Kantha Sarees

Kantha Work Sarees

The word Kantha in Bengali means ‘quilt’, these quilts used to be made from recycled sarees and dhotis by women in rural Bengal by layering 3-4 pieces of old sarees or dhotis using coloured threads from the border of the sarees to stitch the layers together by embroidering patterns on them. The running stitch was typically used in embroidery thus giving it the name Kantha stitch. 

It is one of the oldest forms of embroidery in India and a craft that is still practised to date. The saree had humble beginnings in the rural parts of Bengal where women used to stitch beautiful quilts together to create amazing Kantha work sarees and more. Even though the Kantha embroidery originated rurally it was not limited as it was done by all kinds of women in their homes.

The art of Kantha's work saree took a long time to be embroidered. Women used to stitch these beauties along with attending to their daily chores. It became a great way to pass the time and recycle old clothes and create something beautiful. The Kantha embroidery became a legacy of beauty passed down from generation to generation.

As time passed, the art of Kantha developed various styles and the beauty of the stitch was boundless. The prominent style that developed in the Kantha stitch was called “Nakshi Kantha”. Nakshi is a Bengali word that means artistic patterns. The style could be recognized by the influence of religion, culture, the lives of women and much more. 

A Kantha sarees will tell beautiful folk tales and had scenes of mythology. The print on the Kantha saree looks extremely graceful. The needlework is done by originally darning stitch along with satin and loop stitches. There are two modes of working. In the first style, the embroidery begins from the centre and ends by outlining the motif or vice versa. 

The embroidery gives rich textural effects by adding traditional colours like black, deep blue and red, which symbolize nature, earth, sky and space respectively. There are many types of Kantha styles on Kantha sarees:

• Lep Kantha

• Sujani Kantha

• Baiton Kantha

• Oaar Kantha

• Archilata Kantha

• Thalia Kantha 

• Rumal Kantha               

The Kantha embroidery has a simple running stitch done on sarees. The value of the Kantha work saree is based on expensive fabric and intricate patterns used in Kantha embroidery. The Kantha sarees have become very popular over the years along with other articles embellished with this design. As a result, the sarees have gone from stitching to printing the beautiful Kantha designs on sarees, and so today Kantha work saree online has become extremely popular and widely loved.

These sarees look great with traditional jewellery or even silver plates jewellery. One can find the perfect traditional silver-plated jewellery from Karagiri. Jewellery will eventually elevate the look.