Over more than two thousand years, the craft of embroidery in India has evolved into a diverse art form. Distinct regional styles have developed that encompass everything from folk art to haute couture.

Techniques vary, but some processes are common in embroidery done by hand. The fabric to be embroidered is stretched on a large wooden frame to keep it taut. Setting up a frame for a large piece requires the skills of half a dozen people working for an entire day. Transferring a pattern onto the fabric can take hundreds of hours to complete, and the embroidery itself will take hundreds more.

By contrast, embroidery done by machine can be finished in a few hours, and each piece produced is identical. With hand-embroidered items, variations in the artisan's work ensure no two pieces are exactly alike.

The efficiency of machine embroidery led to a decline in handmade work in the 19th and early 20th centuries, Since then, renewed interest in handicrafts has revived many traditional hand-worked styles.

Crewel
Crewel embroidery is thought to date back at least a thousand years. It is worked in wool yarn on linen or cotton. Conventional patterns are often comprised of colorful twisting vines and flowers. The basis of crewel is the chain stitch, while other simple stitches are used to fill in shapes. Crewel may decorate shawls or home d cor items.

Zardozi
References to zardozi embroidery appear in Hindu epics from the first century B.C. However, this type of embroidery had its heyday in the 16th century when
India was part of the Mughal Empire. In fact, contemporary zardozi work owes much to the styles
of the Mughal era.

Zardozi is worked in metallic thread on a variety of fabrics, including silk, velvet, chiffon and tulle. Patterns are often floral motifs and are worked in combinations
of typical embroidery stitches, like French knots, satin
or stem stitches. Zardozi commonly incorporates beads, sequins and tiny spring-like metal coils.

The thread used in zardozi work is called zari, which traditionally was made from gold-plated silver flattened into a thin strip, or from precious metals stretched to a hair's width and wound around thread. Due to the cost and weight of zari, imitations have become more widely used.

Demand for zardozi declined in the early 18th century with the end of the Mughals' reign, but interest in the craft was renewed in the second half of the 20th century. Now Zardozi is the favorite decoration for eveningwear and bridal apparel. It is also used to embellish purses and shoes, and increasingly, home d cor items.