Embroidery

Computer Role in Embroidery

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Specialized Embroidery Machines have been designed to work with data from a computer. This data instructs the machine to stitch a particular design, determines the correct stitching order, indicates when to trim threads, and many other functions. In only a few minutes, the computerized embroidery machine will stitch a design with precision accuracy that no human can match for near perfect quality.

The artwork for embroidery design is entered into the computer. The computer transfers the robotics instructions necessary for stitching the design to the machine. The machine operator places the item, such as a sweatshirt or ball cap on the machine with a holder or hoop. The operator also chooses the colors of thread appropriate to the design. Once the "set up" has been performed, stitching may begin by pressing the "Start" button on the machine. It will precisely and efficiently stitch the design. A typical logo on a ball cap may take five minutes or so to stitch, roughly a dozen caps an hour.

The computer processes the artwork from your customer in a manner that the machine can understand. The computer allows you to do lettering with a design, such as adding the date to an event such as a golf tournament.

The process works like this:
1) The Computer chooses a design from the selection that you have stored on disk or your customer asks you to prepare his artwork for embroidery using the process known as "digitizing."
2) The computer program allows you to "input" the artwork so it can be seen on the color monitor.
3) Add lettering or dates, re-size the design to fit right on the garment or even edit the design for changes.
4) Once you save the design, it can be directly transferred to the machine for stitching. The computer has made intricate and complex embroidery available to the public on a scale never thought possible!

Commercial and Contract Embroidery Factories

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Factories can have a few small machines or many large machines, or any combination of machines. Contract embroidery is a term used to describe embroidery being done on goods that are supplied by the customer to the embroidery house. Contract embroidery is limited to the trade. A company offering "Contract Embroidery" is embroidering wearable items for brokers, other embroiderers, ad specialty firms and screen printers at a wholesale rate. The customer of a contract embroiderer usually supplies the items to the factory and only pays the factory for the embroidery service. Commercial Embroiderers offer their services to the public and supply the wearable items.

Embroidery Machines

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Not all machines are for embroidery only. Some are a combination of embroidery and sewing. Some of the more advanced features becoming available include a large color touchscreen, a USB interface, design editing software on the machine, embroidery adviser software, and design file storage systems. Commercial embroidery machines can be purchased as 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 15, and 18 head machines. Industrial embroidery machines are available from 12 to 56 head models.

Loading the Embroidery Design and Stabilizing the Fabric, Embroidering the Design

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Loading the Design

After editing the final design, the design file is loaded into the embroidery machine. Different machines expect different files formats. The most common home design format is PES. Common design file formats for the home and hobby market include: ART, PES, VIP, JEF, SEW, and HUS. Embroidery patterns can be transferred to the computerized embroidery machines in a variety of ways, either through cables, CDs, floppy disks, USB interfaces, or special cards that resemble flash and compact cards.

Stabilizing the Fabric

To prevent wrinkles and other problems, the fabric must be stabilized. The method of stabilizing depends to a large degree on the type of machine, the fabric type, and the design density. For example, knits and large designs typically require firm stabilization. There are many methods for stabilizing fabric, but most often one or more additional pieces of material called "stabilizers" or "interfacing" are added beneath and/or on top of the fabric. Many types of stabilizers exist, including cut-away, tear-away, vinyl, nylon, water-soluble, heat-n-gone, adhesive, open mesh, and combinations of these.

For smaller embroidered items, the item to be embroidered is hooped, and the hoop is attached to the machine. There is a mechanism on the machine (usually called an arm) that then moves the hoop under the needle.

For large commercially embroidered items, a bolt of fabric can be worked by a long row of embroidery "heads", producing a continuous pattern of embroidery. Each embroidery head is a sewing machine with multiple needles for different colors, and is usually capable of producing many special fabric effects including satin-stitch embroidery, chain-stitch embroidery, sequins, appliqué, cutwork, and other effects.

Embroidering the Design

Finally, the embroidery machine is started and monitored. For commercial machines, this process is a lot more automated than for the home embroiderer. For most designs, there is more than one color, and often additional processing for appliqués, foam, and other special effects. Since home machines only have one needle, every color change requires the user to cut the thread and change the color manually. In addition, most designs will have a few or many jumps that need to be cut. Depending on the quality and size of the design, stitching out a design file can require a few minutes or an hour or more.

