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A form of hand embroidery that vanished in ancient times and found its way back through the Silk route. Crewel means “a curl in a single hair of wool” translated from a foregone word, lost in the fold of language over centuries. Crewel made its way to the Valley in the 13th century through the Silk route and became an integral part of the brigade of native crafts. The history of Kashmir is indebted to the efforts of Sultan Zain-ul-Abidin and Mir Syed Hamdani R.A, the revered Sufi saint from Central Asia, without whom the spiritual and art history of Kashmir is incomplete. Crewel along with many other arts and crafts spread across the valley during this period and its popularity never saw a downside.

Crewel work is almost similar to chain-stitch but the material and design mark the major difference between the two. Crewel embroidery is carried out on thick material like wool usually used for furnishing and upholstery. The designs are available in an assortment of colours ranging from single to multi-colour embroidery with floral and creeper designs. The embroidery is also done on bedspreads and table runners which come in different sizes.

The making of crewel is an elaborate process that starts with weaving base fabric and ends with the final wash and ironing. The real harbingers of this craft take the pains of weaving raw threads of cotton on the loom to make the base fabric, a step usually missed in modern-day crewel craft. The woven cloth is then sent for washing and shrunk by 4 inches finally cutting the running fabric into desired sizes as per use. In the meanwhile, the designer called “naqash” prepares designs mostly floral in nature and some scenes from the natural landscape, on tracing paper. The paper is placed on the fabric and with the help of a needle, the design is perforated on the fabric. The process of perforation is termed as “trombun”. A temporary ink prepared by mixing sand from the ancient Jhelum river bank and kerosene is used to dust the tracing paper with perforations leaving the fabric with imprints of designs. The imprinted fabric is passed on for embroidery done by multiple artisans with hands. Once the embroidery is over the cloth is washed for removing the ink imprints and the finished product is ironed by the steam roller for a clean and crisp look. The impeccable outcome narrates the tale of the hard work and time invested in a single piece.

Artisane is one such platform where the authentic work of dedicated artists speaks for itself while the craftsmen are available to explain the entire process and share knowledge and wisdom with interested visitors.