Part of a Skirt (Ghaghara)

Brightly colored floral vine patterns were embroidered using fine chain stitches. Since there are continuous, unbroken lines of stitches on the back side of the cloth, they were created using a hooked awl, which is a much faster process than embroidering with a straight needle. This type of embroidery is known as ari work, which flourished in Gujarat during the 19th century.