Editing Embroidery Designs

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Once a design has been digitized, it can be edited or combined with other designs by software. With most embroidery software the user can rotate, scale, move, stretch, distort, split, crop, or duplicate the design in an endless pattern. Most software allows the user to add text quickly and easily. Often the colors of the design can be changed, made monochrome, or re-sorted. More sophisticated packages will allow the user to edit, add or remove individual stitches. For those without editing software, some embroidery machines have rudimentary design editing features built in.

Editing Embroidery Designs

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Digital Embroidery Design Files

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Digitized embroidery design files can be either purchased or created. Many machine embroidery designs can be downloaded from web sites and one can be sewing them out within minutes. Please note that there are many different brands of machines, and each may use a different format. When purchasing or downloading free designs, you need to make sure you get the format used by your machine. If your format is not available, you can get a conversion program to convert from one stitch file format to another stitch file format - from PES to HUS or from DST to PCS, for example. Different conversion software programs are available.

A person who creates a design is known as an "embroidery digitizer" or "puncher". The digitizer, or puncher, users digitizing software to create their embroidery design. The digitizer creates the design in the native file format for the digitizing software. These are 'Object Based' design and allow the digitizer to easily reshape and edit the design later.

The native file formats retain important information such as:
1) Object outlines
2) Thread colors
3) Original artwork used to punch the designs

As a digitizer it is critical to maintain and keep the original digitized design file. Converting the design to a stitch file such as DST, PES and DSB will lose many of the valuable information, and make editing and changing the design very difficult or impossible.

Software vendors often advertise "auto-punching" or "auto-digitizing" capabilities. However, if high quality embroidery is essential, then industry experts highly recommend either purchasing solid designs from reputable digitizers or obtaining training on solid digitization techniques

Computerized Machine Embroidery Process

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These are the basic steps for creating embroidery with a computerized embroidery machine.

1) Purchase or create a digitized embroidery design file
2) Edit the design and/or combine with other designs (optional)
3) Load the final design file into the embroidery machine
4) Stabilize the fabric and place it in the machine
5) Start and monitor the embroidery machine

Machine Embroidery

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Machine embroidery is a term that can be used to describe two different actions. The first is using a sewing machine to "manually" create (either freehand or with built-in stitches) a design on a piece of fabric or other similar item. The second is to use a specially designed embroidery or sewing-embroidery machine to automatically create a design from a pre-made pattern that is input into the machine. Most embroidery machines used by professionals and hobbyists today are driven by computers that read digitized embroidery files created by special software.

With the advent of computerized machine embroidery, the main use of manual machine embroidery is in fiber art and quilting projects. While some still use this type of embroidery to embellish garments, with the ease and decreasing cost of computerized embroidery machine, it is rapidly falling out of favor. Many quilters and fabric artists now use a free machine embroidery process often called "thread drawing" (or thread painting) to create embellishments on items, or to create examples of textile art.

History of Machine Embroidery

Before computers were affordable, most embroidery was completed by "punching" designs on paper tape that then ran through a mechanical embroidery machine. One error could ruin an entire design, forcing the creator to start over. This is how the term "punching" came to be used in relation to digitizing embroidery designs.

In 1980, Wilcom is thought by many to have introduced the first computer graphics embroidery design system running on a mini-computer. However, old timers often debate this. Melco Industries has been delivering embroidery solutions since 1972. Melco created the first embroidery sample head for use with large Schiffli looms. This sample head became the first computerized embroidery machine marketed to home sewers. The sample head was needed to avoid sewing out the sample for the Schiffli loom and taking up valuable production time. Schiffli looms spanned several feet across and produced, lace, patches and large embroidery patterns. The economic conditions of the Reagan Years, coupled with tax incentives of the day for in-home business, helped propel Melco to the top of the market. At the Show of the America's in 1980 Melco showed the Digitrac. The original digitized design was produced at 6 times the size it would eventually be sewn out.

The Digitrac consisted of a small computer, similar in size to today's Blackberry Devices, mounted on an X and Y axis on a large white board. It sold for $30,000. The original sample head with one needle sold for $10,000 with a 1" paper-tape reader, and 2 fonts. The digitizer would mark common points of the design to create elaborate fill and satin stitch combinations. Melco is the result of an international distribution network formed by Randal Melton and His partner Bill Childs. Melco patented the ability to sew circles with a satin stitch, arched lettering generated from a keyboard. An operator would "digitize" the design into the computer using similar techniques to "punching", to create a 1" paper tape, or later to a floppy disk. This design would then be run on the machine. The machine would stitch out the digitized design. Wilcom enhanced this technology in 1982 with the introduction of the first multi-user system that allowed more than one person to be working on a different part of the embroidery process, streamlining production times.

