabha , Lower house of the Indian Parliament , and further comprises five Vidhan Sabha ( legislative assembly ) segments: Fatehpur Sikri sits on

1650-784: The Agra Gate and Birbal's Gate, Chandanpal Gate, The Gwalior Gate, the Tehra Gate, the Chor Gate, and the Ajmeri Gate. The palace contains summer palace and winter palace for Queen Mariam-uz-Zamani commonly known as Jodha Bai. Some of the important buildings in this city, both religious and secular are: Other buildings included Taksal (mint), Daftar Khana (Records Office), Karkhana (royal workshop), Khazana (Treasury), Hammam (Turkic Baths), Darogha's quarters, stables, caravanserai , Hakim 's quarters, etc. Fatehpur Sikri

1716-610: The Chabeli Tila, senior Agra journalist Bhanu Pratap Singh said the antique pieces, statues, and structures all point to a lost "culture and religious site," more than 1,000 years ago. "The excavations yielded a rich crop of Jain statues, hundreds of them, including the foundation stone of a temple with the date. The statues were a thousand years old of Bhagwan Adi Nath, Bhagwan Rishabh Nath , Bhagwan Mahavir and Jain Yakshinis ," said Swarup Chandra Jain, senior leader of

1782-587: The God-knowing spirit of Shaikh Salim had taken possession thereof, his holy heart desired to give outward splendour to this spot which possessed spiritual grandeur. Now that his standards had arrived at this place, his former design was pressed forward, and an order was issued that the superintendents of affairs should erect lofty buildings for the special use of the Shahinshah." Akbar remained heirless until 1569 when his son, who became known as Jahangir ,

1848-561: The Hindu and Muslim form of domestic architecture popular in India at the time. The remarkable preservation of these original spaces allows modern archaeologists to reconstruct scenes of Mughal court life, and to better understand the hierarchy of the city's royal and noble residents. It is accessed through gates along the 5 miles (8.0 km) long fort wall, namely, Delhi Gate, the Lal Gate,

1914-525: The Sheikh who had predicted the birth. After Jahangir's second birthday, he began the construction of a walled city and imperial palace here. The city came to be known as Fatehpur Sikri , the "City of Victory", after Akbar's victorious Gujarat campaign in 1573 . After occupying Agra in 1803, the East India Company established an administrative centre here and it remained so until 1850. In 1815,

1980-600: The United States and around the world, embroidery is a means of studying the everyday lives of those whose lives largely went unstudied throughout much of history. Since the late 2010s, there has been a growth in the popularity of embroidering by hand. As a result of visual social media such as Pinterest and Instagram , artists are able to share their work more extensively, which has inspired younger generations to pick up needle and threads. Contemporary embroidery artists believe hand embroidery has grown in popularity as

2046-628: The art of embroidery. Indeed, the remarkable stability of basic embroidery stitches has been noted: It is a striking fact that in the development of embroidery ... there are no changes of materials or techniques which can be felt or interpreted as advances from a primitive to a later, more refined stage. On the other hand, we often find in early works a technical accomplishment and high standard of craftsmanship rarely attained in later times. The art of embroidery has been found worldwide and several early examples have been found. Works in China have been dated to

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2112-401: The basic stitches of embroidery are running stitch, cross stitch, stem stitch, back stitch, satin stitch, chain stitch and blanket stitch. Stitches are categorized to stitch families based on the nature of the technique used to create the individual stitch. Some embroidery books will include name variations. Taken by themselves the stitches are mostly simple to execute, however when put together

2178-405: The basis for some composite stitches, and can have a contrasting thread interlaced in them. Examples of straight stitches are: Straight Stitches that have two journeys (generally forwards and backwards over the same path). Examples: Back stitches pass through the fabric ground in an encircling motion. The needle in the simplest backstitch comes up from the back of the fabric, makes a stitch to

