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Naksi or Nakshi Kantha is a folk art of Bengal from pre-partition days. The material used is just thread and cloth. Naksha refers to the artistic patterns and colourful designs. Initially Kantha used only white as background with red, blue and black embroidery on it. The running stitch or Kantha stitch is the main stitch. Traditionally old clothes like sarees, dhotis and lungis got a renewed look through Kantha. Rural women used to take it up after their day’s work was over and hence it used to take months or years to finish the work that was taken up. Today new cotton cloth is used instead. New thread is used instead of the traditional removal of a strand of thread from the existing fabric and using it. Originally drawing or motifs were not drawn on the fabric.
Today they are made on tracing paper and transferred to the fabric. Kanthas are recognized by the stitch type. There are about six different types of Kantha. Motifs for naksi kantha are generally Lotus (the most popular), Solar, moon, wheel, Swastika, tree of life, kalka. These motifs occupy centre space with floral motifs undulating vines, border motifs around them. Resham is Silk in Urdu. It refers to a single strand of untwisted silk fibre. Being delicate it is not used in the main weave of a silk fabric but is instead used as thread for intricate embroidery just as the metal zari is used for zardozi. Resham is dyed in different colours and sewn onto sarees, salwar kameez and other fabrics in different designs as an adorning feature.