Brother International got into the embroidery business as a result of being contracted by several computerized embroidery companies to provide sewing heads. Their sewing heads were mounted and branded on several different brands of computerized embroidery machines. Adler was also a common choice. Later Tajima, from Japan, provided sewing heads that were capable of using multiple threads. Singer failed to remain competitive during this time. Melco was acquired by Saurer in 1989.

Recently Singer was acquired by Affiliates of Kohlberg & Co., L.L.C. ("Kohlberg"), a leading U.S. private equity firm specializing in middle-market investing, they also acquired VSM is a leading supplier of high-end consumer sewing machines and accessories under the Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff brands.

Saurer and Wilcom, Tajima, Brother, began to innovate. The early functionality of the computerized commercial systems were adapted and marketed to compaines such as Janome for home use.

As costs have fallen for computers, software, and embroidery machines, computerized machine embroidery has grown in popularity since the late 1990s. Many machine manufacturers sell their own lines of embroidery patterns. In addition, many individuals and independent companies also sell embroidery designs, and there are free designs available on the internet.

Tent Stitch

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Tent stitch is a small, diagonal embroidery stitch that crosses over the intersection of one horizontal and one vertical thread of needlepoint canvas forming a slanted stitch at a 45 degree angle. It is also known as Petit point and Needlepoint stitch and is one of the most basic and versatile stitches used in Needlepoint and other Canvas work embroidery.

Variants of Tent Stitch

Basketweave Tent Stitch

The basketweave form of tent stitch is worked in diagonal rows up and down the canvas. The yarn on the back of the canvas has a typical basketweave appearance, with alternating horizontal and vertical stitches. Basketweave is the best stitch to use for covering large areas of canvas as it does not distort the canvas as the other two forms of tent stitch do.

Continental Tent Stitch

Continental stitch is worked horizontally or vertically across the canvas. On the back of the work, the stitches appear diagonally across two threads. This method uses more yarn than half cross stitch tent stitch but is more hardwearing. The illustration at right is NOT correct. It shows continental stitch on the odd numbered rows and half cross on the even numbered rows. When stitched this way, the result is a ridged effect on the front of the stitching, called the corduroy effect.

Half Cross Tent Stitch

Half cross stitch is worked horizontally or vertically across the canvas. On the back of the work, the stitch appears vertical or horizontal, not diagonal, and crosses only one thread. This method uses less yarn than other stitches but is not very durable as coverage on the back of the canvas is a little thin. It shows half cross on the odd numbered rows and continental on the even numbered rows. When stitched this way, the result is a ridged effect on the front of the stitching, called the corduroy effect.

Straight Stitch

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Straight or Flat stitch is a class of simple embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made without crossing or looping the thread. These stitches are used to form broken or unbroken lines or starbursts, fill shapes, and create geometric designs.

Running stitch, Holbein or double-running stitch, satin stitch and darning stitch are all classed as straight or flat stitches. Backstitch is also sometimes included in this category

Applications of Straight Stitch

Pattern darning is an ancient technique in which parallel rows of straight stitches in varying lengths are arranged to form geometric patterns. Japanese Kogin embroidery is a pattern darning style from the island of Honshū, often worked in white cotton thread on rough, dark blue indigo-dyed linen.

Variants of Straight Stitch

Variants of straight stitches include:

* Running stitch or straight stitch

* Double-running or Holbein stitch

* Darning stitch

* Arrowhead stitch

* Eye stitch, a sixteen-stitch starburst resulting in a hole in the center

* Algerian eye stitch, a simplified starburst of eight stitches

* Fishbone stitch

* Open fishbone stitch

* Raised fishbone stitch

* Flat stitch

* Satin stitch

* Seed stitch, small individual running stitches used as fillings or accents

Shisha Embroidery

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Shisha embroidery, or mirror-work, is a type of embroidery which attaches small pieces of mirrors reflective metal to fabric. The term "shisha" means glass in Persian, and the technique is said to have originated in Persia in the 13th Century. However, shisha embroidery was brought to India by the Moghuls and is now most common on the Indian subcontinent, especially in parts of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Haryana and Delhi. This type of embroidery lends a sparkling appearance to the brightly-colored clothes worn in the region, and is very popular for use on clothing, hangings, and domestic textiles.