2244-516: The center of the nearby lake, he built a large platform. A baoli exists at the base of a rock scarp about a kilometre from the Hiran Minar . This was probably the original site of a well-known epigraph commemorating his victory. Abul Fazl records Akbar's reasons for the foundation of the city in Akbarnama : "In as much as his exalted sons (Salim and Murad ) had been born at Sikri, and

2310-466: The center. Also included in this class of stitches are: Knotted stitches are formed by wrapping the thread around the needle, once or several times, before passing it back to the back of the fabric ground. This is a predominant stitch in Brazilian embroidery , used to create flowers. Another form of embroidery that uses knots is Candlewicking , where the knots are created by forming a figure 8 around

2376-447: The city leads urban archaeologists to conclude that Fatehpur Sikri was built primarily to afford leisure and luxury to its famous residents. The dynastic architecture of Fatehpur Sikri was modelled on Timurid forms and styles . The city was built massively and preferably with red sandstone. Gujarati influences are also seen in its architectural vocabulary and decor of the palaces of Fatehpur Sikri. The city's architecture reflects both

2442-478: The context of embroidery or hand- sewing is defined as the movement of the embroidery needle from the back of the fibre to the front side and back to the back side. The thread stroke on the front side produced by this is also called stitch . In the context of embroidery, an embroidery stitch means one or more stitches that are always executed in the same way, forming a figure. Embroidery stitches are also called stitches for short. Embroidery stitches are

2508-494: The design takes into account the nature of the base material and by the relationship of stitch placement to the fabric. The main categories are free or surface embroidery , counted-thread embroidery , and needlepoint or canvas work. In free or surface embroidery, designs are applied without regard to the weave of the underlying fabric. Examples include crewel and traditional Chinese and Japanese embroidery. Counted-thread embroidery patterns are created by making stitches over

2574-417: The domain of a few experts or a widespread, popular technique. This flexibility led to a variety of works, from the royal to the mundane. Examples of high status items include elaborately embroidered clothing, religious objects, and household items often were seen as a mark of wealth and status. In medieval England, Opus Anglicanum , a technique used by professional workshops and guilds in medieval England ,

2640-421: The early twentieth century and developed a machine embroidery industry there. Shiffli machines have continued to evolve and are still used for industrial scale embroidery. Contemporary embroidery is stitched with a computerized embroidery machine using patterns digitized with embroidery software . In machine embroidery , different types of "fills" add texture and design to the finished work. Machine embroidery

2706-402: The embroidery machine with the help of a flash drive and then the embroidery machine embroiders the selected design onto the fabric. In Greek mythology the goddess Athena is said to have passed down the art of embroidery (along with weaving ) to humans, leading to the famed competition between herself and the mortal Arachne . Embroidery stitch In everyday language, a stitch in

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2772-404: The foundation fabric. When created with white thread on white linen or cotton, this work is collectively referred to as whitework . However, whitework can either be counted or free. Hardanger embroidery is a counted embroidery and the designs are often geometric. Conversely, styles such as Broderie anglaise are similar to free embroidery, with floral or abstract designs that are not dependent on

2838-468: The laid thread may be of any nature—cross stitch, buttonhole stitch, or straight stitch—but some have specific names: Fatehpur Sikri Fatehpur Sikri ( Hindi: [ˈfətɛɦpʊɾ ˈsiːkɾiː] ) is a town in the Agra District of Uttar Pradesh , India . Situated 35.7 kilometres (22.2 mi) from the district headquarters of Agra , Fatehpur Sikri itself was founded as the capital of

2904-424: The length of the stitch), passes through the loop and prevents it from being pulled completely to the back of the fabric. The needle then passes back to the back of the fabric through the second hole and begins the stitch again. Examples of chain stitches are: Buttonhole or blanket stitches also catch a loop of the thread on the surface of the fabric but the principal difference is that the needle does not return to

2970-529: The material and ensure even stitching tension that prevents pattern distortion. The development of machine embroidery and its mass production came about in stages during the Industrial Revolution . The first embroidery machine was the hand embroidery machine , invented in France in 1832 by Josué Heilmann. The next evolutionary step was the schiffli embroidery machine . The latter borrowed from

