Kasuti

Kasuti is a domestic art and a fine folk embroidery of Karnataka. It is flat embroidery done by counting of threads, eliminating any tracing and similar on both the surfaces. Because of counted thread work, the designs appear to be more geometrical and mechanically accurate.

Materials used for kasuti were mostly khanns used as blouse pieces and Ilkal sarees (9 yards in length with three fourths of a yard as Pallav and borders about six to eight inches with a different color in warp and weft).

      The uniqueness of kasuti lays in its stitches. There are four types of stitches used.They are

   * Gavanti –It is the most commonly used double running stitch also known as    line and back stitch which  works in horizontal, vertical and diagonal directions.

      * Murgi – It is the zigzag running stitch which appears like steps of a ladder.

      *   Negi – It is the ordinary stitch also known as the darning or the weaving stitch

    *  Menthi –It is the ordinary cross stitch. 

    Motifs of kasuti are Gopurs (temple entrances), pushkarinee (temple tanks), Deepmalas (towers of light), Tulsi Vrindavans (stands for sacred plants), Chariots (raths), Palanquins (palkis), the Lotus, the Conch (shankh), the Elephant with Howdah, the sacred bull ‘Nandi’. Equally popular were home objects like the Cradle, Anklet, Bells, Lamps, marriage decorations like the bridegroom’s headgear. The Serpent in a coil, different floral motifs, the usual birds- parrots, peacocks, swans and occasionally animals like the horses, even tigers, lions but never seen were cats and dogs.

Talking about colours used in kasuti it patterns in only one or two colors which is extremely rare and usual color combinations like orange, green and crimson or purple, green, orange and red in bright shades. But blue and yellow are never used together.

The products of kasuti are

•  Kunchi (bonnet and cape combined),  
• Lengha (skirt),
• Sharagu (pallav of a sari), 
• Kusuba (bodice) and
• Kulai (bonnet). 

·        Embroidered sarees were worn by young women on auspicious occasion like weddings or religious festivals.

·        Hand woven khann embroidered in kasuti patterns were auspicious gifts received by the young expectant mother from her mother or mother-in-law.

    

          Images of Kasuti embroidery 

  

Next Kantha from West Bengal.