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One of the most widely-used needleworks in the Middle East is Balouchi; coming from Balochistan, it’s an absolute magnificent art that Balouchi women of Pakistan, Iran and some parts of Afghanistan share. In Balouchi needleworks, the whole or most part of the background fabric is covered with thousands of colourful stitches that are placed together with utmost care and percisessness. The designs are the products of thought, dreams and desire of Balouchi women and it’s believed that the history of this art goes back to before Islam. It describes Balouchi women’s trademark, identity and existence as their clothes are covered with their products.
Balouchi dresses are decorated with four pieces of needleworks; one piece in the chest area, two on the cuffs and one under the chest area that continues to the bottom of the dress. Some dresses have decorated pockets as well. The pants hems are also decorated with needlework pieces. The threads used to be silk in the past but these days silk, cotton and acrylic ones are also being used, in either one color, 2 colors or 7 colors. The color combination is really important and can impact the quality of the product. Each pattern has meaning, name and characteristics that define the origin of the piece and some designs are additionally enhanced with little mirrors.
To untrained eyes, all needlework may seem similar but for people with dressmaking experience every piece of product containing embroidery is different and unique. Each pattern has a name such as ‘Peacock’, ‘Pearl’, ‘ Red Rose’, ‘ Hand on head’ and ‘Five leopards’ and each name has a story with an occult vibe. Navigating through all these patterns is no easy job due to the sheer number of them, but let’s take a shallow dive into the fascinating stories of some of the more widely used ones. The stories that can give more depth and meaning to your chosen piece.
Now, that these little lines and shapes have evolved into more meaningful stories, your journey into the realm of Balouchi Needleworks is directed towards the point where your inner desires and Balouchi patterns’ stories meet. Whether it is to decorate your house or choosing a little gift for a loved one; we believe the only way to share stories is to integrate them into our day-to-day lives. We find it entertaining when these patterns can impress an absolute stranger and open doors for meaningful conversations around culture, history, art and local community support; try it; you will understand and love what we are talking about.