3036-429: The monument becomes the organising element of the city at large, partly due to its orientation at a significant location and partly due to its sheer size. Buland Darwaza was one such organising element, which at a height of 150 feet towered over the city and is now one of the most recognisable Mughal monuments in the country. The place was much loved by Babur , who called it Shukri (Thanks), after its large lake that

3102-443: The most economical of expensive yarns; couching is generally used for goldwork . Canvas work techniques, in which large amounts of yarn are buried on the back of the work, use more materials but provide a sturdier and more substantial finished textile. A needle is the main stitching tool in embroidery, and comes in various sizes and types. In both canvas work and surface embroidery an embroidery hoop or frame can be used to stretch

3168-418: The needle. Examples of knotted stitches are: Couching or laid stitches involve two sets of threads: the set that is being 'laid' onto the surface of the fabric and the set which attaches the laid threads. The laid threads may be heavier than the attaching thread, or they may be of a nature that does not allow them to be worked like a regular embroidery thread, such as metal threads . The stitches used to attach

3234-494: The original hole to pass back to the back of the fabric. In the classic buttonhole stitch, the needle is returned to the back of the fabric at a right angle to the original start of the thread. The finished stitch in some ways resembles a letter "L" depending on the spacing of the stitches. For buttonholes the stitches are tightly packed together and for blanket edges they are more spaced out. The properties of this stitch make it ideal for preventing raveling of woven fabric. This stitch

3300-696: The region flourished under Sunga rule and then under Sikarwar Rajputs, who built a fortress when they controlled the area from 7th to 16th century, until the Battle of Khanwa (1527). The area later came under the rule of the Delhi Sultanate and many mosques were built at the place which grew in size during the period of the Khalji dynasty . Basing his arguments on the excavations by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in 1999–2000 at

3366-470: The repair of monuments at Sikri and Sikandra. The town was a municipality from 1865 to 1904 and was later made a notified area . The population in 1901 was 7,147. As of 2011 Indian Census , Fatehpur Sikri had a total population of 32,905, of which 17,392 were males and 15,513 were females. Population within the age group of 0 to 6 years was 5,139. The total number of literates in Fatehpur Sikri

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3432-536: The repair works were started again. However, with the decline of Mughal Empire, the conditions of the buildings worsened. While chasing Daulat Rao Sindhia 's battalions in October 1803, Gerard Lake left the most cumbersome baggage and siege guns in the town. After occupying Agra in 1803, the British established an administrative centre here and it remained so until 1850. In 1815, the Marquess of Hastings ordered

3498-442: The results can be extremely complex. Categorization of stitches will vary in stitch sampler books, and the breakdown of the stitches in the sections of the books may vary from those below. Straight stitches pass through the fabric ground in a simple up and down motion, and for the most part moving in a single direction. These stitches can be executed in straight or curved lines, and work well for fine details. They can be used as

3564-400: The right going back to the back of the fabric, then passes behind the first stitch and comes up to the front of the fabric to the left of the first stitch. The needle then goes back to the back of the fabric through the same hole the stitch first came up from. The needle then repeats the movement to the left of the stitches and continues. Some examples of a back stitch are: Chain stitches catch

3630-435: The rise of the merchant class and the wider availability of luxury materials, rich embroideries began to appear in a secular context. These embroideries took the form of items displayed in private homes of well-to-do citizens, as opposed to a church or royal setting. Even so, the embroideries themselves may still have had religious themes. Samplers employing fine silks were produced by the daughters of wealthy families. Embroidery

3696-515: The sewing machine and the Jacquard loom to fully automate its operation. The manufacture of machine-made embroideries in St. Gallen in eastern Switzerland flourished in the latter half of the 19th century. Both St. Gallen, Switzerland and Plauen, Germany were important centers for machine embroidery and embroidery machine development. Many Swiss and Germans immigrated to Hudson county, New Jersey in

