Phulkari means “flower work”. Traditionally stitched by women for weddings and family milestones, it uses untwisted silk floss on hand-woven cotton, worked in a darning stitch from the reverse of the cloth. The result is a surface that shimmers as the light moves across it.
From motif to garden
Some pieces scatter motifs across the cloth; in the Bagh, or “garden”, the embroidery covers the fabric so densely that the ground almost disappears. Each piece carried the hand, patience and imagination of its maker, and was often passed from mother to daughter.
A Phulkari was never just a textile. It was a family’s memory, stitched.
At Saaj
In Saaj Funkaar, the world of craft and design, guests will sit beside Phulkari makers in ateliers, see the stitch take shape, and meet designers carrying it into contemporary fashion and interiors. Artisans and craft collectives can apply to exhibit at the Saaj Bazaar.
— Saaj Editorial
