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This folk art piece was produced in the Sindh Desert in Pakistan. There, the folk art of garment design has developed in a special way. A tunic is worn over shalwar, loose-legged trousers. The tunic is created by assembling intricately embroidered panels and borders.
These tunics are constructed in a special manner. Panels for the front and back are embroidered and inlaid with small mirrors, one for the front, one for the back, one for each sleeve and two separate bands or borders to finish the bottom hem of the front and back panels respectively. When the pieces of the tunic are assembled, a finishing stitch is worked around the neckline and along the slits at the side of the tunic to create "sit-down" room.
The types of embroidery stitches may run the gamut from the bead-like "French knots" to simple cross-stitch. A button-hole stitch secures small round mirrors into the surface of the cloth, a unique feature of the handmade textiles of this region. Satin stitches create floral or geometric elements of the design, while a blanket stitch may finish off the edges at the neck, sleeve bands and hem of the tunic. Plain insets can be added to increase roominess in the garment. In this way the tunic is made flexible without any polyester double-knit.
The examples of embroideries mentioned in this article illustrate how both cosmopolitan and provincial people use the art of embroidery to embellish their own particular garment style.
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