3762-437: The smallest units in embroidery. Embroidery patterns are formed by doing many embroidery stitches, either all the same or different ones, either following a counting chart on paper, following a design painted on the fabric or even working freehand. Embroidery uses various combinations of stitches. Each embroidery stitch has a special name to help identify it. These names vary from country to country and region to region. Some of

3828-400: The towns of Lahore , Agra , Fatehpur and Ahmedabad turn out many masterpieces of workmanship in fabrics, and the figures and patterns, knots and variety of fashions which now prevail astonish even the most experienced travelers. Taste for fine material has since become general, and the drapery of embroidered fabrics used at feasts surpasses every description. Conversely, embroidery is also

3894-540: The weave of the fabric. The fabrics and yarns used in traditional embroidery vary from place to place. Wool , linen , and silk have been in use for thousands of years for both fabric and yarn . Today, embroidery thread is manufactured in cotton , rayon , and novelty yarns as well as in traditional wool, linen, and silk. Ribbon embroidery uses narrow ribbon in silk or silk/ organza blend ribbon, most commonly to create floral motifs. Surface embroidery techniques such as chain stitch and couching or laid-work are

3960-404: Was 17,236, which constituted 52.4% of the population with male literacy of 60.4% and female literacy of 43.4%. The effective literacy rate of 7+ population of Fatehpur Sikri was 62.1%, of which male literacy rate was 71.6% and female literacy rate was 51.4%. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes population was 4,110 and 1 respectively. Fatehpur Sikri had 4936 households in 2011. According to

4026-749: Was a skill marking a girl's path into womanhood as well as conveying rank and social standing. Embroidery was an important art and signified social status in the Medieval Islamic world as well. The 17th-century Turkish traveler Evliya Çelebi called it the "craft of the two hands". In cities such as Damascus , Cairo and Istanbul , embroidery was visible on handkerchiefs , uniforms, flags, calligraphy , shoes, robes , tunics, horse trappings, slippers, sheaths, pouches, covers, and even on leather belts . Craftsmen embroidered items with gold and silver thread. Embroidery cottage industries, some employing over 800 people, grew to supply these items. In

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4092-562: Was born in the village of Sikri in 1569. Akbar began the construction of a religious compound in honour of the Chisti saint Sheikh Salim , who had predicted the birth of Jahangir. After Jahangir's second birthday, he began the construction of a walled city and imperial palace probably to test his son's stamina. By constructing his capital at the khanqah of Sheikh Salim, Akbar associated himself with this popular Sufi order and brought legitimacy to his reign through this affiliation. The city

4158-511: Was founded in 1571 and was named after the village of Sikri which occupied the spot before. The Buland Darwaza was built in honour of his successful campaign in Gujarat , when the city came to be known as Fatehpur Sikri - "The City of Victory". It was abandoned by Akbar in 1585 when he went to fight a campaign in Punjab. It was later completely abandoned by 1610. The reason for its abandonment

4224-429: Was settled by Sungas following their expansion. It was controlled by Sakarwar Rajputs from the 7th to 16th century CE until the Battle of Khanwa (1527). The khanqah of Sheikh Salim Chishti existed earlier at this place. Akbar's son, Jahangir , was born in the village of Sikri to his favourite wife Mariam-uz-Zamani in 1569, and, in that year, Akbar began construction of a religious compound to commemorate

4290-403: Was used by Mughal armies. Annette Beveridge in her translation of Baburnama noted that Babur points "Sikri" to read "Shukri". Per his memoirs, Babur constructed a garden here called the "Garden of Victory" after defeating Rana Sangha at its outskirts. Gulbadan Begum 's Humayun-Nama describes that in the garden he built an octagonal pavilion which he used for relaxation and writing. In

4356-504: Was used to embellish textiles used in church rituals. In 16th century England, some books, usually bibles or other religious texts, had embroidered bindings. The Bodleian Library in Oxford contains one presented to Queen Elizabeth I in 1583. It also owns a copy of The Epistles of Saint Paul, whose cover was reputedly embroidered by the Queen. In 18th-century England and its colonies, with

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