CLASSIFICATION OF PHULKARI / BAGH:

TYPES OF PHULKARI:

1.      Sainchi phulkari 

2.      Darshan dwar

3.      Sheeshedar

4.      Suber phulkari

5.      Tilpatra phulkari

6.      Stranga phulkari

7.      Nila phulkari

8.      Chamba

TYPES OF BAGH:

1.      Bawan bagh

2.      Vari da bagh

3.      Surajmukhi

4.      Chand bagh

5.      Sheesha bagh

6.      Ghunghat bagh

7.      Chope  

THE BLOCK PRINTING :

Introduction of block printing was to aid women in embroidering. Serving the purpose of guidelines, the block does not allow the women to think or use her imagination to create something new. It has helped both the women and the shopkeeper in maintaining the size, the design and has tremendously reduced the amount of time spent in finishing a single Phulkari.

Once the cloth is bought, the shopkeeper decides the design and sends it across for block printing. Different motif blocks, with various sizes are used for printing. For bed covers, big blocks are generally used in the centre and corners along with one on each pillow cover.

At times one motif is derived by stamping the block 3-4 times in different directions. Also while block printing the person has to keep in mind the continuity of the design. This is maintained by making sure that after one block the following block is matched with the previous, which sometime also leads to the formation of a new motif.

The colour used for block printing is temporary dye. The colour is in the form of granules which is boiled in water for couple of hours and then when it cools down it is poured over a wooden block (wrapped up in cloth) which is used as a stamping pad. This dye gets easily cleaned after a single wash. Thus the blocks are just the guidelines for embroider. 

                                  
                                  

Technique of Phulkari embroidery

Phulkari originally used to be done on handspun cotton or khaddar with silk threads that were hand-dyed with vegetables. However, modern Phulkari technique is used on cotton, chiffon, georgette and silk as well. Malwa, the south eastern region of Punjab, and Haryana are the main hubs of Phulkari embroidery.

Bathinda, Patiala, Rajpura, Zirkpur, Bahadurgarh and Tripuri are some of the others where the technique is practiced.While Phulkaris are increasingly getting in demand, the wages of artists, per piece, ranges from mere Rs.500 to 3000, depending on the complexity of the embroidery and the artist's experience.

Phulkari derives its richness from the use of darn stitch in different directions (horizontal, vertical, and diagonal). Unlike others, embroidery on Phulkari was done from the wrong side of the khaddar with a floss silk thread called pat. 

                                                                                               KHADAR

                                                                                                PAT

Darning stitch was the most commonly used technique to make Phulkari and the quality of a piece could be measured according to size of the stitch. The smaller the stitch, the finest was the piece.

Only a single strand was used at a time, where each part was worked in one colour. What was more interesting was that the shading and variation were not done by using various colours instead; one colour thread was used in a horizontal, vertical or diagonal stitch which resulted in giving an illusion of more than one shade when light fell on it or when viewed from different angles.

Earlier the patterns to be embroidered were not drawn on the fabric beforehand; the embroiderer with utter care would count each thread of the khaddar to build her designs. This was because even a shift of one thread in the counting would have a visible impact on the final result.

As it was easier to count the threads of a light coloured khaddar than of a dark one, it happened that sometimes the fabric was dyed only after the embroidery work was achieved.

In order to create an unusual design or to border the khaddar, some other stitches like the herringbone stitch, running stitch, Holbein stitch or button hole stitch were occasionally used. Nowadays even French knot work, Stem stitch, Mirror work and as many as 12+ other embroideries are passed off as Phulkari. 

WIFW 2013-2014 MANISH MALHOTRA TREND AUTUMN COLORS AND PHULKARI EMBROIDERY 

The designer had emphasised that the collection was being built on a base of phulkari embroidery.

His colour-blocked churidars paired with rhomboid patterned scarves were significantly less embellished than his usual offerings, and you can't deny the sex appeal of a black net sari worn over a deep wine ghagra.

In the end, despite the rich handicrafts, it was a struggle to view the collection outside of the purview of which star we would soon spot these designs on. Malhotra explains his choice, saying "The idea is to focus on craftsmanship and showcase it at various fashion weeks by roping in celebrities, thus making it more popular."

THEME COLOUR : Manish malhotra has spun together the waves of phulkari into his signature style says the author in autumn colors like rich mustard yellow , navy blue , deep rust , earthy olive and intense red.

THEME FABRIC : The primary fabrics used are georgette ,net and raw silk and a lot of texture work.

THEME STYLING : The collection features saris , anarkalis , and angarakhas . For men there are bandhgalas and structured clothes . It reflects modern India , its rich heritage and its depth of emotions.

Rference :   http://harileinsabarwal.com/