Soof
EmbroiderySoofis a pamstaking hand embroidery of mysterious origin.
Soof artisans work from thereverse of the cloth.Countingwarp andweftthreads,theytake
stitches between to create precise angular pattems.Motifs are never
drawn. Each artisan imagines her whole design first in her mind, and
works it out geometrically-in reverse. Master craftworkthus depends
on both keen eyesight and a sophisticated understanding of mathematics
and geometry.
Traditional Soof patterns 'all begin with a triangle. Called a "Soof",
this'is the sourceof all designs as well as the embroidery's name. Soof
motifs include rhythmic patterns that
represent familier features of the artisans' lives, endless variations
of peacocks, and mandalas to focus psychic energies.
Sodha women make a traditional pieces of Soof embroidery like toran,
blouse pieces,ghaghro, and wall pieces. The embroiderer uses mostly
filling stitches such as satin stich.
Soof embroidery is made by filling in areas defined by counting along
warp and weft; in Nain Bharat, the design is first put on the cloth
with a single stitch and filled in with satin stitch; and in Pako Bharat,
the filling stitches follow pencil marking first drawn into the cloth.
Women are best at these types of embroidery in their younger years after
which their eyesight weakens due to the eyestrain.
Soof Embroidery is made by Sodha women. It is reported that the Sodha
people who migrated from Tarkapat, just over the Pakistan border in
Sind, as refugees during the
conflicts of 1971 are settled down in Kachchh at a village named Zura.
The Sodha people's settlement nearby Zura is called the Sodha Camp.
Their women make Suf, Nain
and Pako embroidery and applique.
Soof embroidery is done by Sodha Rajput and Harijan women who migrated
from Pakistan during the 1971 Indo Pak war. It is also called "Sodha
Bharat". Embroidery is done by using satin thread by inserting
the needle from behind the cloth and designs come front side.
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