HAZARAPHULKARI

Our Craft

How Phulkari Is Made

A Phulkari shawl is the result of many hours of concentrated handwork carried out in stages. Nothing about the process is automated, and none of it can be rushed.

This page follows a piece from the first choice of cloth to the finished shawl.

Detail of embroidered leaf and diamond motifs worked in orange, magenta and green thread
  1. Texture detail of ivory embroidery thread worked across the weave of a natural fabric

    Step 01

    Choosing the ground fabric

    Everything begins with the cloth. Because Phulkari is counted-thread work, the weave itself becomes the grid the embroiderer works to, so an even, well-woven ground is essential.

    The colour of the fabric is chosen with the finished design in mind. On an open Phulkari it will remain visible; on a dense Bagh it will almost entirely disappear.

  2. Detail of Resham silk thread embroidery showing the sheen of the stitched surface

    Step 02

    Selecting thread and colour

    Floss silk thread is selected for both colour and sheen. Shades are considered together rather than individually, since the way two colours meet across a motif changes how both are read.

    Some pieces use a wide contrasting palette; others stay within one family so that the pattern emerges only through stitch direction.

  3. Counted-thread Jasti Phulkari detail showing precisely aligned red, green and navy motifs

    Step 03

    Counting and stitching

    The embroiderer counts threads in the weave and places each stitch accordingly, often working from the reverse of the fabric so the pattern forms on the front face.

    There is no outline to follow. The design is held in memory and repeated, which is why this stage takes the longest and demands the most concentration.

  4. Full view of a densely embroidered Bagh Phulkari shawl with diagonal geometric motifs on a black ground fabric

    Step 04

    Building the field

    Motifs are extended across the shawl in sessions over days and weeks. Tension must stay even throughout; a change in rhythm shows immediately in the surface.

    Borders are worked to frame the field, and the density of the work is adjusted so the whole piece reads as one composition.

  5. Detail of an orange Phulkari border showing diamond motifs and dense herringbone stitching

    Step 05

    Finishing and inspection

    Once the embroidery is complete the piece is checked, edges are finished, and any loose threads are secured.

    The shawl is then photographed in natural light so what you see is as close as possible to the piece in hand.

Time

Weeks of handwork in a single shawl

Accurate counted embroidery cannot be sustained indefinitely, so work happens in sessions. A densely embroidered piece may progress over months rather than days. That time is the reason the tradition is worth protecting.

Want a piece made for you?

Custom work follows exactly the same process. Tell us the colours, motifs and fabric you have in mind and we will discuss what is possible.

Custom PhulkariEnquire Now