Hand Embroidery curtain

Then a chalk powder mixed with crushed Arabic resin and methylated spirit is applied to the tracing - the powder filters through the fine holes and the design appears on the fabric. This delicate process must ensure that at no time the tracing moves as otherwise the design will be hazy and unclear.

4. Now the embroidery can begin
The embroidery frame is in wood and can weigh upto 120 kgs for a 6 meter frame. Two mortises make up the longest part of the frame; two other wooden pieces which go through the frame enable the adjustment of the width of the frame, which are blocked to the desired width with the help of nails. This whole is then placed on threstles at 40 cm from the ground and the craftsmen sit around the frame. 

5. The embroidery
The embroidery develops from the centre to the outside, by opening the fabric rolled around the frames and by stretching the fabric each time on the frame with the help of steam that is passed from underneath so as to maintain the fabric perfectly stretched. 
If the fabric is large, the unrolling and the setting up of the frame can take one day and requires a team of 6 to 8 workers, a little bit like setting up the sails on a boat.

Technical phases in manufacturing (manufacturing process)

1. The drawing (kalam in Tamil)
Every embroidery begins with a drawing; the drawing itself is first done on scale in pencil on a tracing paper. If the curtain to be embroidered measures 4,50m in height and 1,80m in width, the drawing should be precisely the same size. This process can sometimes require 2 to 3 weeks of work. When the colours go up to 50 at times, the drawing is accompanied by a painting on scale to enable the embroiderer to know where to place his colours

2. The pricking
Once the drawing is complete, the embroiderers prick the same with a fine needle so as to perforate it entirely following the outlines of the drawing. This delicate operation can necessitate 2 to 3 days of work for a dozen embroiderers.

3. Fixing the design
Once pricked, the tracing is held by the embroiderers who place it either on a fabric extended on a frame or on a table when the fabric is too supple or risks being deformed.

Technical phases in manufacturing (manufacturing process)
1. The drawing (kalam in Tamil)