Shisha is also used to describe the small mirrors purchasable for use in embroidery, which come in varying shapes and sizes. Traditionally, shisha work was done using mica flakes, but was later subsumed by glass blown into large thin bubbles and broken into small pieces for this use. Contemporary shisha work almost entirely consists of mass-produced, machine-cut glass shisha with a silvered backing.

Sashiko Stitching

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Sashiko is a form of decorative reinforcement stitching (or functional embroidery) from Japan. Traditionally used to reinforce points of wear, or to repair worn places or tears with patches, this running stitch technique is often used for purely decorative purposes in quilting and embroidery. The white cotton thread on the traditional indigo blue cloth gives sashiko its distinctive appearance, though decorative items sometimes use red thread.

Many Sashiko patterns were derived from Chinese designs, but just as many were developed by the Japanese themselves.

Satin Stitch

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In sewing and embroidery, a satin stitch or damask stitch is a series of flat stitches that are used to completely cover a section of the background fabric. Narrow rows of satin stitch can be executed on a standard sewing machine using a zigzag stitch or a special satin stitch foot.

In order to maintain a smooth edge, shapes can be outlined with back, split or chain stitch before the entire shape including the outline is covered with satin stitch.

Machine-made satin stitch is often used to outline and attach appliques to the ground fabric.

Variants of Satin Stitch
Variants of the satin stitch include

* Brick stitch, in which alternate rows of satin stitches are offset by half the stitch length. Worked in several related colors, brick stitch allows stepped shading. (Brick stitch is also the name of a beadwork technique.)

* Encroaching satin stitch, in which the top of each row of stitches is set between the bottom of the stitches on the previous row.

* Long-and-short stitch, used for fine shading; in the first row of satin stitches, every other stitch is half the length of its neighbors. Subsequent rows in related colors are all of the same length.

* Padded satin stitch, in which shapes are filled with rows of small running stitches which are then covered with satin stitches.

Thread

Satin stitch is frequently made with embroidery thread, which has less twist than standard sewing thread. This gives a more uniform effect, with the individual threads' filaments merging together.

While good sewing threads produce acceptable satin stitch, low quality threads do not sit straight, and produce a poor uneven result

Running Stitch

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The running stitch or straight stitch is the basic stitch in hand-sewing and embroidery, on which all other forms of sewing are based. The stitch is worked by passing the needle in and out of the fabric. Running stitches may be of varying length, but typically more thread is visible on the top of the sewing than on the underside.

Running stitches are used in hand-sewing and tailoring to sew basic seams, in hand patchwork to assemble pieces, and in quilting to hold the fabric layers and batting or wadding in place. Loosely spaced rows of short running stitches are used to support padded satin stitch.

Running stitches are a component of many traditional embroidery styles, including kantha of India and Bangladesh, and Japanese sashiko quilting.

Parisian Stitch

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Parisian stitch is a longer horizontal/vertical stitch used in needlepoint next to a smaller parallel stitch to create a basketweave pattern. The end points on either end alternate in a staggered pattern.

Holbein Stitch

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Holbein stitch is a simple, reversible line embroidery stitch most commonly used in Blackwork embroidery and Assisi embroidery. The stitch is named after Hans Holbein the Younger (1497-1543), a 16th-century portrait painter best known for his paintings of Henry VIII and his children, almost all of whom are depicted wearing clothing decorated with blackwork embroidery.

Although superficially similar to Back Stitch the Holbein stitch produces a smoother line and a pattern that is identical on both sides of the fabric. It can be worked in straight lines, diagonally, or in a stepped fashion to make a zigzag line and is well suited to creating outlines or intricate filling patterns

Holbein stitch is also known as double running stitch, line stitch, Spanish stitch, Chiara stitch and two-sided line stitch

Description of the Technique

Holbein stitch is usually worked on on an even-weave fabric where the threads can be counted to ensure perfect regularity and is worked in two stages. Firstly, a row of evenly spaced running stitches is worked along the line to be covered. Then the return journey is completed, filling in the spaces between stitches made on the first journey and sharing the same holes.

