Embroidery
Thread worked onto a finished ground rather than woven into it. Because the work sits on top, an embroidered trim is heavier than the tape underneath it and will pull a fine fabric out of line if sewn under tension.
See the rangeThe words for it
Most people describe a trim because they do not have its name. Here are the names, in the language the trade actually uses.
Written by Jugal Kachiwala, who runs the retail arm
Last updated
How it is made
The technique decides the weight, the drape and most of the price.
Jacquard
A pattern woven into the cloth on a loom that controls each warp thread individually, not printed or stitched on afterwards. The reverse is a mirror of the face, and the pattern cannot rub off.
See the rangeCrochet
also Looped lace
Open work built from interlocking loops rather than a woven ground, so light passes through it. It eases around a curve but does not spring back, so cut a little long.
See the rangeZari
also Zardozi thread
Metallic thread, historically flattened silver or gold wound on a silk core, now most often a metallised polyester. It is what gives Indian borders their weight and their shine.
See the rangeSequin work
also Sitara
Discs stitched to a ground, flat or cupped. Flat discs lie quiet and catch light only as the wearer moves, cupped ones throw light constantly, and that choice changes a garment more than the colour does.
See the rangeMirror work
also Abhla, shisha
Small mirrors held to the cloth by a stitched frame, a Gujarati and Rajasthani tradition. The mirrors are rigid, so the trim will not press flat and will not take a tight curve.
See the rangeGota
Flat metallic ribbon applied as appliqué, folded and stitched into borders and floral shapes. Rajasthani in origin and near weightless for the amount of surface it covers.
Bullion
also Purl, French wire
Fine metal wire coiled into a hollow spring, cut into short lengths and stitched on like a bead. It is what makes raised, dimensional goldwork rather than flat shine.
Dori
A corded outline couched onto the ground, used to draw the edge of a motif. It is the line that makes dense embroidery read as a shape rather than a mass.
Cross stitch
A counted stitch worked in Xs on a regular grid, giving the blocky, pixel-like figures found on folk-pattern ribbons. Woven cross-stitch ribbon imitates the look on a loom.
What it is made on
The ground is the fabric under the work. It decides how the trim washes.
- Metallic zari ground
- A base woven from metallised yarn, so the shine runs through the trim rather than sitting on it. Holds colour well but should be pressed from the reverse under a cloth. See the range
- Cotton
- Breathable, washable and easy to dye, which is why it is specified for childrenswear and anything worn against skin. It shrinks slightly on the first wash where synthetics do not. See the range
- Denim
- A cotton twill that fades rather than failing, so it suits bags, jackets and anything that gets handled. Expect some indigo transfer on the first wash. See the range
- Jute
- A coarse natural bast fibre with visible texture, used where something should read as made rather than manufactured. It sheds at a cut edge and does not like damp. See the range
- Polyester
- Holds colour and shape, resists creasing, and costs less than the natural fibres. It also melts under a hot iron, so press low.
- Netalso Tulle
- An open mesh ground that lets embroidery appear to float on the garment beneath. Very light, and very easy to distort while sewing.
- Velvet
- A cut pile with direction, so two pieces cut the opposite way up will read as two different colours. Cut every length the same way round.
Words on the docket
The vocabulary of ordering. These are the words that go wrong on a phone call.
Article number
also Art. no., design number
The code that identifies one design across every colour it is made in. It is what you write on the pattern, and what you quote to buy the same thing again.
Put-up
The length a trim is wound on, whether that is a spool, a card or a cut piece. Two shops quoting the same price per piece are not quoting the same thing unless the put-up matches.
Colourway
One colour version of a design. The same article number in twelve colourways is one design, not twelve.
Repeat
The distance before a woven or embroidered pattern starts again. Buy the length plus one repeat when several pieces have to match, or each will begin at a different point in the pattern.
Motif
A single self-contained figure in the pattern, as opposed to the continuous run of the trim. Often sold separately as a patch.
Selvedge
also Selvage, finished edge
The bound edge that stops a woven trim fraying. A trim with two selvedges can be applied straight down; one cut from a wider cloth cannot.
Border
A wide trim meant to run along a hem, most often a saree hem. Width is the whole decision: too wide and the border wears the garment.
See the rangeFringe
also Jhalar
A trim finished with hanging threads, cords or beads along one edge. The header is the woven band it hangs from, and that is the part you stitch.
Latkan
A hanging tassel or ornament, tied to blouse ties, dupatta corners and potli cords. Sold as a pair or a piece rather than by length.
Gara
also Parsi gara
Dense multicoloured floral embroidery in the Parsi tradition, originally Chinese-influenced work on saree grounds. It reads well on both light and dark cloth, which is unusual.
See the rangeBanarasi
Brocade weaving from Varanasi, characterised by zari figuring and dense pattern. Used loosely in the trade for any border in that vocabulary.
See the rangeTapestry tape
A heavy woven tape in a geometric repeat, made for furnishing rather than dress. Greek key is the pattern most people are looking for.
Still describing it rather than naming it? Send a photograph and we will tell you what it is called.