At Lumen Atelier we design personalised textiles in Buckingham, in the United Kingdom, and they are hand embroidered by our artisan partners in Rajasthan, India. A name on a stocking cuff, a monogram on a shawl, a sprig of holly on a table runner: each of those marks is made stitch by stitch. This is a short guide to how that craft actually works — the stitches, the tools, and why a handmade piece takes the time it does.
A living craft, practised in Rajasthan
Hand embroidery has been practised across India for centuries. In Rajasthan, and in Jaipur in particular, several related traditions sit side by side. Zari and zardozi work — embroidery with metal-wrapped thread — is well established in centres including Jaipur, Ajmer, Tonk and Jodhpur. Aari work, which uses a fine hooked needle to form a continuous chain stitch, is also practised in the region; the Victoria and Albert Museum has documented the aari technique being used in Jaipur workshops. Gota patti, a distinctly Rajasthani method of cutting and stitching narrow metallic ribbon into leaves, petals and other shapes, belongs to the same family of gold-and-silver surface decoration.
We do not claim every one of those techniques for every piece we sell. What we do ask of our partners is hand embroidery: names, monograms and motifs worked in cotton and gold metallic thread, so that the personalisation has real stitch depth rather than a printed appearance. You can see that finish on our personalised monogram shawl in cream and sage, and on the gold script of our Christmas family-name throw.
The tools of the work
Before a single stitch is made, the cloth is usually stretched taut on a wooden frame, known as an adda or khaat. The frame keeps the fabric at an even tension, which helps the stitches sit regularly and stops the cloth from puckering. A large frame can hold a shawl or a throw; a smaller hoop or frame may be enough for a stocking cuff or a napkin corner.
The design is transferred onto the fabric first. A common workshop method is to prick the outline on paper and dust chalk or a washable pigment through the holes, so a faint guide appears on the cloth. For a monogram or a family name, the lettering is set out carefully — this is why we embroider exactly what is typed at checkout, and why we ask you to check the spelling.
Then come the needles. An aari is a hooked needle, a little like a very fine crochet hook. The embroiderer pushes it through the taut cloth from above, catches the thread held underneath, and draws up a loop; the next stitch is taken through that loop, forming a chain. It is a swift way to draw a line or fill a curling vine. Ordinary sewing needles are used too, for stitches that need a different texture: satin stitch to fill a leaf or a berry, running or stem stitch for outlines, and couching when a metallic thread is laid on the surface and tacked down. Scissors, a tracing tool and the thread itself — cotton, silk, or metal-wrapped zari — complete a modest kit.
Stitches you will recognise on our pieces
A monogram in gold script is usually built from close, even stitches that follow the curve of each letter. Botanical work is often filled in satin stitch, which sits on the surface as a smooth, slightly raised shape. Our Christmas table runner is bordered with holly berries and leaves embroidered in raised satin stitch, so the sprig has a gentle texture you can feel as well as see. Tiny snowflakes on a stocking cuff, a laurel on a couples throw, a discreet initial above a wrap’s fringe: these are smaller compositions, but they use the same grammar of hand stitches.
Metallic gold thread is part of this vocabulary. In traditional zardozi, metal-wrapped thread, coiled wire and sequins are couched onto cloth to create a richer, more sculptural surface. Our pieces use gold metallic thread in a quieter way — for names, monograms and fine detail — so the embroidery catches the light without weighing the textile down.
How long does a piece take?
There is no single honest number, because time follows the density of the design. In the wider craft, a light area of aari work may be finished in a few days, while a densely embroidered garment can take several weeks. Workshop accounts often describe a design as taking anywhere from a day to a month, depending on how fine the stitches are and how much of the cloth is covered. Gota patti and heavy metal embroidery, when they are used at their most elaborate, can take still longer.
A personalised monogram is not a bridal lehenga, and we will not invent hours we cannot stand behind. What we can say is this: even a short name is stitched by hand, one letter at a time, and a throw or a tree skirt with a scattered motif asks for many more hours than a single initial on a napkin. Our listings give a made-to-order window of one to two weeks, or two to three weeks, depending on the piece. That window covers the whole process — laying out your lettering, the embroidery itself, finishing, a careful check and packing — not the stitching alone.
If you would like to see the work gathered in one place, visit our shop, Lumen Atelier Textiles. Every piece in the shop is 20% off until 12 December 2026, with the code CHRISTMASSALE20.