JOIN USMy earliest memory of doing cross-stitch is when I was about 12 years old. A birthday gift-set of fabric with designs to embroider had me spend my winter holiday learning this. Cross-stitch is not part of the popular repertoire of traditional Indian embroidery. But, just like it’s more natural for me to speak the English language than write or converse in Hindi, cross-stitch is also ‘native’ to my fingers.
The process of embroidering a picture using squares fascinates me. It breaks down the figure, not unlike the pixels of a digital image, and you’re never quite sure how it’s going to look until you’ve finished. Counting the threads as you go along is also a great exercise in concentration. Fabrics used for doing cross-stitch are called even-weave, or matte, woven to ensure the same number of threads per inch, vertically and horizontally.
The cross-stitch method uses the little squares, demarcated by dots formed between the warp and the weft threads, for easy insertion of the needle. There are many variations of cross-stitch, including a half cross-stitch called ‘tent’ stitch. And I’ve devised my own version, of a ‘crazy cross-stitch’, that does not count the warp and the weft threads, but layers of cross-stitches are used for blending colours to create subtle, shaded effects.
For years I had worked with variations of this stitch without questioning. But as my curiosity grew, I asked around, wanting to know how it had come to India. Many people assumed it was the influence of Christian missionaries.
Having attended an Irish Catholic convent school, I know how the culture they brought with them has percolated into our lives. But, could there be some other link? Research revealed cross-stitch in garments from Hissar, Bihar, Sindh and Baluchistan — folk and tribal dresses from late 19th or early-20th century.
Adopted stitch
Kasuti, which is done in Karnataka, also uses the spaces between warp and weft threads, counting them, to create geometric patterns, but it’s not clear how this technique came to the subcontinent, or why it remains on the periphery of the embroidery practices for which India is renowned.
While convents may have imparted this skill to most urban embroiderers, cross-stitch is not confined to the cities. It’s a recent addition to the kantha repertoire. They call it tin phor, for the 3 steps that complete 1 set of crosses.
The Bagh and the Phulkari embroiderers of the Swat Valley have also used this stitch alongside the darning stitch. And, in Daman and Diu, the clothes of the Portuguese and Christian women, which are renowned for their embroidery, use cross-stitch among other embroidery stitches.
Recently, at the Dastkar Basant Bazaar in New Delhi, I found beautiful cross-stitch Jat embroideries, adding greater complexity to its origins. This is done by Garasia Jat women, who stitch geometric patterns in counted work, based on cross-stitch, studded with minute mirrors, to fill yokes of their long gowns called churi. They are Islamic pastoralists who originated outside of Kutch, but their embroidered dresses are unique to Kutch and Sindh.
At the Kala Raksha stall, ‘tent’ stitch or half-cross stitch and other variations of the stitch were embroidered on tunics, cushion covers, purses and other items.
Historically, the earliest example of a cross-stitch-embroidered piece was discovered in a Coptic tomb. Preserved by the dry desert climate, a design of upright crosses on linen from 500 AD was unearthed in Upper Egypt. Few pieces of decorated fabric from ancient civilisations have survived because, unlike metal and ceramic objects excavated from archaeological sites, natural fibres do not survive the rigour of time nearly as well.
Not only is it difficult to ascertain exact details, there is not enough accurate information to trace the specific origin of cross-stitch embroidery. Courtesy the great Silk Route, this embroidery has found a cross-cultural identity like few others, and cross-stitch is done in different countries across the world.
In Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, very fine and detailed cross-stitch is done on sai goshas, which are V-shaped strips used to identify and decorate bedding rolls when not in use. The embroidery is also done by ethnic groups in Vietnam and Thailand.
The technique and designs of cross-stitch also spread throughout Europe. Historical evidence suggests it first originated in China, where the stitch was widely used during the Tang Dynasty (between 618 AD and 906 AD). The designs may have spread from China via the Silk Route to Greece and Rome, the eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East; and through the Crusaders, onto Europe.
Paradoxically, it has also been suggested that this embroidery practice may have travelled in the opposite direction, citing the first important migration of foreigners into China that occurred during the Tang Dynasty. Persians, Arabs and travellers from Greece and India also travelled via the Silk Route to China. The caravans carried articles for sale as well as itinerant craftsmen who practised their skills wherever they settled. Their influence on the designs of Chinese textiles is evinced in patterns that bear similarity to Persian fabrics.
Status message
The spread of cross-stitch designs to so many locations makes it difficult to pinpoint its exact origin. But, one of the more important and widespread functions of cross-stitch has been to embellish peasant garments and household linens. In Palestine, once a traditional craft practised by village women, it was an important symbol of Palestinian culture, often as a way of indicating family wealth and status in the community.
The Samplers that were popular in Europe were generally stitched by young girls learning how to sew, recording alphabet and other patterns to be later used in their household sewing. The earliest surviving, dated Sampler was stitched in 1598 by an English girl, Jane Bostocke, almost 400 years ago. The unfolding of this ancient and fascinating lineage, linking a contemporary art practice to ancient civilisations, not only cites globalisation as an age-old concept, but reveals how a humble stitch can transcend the boundaries of religion and nations to forge a universal language.