Hunza valley embroidery
Indigo Cushion Cover with Three Red Carnation Blooms
Cushions
Against a deep indigo-blue ground, three rounded scarlet carnation-like blooms rise on a single leafy green plant, framed by a cream border of red and blue floral scrolls. The flowering-plant composition recalls the qalmi long-and-short floral work of Hunza embroidery, where a single rooted plant blossoms within a bordered field. Worked in the manner of silk cross stitch on a woven base, its rich blue and red contrast makes a striking floral centrepiece for the home.
The tradition
Hunza valley embroidery
Embroidery is the secret weapon behind Hunza Carpet, and the cushion covers are where it is most intimate. The tradition grows out of the pillbox caps that Hunza women embroidered for their own use, worked with Chinese silk that arrived over the passes on Silk Route caravans.
Today educated women artisans embroider cushion covers with the same fine silk-thread stitches, reviving old cap-and-veil designs alongside new compositions for the home.
Motifs & meaning
Reading the design
Cushion designs draw directly on the names and meanings recorded in Hunza's embroidery tradition.
Turangkish
Ibex horns — the emblem of the Karakoram's wild goat.
Tamuts
The snow leopard, elusive guardian of the high mountains.
Urki itsu
A wolf's foot, a protective tracking motif.
Kishtimuts
A boat, recalling travel and the crossing of waters.
Materials & technique
How it is made
Hand-embroidered in real silk thread using Hunza's traditional stitches — erāghi cross and roll stitch, qalmi long-and-short floral work — on a woven ground.
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