3.2. Dress Making: Stitching or Sewing

We get evidence to the art of stitching from the description of certain types of garments and also from some terms related to sewing. Usually lower garments used no stitching, while some upper garments were tailored.

Nepathyaprayoga and Sūcīvanakarma are two among the sixty-four arts named in Śukranītisāra as well as in Kāmasūtra^[1]. Of these, Nepathyaprayoga is an art of adorning oneself with clothes and ornaments suiting the region and time, in order to enhance beauty^[2]. Sūcīvanakarma^[3] is stitching of clothes by means of needle. This art is of three kinds–Sīvana, Ūtana and Viracana. Of these, Sīvana is an art of stitching new clothes, while Ūtana is the sewing of torn off clothes. Tailoring of bed sheets and saddles are known as Viracana.

In Śukranītisāra, stitching of clothes as well as saddles is stated as two separate arts.

There it is defined thus.—

[...].^[4]

Knowledge of Vedic people in stitching is evident from the mention of certain stitched garments like Atka, Drāpi, Peśas etc. in Ṛgveda. Similarly the process of stitching are often referred to. As in Samhitas we read of some instruments associated with sewing in Brāhmaṇas and Gṛhyasūtras also^[5]. Some of the instruments there mentioned are Sūcī (Needle)^[6], Aṅguṣṭhāna (Thimbles)^[7] and Satthaka (Scissors)^[8]. In the post Vedic literature also we find reference to some tailored upper garments like Kañcuka, Vārabāṇa, Ardhoruka etc. Instruments used for stitching also are incidentally mentioned there.

Vālmīki-rāmāyaṇa informs us the society of tailors. In Kiṣkindākāṇḍa, there is a line referring to the city of tailors thus—

[...],^[9]

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Kalāvidyāvivaraṇa

[2]:

Ibid, pp.28, 29

[3]:

Ibid, pp.39, 40

[4]:

Ibid, p.40

[5]:

Ṛgveda, I.95.7, IV.18.5, I.16.6, 10, IX.100.9; Atharvaveda, XIII.3.1, V.7.10

[6]:

Ṛgveda, II.32.4; Atharvaveda,XI.10.3; Aitareya-brāhmaṇa, 3.18

[7]:

Śatapatha-brāhmaṇa, 5.6.15

[8]:

Ibid

[9]:

II.94.16,122,IV.32.7