What is Sozni Embroidery?

What is Sozni Embroidery?

SOZNI Embroidery or Sozni Kari is very fine needle work that is carried out on Pashmina, Semi Pashmina and fine wool fabrics. It is one of the most sophisticated forms of Needle Embroidery in the world. This extremely fine, delicate and artistic needle work is only practiced in Kashmir and has no parallels anywhere else. The design to be embroidered will be drawn on a graph paper first. Most embroidery workshops have a vast collection of blocks that are used for decades. Different blocks are used for printing the borders and the centre. The master craftsmen carefully prints the design using blocks. Printing is done in such a way that just an imprint remains for embroidery. Chemical ink is used for printing, after which embroidery is done on the printed designs. Colours are decided as the embroidery is executed. If a shade does not produce the desired effect, the embroidery can be undone and replaced with a new shade. The process of completing a Sozni Kari can take up to a few months.