Modern Holbein Techniques

In recent years Holbein stitch has become fashionable again, along with modern blackwork and modern Assisi embroidery. Formality has given way to a more light-hearted approach, and motifs include cute cats and other cartoon-style animals. Classic map samplers and chessboard designs have also been updated, and the use of colours is much more imaginative and daring

Feather Stitch

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Featherstitch or feather stitch and Cretan stitch or faggoting stitch are embroidery techniques made of open, looped stitches worked alternately to the right and left of a central rib. Fly stitch is categorized with the featherstitches.

Applications of Feather Stitch

Cretan stitch is characteristic of embroidery of Crete and the surrounding regions.

Open Cretan stitch or faggoting is used in making open decorative seams and to attach insertions. Featherstitch embroidery arose in England in the 19th century for decorating smock-frocks. It is also used to decorate the joins in crazy quilting. It is related to (and probably derives from) the older buttonhole stitch and chain stitch.

Featherstitch Variants

Common variants of featherstitch include:

* Basic featherstitch

* Long-armed featherstitch

* Double featherstitch

* Closed featherstitch

* Chained feather stitch

Couching

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In embroidery, couching and laid work are techniques in which yarn or other materials are laid across the surface of the ground fabric and fastened in place with small stitches of the same or a different yarn.

The couching threads may be either the same color as the laid threads or a contrasting color. When couching threads contrast with laid threads, patterns may be worked in the couching stitches.

Applications of Couching

Laid work is one of two techniques used in the Bayeux Tapestry, an embroidered cloth probably dating to the later 1070s.

Underside couching of metal thread was characteristic of earlier Opus Anglicanum in Medieval England and was also used historically in Sicily and rarely in other parts of Italy and France. Couching is also characteristic of Japanese metal-thread embroidery and Central Asian suzani work.

Variants of Couching

In couching, one or more threads are laid on the fabric surface and sewn to the fabric at regular intervals

In couched filling, threads are laid on the surface in a trellis pattern and sewn to the fabric at the intersections

In laid work or Bayeux stitch, threads are laid side-by-side to fill a shape, then held in place with a thread at right angles to the laid threads. This crossing thread is then couched to the fabric to hold the laid threads in place.

In Bokhara couching or Bokhara stitch, the couched threads are held in place with many tiny crossing stitches, which may be aligned from row to row to produce patterns.

In Roumanian stitch, long satin stitches are each held in place with a small diagonal stitch made in the center

In Roumanian couching, bundles of laid threads are held in place with Roumanian stitches

In Underside couching, a heavy couching thread (historically, a stout linen) is brought up from the wrong side of the work, looped over the laid thread, and returned to the wrong side. The couching thread is then given a sharp pull which draws a small loop of laid thread through to the wrong side of the fabric. Underside couching has the advantages that the couching thread is completely concealed from the front and is not subject to wear.

Chain Stitch

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Chain stitch is a sewing and embroidery technique in which a series of looped stitches form a chain-like pattern. Chain stitch is an ancient craft - examples of surviving Chinese chain stitch embroidery worked in silk thread have been dated to the Warring States period (5th-3rd century BC). Handmade chain stitch embroidery does not require that the needle pass through more than one layer of fabric. For this reason the stitch is an effective surface embellishment near seams on finished fabric. Because chain stitches can form flowing, curved lines, they are used in many surface embroidery styles that mimic "drawing" in thread.

Chain stitches are also used in making tambour lace, needlelace, macramé and crochet.

Chain stitch is also a technique used to shorten rope or cable for storage or while in use.

Applications
Hand Embroidery

Chain stitch and its variations are fundamental to embroidery traditions of many cultures, including Kashmiri numdahs, Iranian Resht work, Central Asian suzani, Hungarian Kalotaszeg "written embroidery", , Jacobean embroidery, and crewelwork.

Machine Sewing and Embroidery

Chain stitch was the default stitch used by early sewing machines; however, as it is easily unraveled from fabric, this was soon replaced with the more secure lockstitch.

Machine embroidery in chain stitch, often in traditional hand-worked crewel designs, is found on curtains, bed linens, and upholstery fabrics.

Buttonhole Stitch

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Buttonhole stitch and the related blanket stitch are hand-sewing stitches used in tailoring, embroidery, and needle lace-making.

Buttonhole stitches catch a loop of the thread on the surface of the fabric and needle is returned to the back of the fabric at a right angle to the original start of the thread. The finished stitch in some ways resembles a letter "L" depending on the spacing of the stitches. For buttonholes the stitches are tightly packed together and for blanket edges they are more spaced out. The properties of this stitch make it ideal for preventing raveling of woven fabric.

