The Art of Appliqué
In the villages of rural Rajasthan, hundreds of women artisans create exceptional pieces of clothing every day. Even in a modern world of mass production, these expert artisans work by hand, crafting clothes to let us glimpse the traditional arts of bygone years. Through Sadhna, these women who otherwise would not be able to earn money can work from home, sharing their talents in fabric and stitch work with the world. Their talented hands create stunning pieces of clothing using ancient needlework techniques, bringing back the crafts of a pre-industrial world.
Although French in name, the needlework technique of appliqué is thousands of years old, being discovered first in ancient Egypt. From northern Africa, the craft of appliqué migrated across the ancient world, eventually coming to western India from Arabia 2,000 years ago. Since then, in Rajasthan, the craft has been used to create intricate designs for canopies, quilts, clothes, and even umbrellas!
While largely lost to industrialization, the appliqué technique has been adopted by hundreds of Sadhna's Rajasthani women artisans to create handcrafted and unique pieces of wearable art. Appliqué involves intricate cutwork and embroidery to apply fabrics, embroideries, and beads to one another and create vibrant pieces of clothing. Sadhna's women artisans use this technique to create beautiful designs by hand for everything from traditional clothing to home décor.
The process begins with foundation fabric: plain kurtas and sheets of ethically sourced fabric produced by other Sadhna women. The foundation fabric is supplied to our appliqué artisans, who intricately cut and apply additional layers of fabric, embroidery, and beads to form captivating designs and patterns. Each appliqué is hand-cut and hand-sewn by artisans, meaning each Sadhna piece is unique and the product of many talented artisans.
While the appliqué process can be done by a machine, all our artisans do appliqué by hand. Even for Sadhna’s talented artisans, to appliqué by hand requires great patience, dexterous hands, and a keen eye for detail; individual pieces can take hours to complete. The pieces show the profound connection that the artisans who created them have to their work—a quality that shines in Sadhna’s clothing and products.
Moreover, Sadhna’s artisans go on to marry the appliqué process with other ancient techniques like Tanka and patchwork. The result is clothes that are one of a kind. Living pieces of art and artisanal innovation that showcase the craftsmanship of the ancient world. Sadhna is one of the few producers who use all three of these techniques—and Sadhna’s artisans do them all by hand.
Above: Cutwork, a style of applique, uses two pieces of fabric sewn on top of eachother. By cutting holes in one, the bottom fabric is exposed, allowing artisans to use vibrant colors and create unique patterns.
All of Sadhna’s clothing is hand-made by hundreds of women artisans, with materials sustainably sourced from our earth. The artisan's work connects us to our human roots in artisanship and handcraft, and the profits are given back to the women artisans, ensuring this traditional craft that ties us to our roots continues. By supporting Sadhna, you empower hundreds of women artisans to keep sharing their talent with the world.