Charms of smocking

When a loved one returned from a trip to Mhow recently, she gifted me two of the famous garments from the region, a smocking work night gown and a shadow work dress material.

They are so intricate, neat, colourful and beautiful that one can’t just stop admiring them .
Mhow, which is the acronym of Military Headquarters of War, is a small town situated 23 km away from Indore in Madhya Pradesh. It is believed that smocking was popular in England in the 18th and 19th centuries, where it was used in the necklines, yokes, bodices and cuffs of garments way before elastic was introduced. The art of smocking is said to be brought to Mhow by French nuns who started it as a tribal welfare activity before Independence and tribal girls were trained to do this work in St Mary’s Convent.

Smocking is a type of embroidery done using a crewel embroidery needle to form pleats or gathers on the fabric. Light weight and thin fabrics like cotton or linen are generally used for this purpose. Different coloured embroidery threads are used to create beautiful patterns which are then attached to night gowns, dress materials and frocks.

Today, smocking is a source of livelihood for women in the region. Vishnu Chouhan, who runs a shop specialising in smocking work garments, states that his shop, which was started in 1975, was the first shop to sell smocking work clothes in Mhow. He has around 1,000 women working for him. The goods are sold at a very reasonable price and even though the margin is not very high, he has kept the legacy of his father alive by selling these beautiful smocking work night gowns, frocks and dress materials.

Shadow work is another exquisite form of embroidery, which is done on dress materials and sarees. Thin and sheer fabrics like linen, voil or kota doriya are used for this. Mostly fabrics of pastel shades like lemon yellow, pink, violet, white, green etc are used so that the embroidery stands out.

Shadow work is done on the reverse or wrong side of the fabric in herringbone stitch and just the colour or shadow of the embroidery on the reverse side shows through on the front between two solid coloured outlines. Glitter or sequins are often used to enhance the look. A thin needle is used so that no holes are formed on the fabric. So, if you ever happen to visit Mhow, make sure to pick up a few of these beautiful and exquisite pieces.