THEI-14 Kasuti / Kasuthi / Dharwadi kashidaakari ( Karnataka )

The history of Kasuti dates back to the Chalukya period.The name Kasuti is derived from the words Kai (meaning hand) and Suti/suttu (meaning wrap/weave), indicating an activity that is done using cotton and hands.The women courtiers in the Mysore Kingdom in the 17th century were expected to be adept in 64 arts, with Kasuti being one of them.The Kasuti embroidery features folk designs influenced by rangoli patterns of Karnataka. In Karnataka Sarees embroidered with Kasuti were expected to be a part of the bridal trousseau of which one saree made of black silk with Kasuti embroidery called Chandrakali saree was of premier importance.
STITCHES:

Stitches used are the simplest and so minute that the effect of the work is intricate and pretty. Four types of stitches are used in Kasuti, namely Gavanti, Murgi, Negi, and Menthi. Some have mixed stitches while others are worked in one stitch only. Kasuti is done by counting the number of threads.

No canvas is used however fine the cloth may be. Stitches in Kasuti have to be vertical, horizontal or diagonal and the lines or motifs have to be completed on the return journey, filling in the blank portions. In such cases the wrong and right side are alike of the embroidery.

The four stitches go as follows:

Gavanti: It is a line and back stitch it double running stitch. This name is derived from Gaonti meaning a knot in Kannada language. The patterns are mostly geometrical since these are worked in vertical, horizontal and diagonal directions. It is the most common stitch and the designs appear to be identical on both the sides of the fabric. The lines or motifs are to be completed on the return journey by filling the blank portions in the running stitch.
Murgi: It appears like the steps of a ladder as the stitches are zigzag running stitches. It is similar to Gavanti since both are neat with the design on the wrong and right sides looking alike. The stitches are regular and uniform in length and so the distance between the stitches remain the same.
Negi: it is ordinary running or darning stitch. It has the overall effect of a woven design. In fact Negi is an off shoot of the word Ney which means weaving in Kannada language. This stitch is used for larger designs by varying the stitch according to the surface to be covered with the thread. The design created resembles woven patterns and hence the wrong and right sides are not identical.
Menthi: It is the ordinary cross stitch. The name seems to have been derived from the work fenugreek seed in Kannada language. Menthi had generally a heavy appearance and a large amount of thread was required. Hence this stitch was not much used. Now-a-days, many of the Kasuti workers are taking to the use of cross stitch which is not closely worked as it used to be done earlier. It is commonly used to cover up the background areas of the designs.
THREADS:
In the olden times, the thread used for Kasuti was drawn from the cloth itself. Now, they get silk threads from Mysore to do the embroidery. The reasons for using silk threads is to make sure the surface looks flat.

Today mercerized cotton thread such as Kohinoor and Anchor thread or pure silk thread of strong nature and fast colour are suitable for Kasuti embroidery. A single strand is commonly used. A knot is never put at the end of the thread before beginning of the work or at the end of the work.

COLOURS:

The colours mostly used for Kasuti are orange, green, purple and red. The colour combination in these four colours is red, orange and purple or red, green and orange. White is predominant on a black and dark background. Blue and yellow are rarely used as a combination because if the contrasting harmony. Bright pink, pale green and lemon yellow are hardly used. The important feature of Kasuti embroidery reveals a true artistic sense when it is multi-coloured with a harmonious blending. The needles used to do Kasuti should be made of steel.

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