Abdul Rashid Bhat, the 60-year-old chain stitch master from Tengpora, Nawa Kadal, Srinagar has long been associated with this form of embroidery. His works range from life-like designs to abstract patterns in black and white and in rich hues.

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 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.

Variations of the basic chain stitch include: Back-stitched chain stitch, Braided stitching, Cable chain stitch, Knotted chain stitch, Open chain stitch, Petal chain stitch, Rosette chain stitch, Singalese chain stitch, Twisted chain stitch, Wheat-ear stitch, Zig-zag chain stitch.

Chain Stitch is known as Jalakdozi in Kashmiri and is used specially for embroidery of rugs. These rugs are made on hand made cotton cloth (hessian), in continued stitch with superior woolen or silken yarn, with the help of a hook type tool natively called Aurah. The designs range from floral patterns to animal and human forms traced by a designer, while the craftsman embroiders in two-ply or three ply woollen/silken yarn. The rug looks like a carpet in which the pile is substituted by the texture. Chainstitch rugs are used both as floor covering and wall hanging.

The rug is supported with cloth-lining to add to the durability. It comes in sizes 2×3, 3×5, 6×4, 6×9 and 9×12 feet.