Buttonhole stitches are structurally similar to featherstitches.

Applications of Buttonhole Stitch

In addition to reinforcing buttonholes and preventing cut fabric from raveling, buttonhole stitches are used to make stems in crewel embroidery, to make sewn eyelets, to attach applique to ground fabric, and as couching stitches. Buttonhole stitch scallops, usually raised or padded by rows of straight or chain stitches, were a popular edging in the 19th century.

Buttonhole stitches are also used in cutwork, including Broderie Anglaise, and form the basis for many forms of needlelace.

Blanket Stitch

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This stitch has long been both an application by hand and as a machine sewn stitch. When done by hand, it is sometimes considered a crochet stitch.When done by machine, it is called a whip stitch or, sometimes, a Merrow Machine Company Crochet Stitch, after the first sewing machine that was used to sew a blanket stich. This machine was produced and patented by the Merrow Machine Company in 1877. The defining characteristic of the crochet machine is its ability to sew with yarn and stitch thick goods with a consistent overlock edge. From 1877-1925 the machine evolved dramatically, and consequently so did the capacity of manufacturers to produce goods with the whip stitch. To this day, Merrow retains a patent on the mechanism that creates the blanket stitch, renewing it with each redesign, which has occurred hundreds of times since its introduction in 1877. The most recent patent renewal occurred in 2007.
In the early 1990s Chinese manufacturers copied the design of the original crochet sewing machines; Merrow is currently involved in litigation with several Chinese firms who are accused of violating Merrow's intellectual property rights.

Style of Blanket Stitch

The blanket stitch is commonly used as a decorative stitch on an array of garments. Besides blankets, it it used on sweaters, outerwear, swimsuits, home furnishings, and much more. There are many styles of production blanket stitching, including rolled, narrow, with elastic, and traditional

Backstitch

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Backstitch or back stitch and its variants stem stitch, outline stitch and split stitch are a class of embroidery and sewing stitches in which individual stitches are made backward to the general direction of sewing. These stitches form lines and are most often used to outline shapes or to add fine detail to an embroidered picture.

Applications of Backstitch

Basic backstitch is used to outline shapes in modern cross-stitch, in Assisi embroidery and occasionally in blackwork.

A versatile and easy to work stitch, backstitch is ideal for following both smooth and complicated outlines and as a foundation row for more complex embroidery stitches such as Herringbone ladder filling stitch. Although superficially similar to Holbein stitch, commonly used in Blackwork embroidery, backstitch differs in the way it is worked, requiring a single journey only to complete a line of stitching

Description of the Technique

Backstitch is most easily worked on an even-weave fabric, where the threads can be counted to ensure regularity, and is generally executed from right to left. The stitches are worked in a 'two steps forward, one step back' fashion, along the line to be filled

The back stitch can also be used as a hand-sewing sewing utility stitch to attach two pieces of fabric together

Variants oF Backstitch

Variants of backstitch include:

* Basic backstitch or point de sable.

* Threaded backstitch

* Pekinese stitch, a looped interlaced backstitch

* Stem stitch, in which each stitch overlaps the previous stitch to one side, forming a twisted line of stitching, with the thread passing below the needle. It is generally used for outlining shapes and for stitching flower stems and tendrils.

* Whipped stemstitch

* Outline stitch, sometimes distinguished from stem stitch in that the thread passes above rather than below the needle.

* Split stitch, in which the needle pierces the thread rather than returning to one side.

Trianglepoint

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Trianglepoint is a form of embroidery in which a series of equilateral triangles are stitched in different colors to create geometric designs, three-dimensional designs or pictures.

Suzani

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Suzani is a type of antique embroidered and decorative tribal textile made in Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and other Central Asian countries. Its name is from the Persian Suzan which means needle. The art of making such textiles in Iran is called Suzankāri (needlework).

Chain, satin, and buttonhole stitches are the primary stitches used. There is also extensive use of couching, in which decorative thread laid on the fabric as a raised line is stitched in place with a second thread.

Major types of Suzani

* Bukhara Suzani

* Buxoro Suzani

* Khodjent Suzani (Khodjent, Tajikistan)

* Lakai Suzani

* Nurata Suzani

* Pskent Suzani

* Samarkand Suzani

* Shakhrisabz Suzani

* Tashkent Suzani

* Ura Tube Suzani (Istaravshan, Tajikistan)