Les Ateliers du ROM

Threading South Asia: Introduction to South Asian Embroidery

Threading South Asia is a new workshop series at ROM exploring South Asian embroidery techniques and traditions, and is inspired by the South Asian textile collections. Led by skilled artists and cultural practitioners, each workshop invites participants to learn foundational stitches, understand materials, and create a small piece of their own. Through this series, participants not only learn the technical aspects of embroidery, but also gain insight into the social, historical, and cultural contexts that shape the work. No prior experience is necessary. 

This introductory workshop explores South Asian embroidery through hands-on learning and discussion. Participants will learn kantha, a stitch tradition developed through the reuse of cloth and practiced in Bengal and Bangladesh, where simple running stitches form detailed patterns and imagery. The workshop will also introduce chikankari, an embroidery technique associated with the Mughal court and popularized in northern India by the Mughal empress Noor Jahan. Participants will examine the historical and technical contexts of these and related embroidery traditions, and will gain new skills to better appreciate the labour, both historical and current, behind South Asian embroidery.