You've invested in a piece of hand-embroidered chikankari — hours of an artisan's skilled needlework, not a machine print. A little extra care goes a long way in keeping it looking that way for years, not just seasons.
Here's exactly how to wash, dry, and store it.
Washing
Hand wash only, in cold or lukewarm water. Hot water and washing machines are the two biggest threats to hand embroidery — heat and agitation loosen stitches over time and can cause colors to bleed or fade.
- Fill a basin with cold or lukewarm water and a mild detergent — a gentle, pH-neutral one, not a harsh stain-remover formula.
- Submerge the garment and gently swirl it with your hands. Avoid scrubbing directly on embroidered areas.
- For any spots or stains, dab gently with a soft cloth rather than rubbing.
- Rinse thoroughly in cool water until no soap remains.
Avoid: bleach, fabric softener, and hot water — all three can weaken thread and fade both fabric and embroidery colors over time.
Drying
Always air dry, never machine dry. Heat from a dryer can shrink the fabric unevenly and stress the embroidery stitches.
- Gently squeeze out excess water — don't wring or twist the garment, which can distort the embroidery.
- Lay the garment flat on a clean towel, or hang it in shade rather than direct sunlight (prolonged sun exposure can fade both fabric color and thread color unevenly).
- Reshape gently while damp so it dries to its natural shape.
Ironing
Iron chikankari inside-out, on a low-to-medium heat setting, ideally while the fabric is still slightly damp.
- Ironing directly on the embroidered side can flatten and damage the raised texture of stitches like murri and phanda, which are meant to sit slightly raised off the fabric.
- If you must iron the front, place a thin cotton cloth over the embroidery first as a protective layer.
- A steamer is actually a gentler alternative to a hot iron if you have one available.
Storage
- Store folded in a cotton or muslin garment bag rather than plastic — plastic can trap moisture and cause mildew or yellowing over time, especially in humid climates.
- Avoid hanging chikankari kurtas for long periods, as the weight of the fabric can stretch the embroidery, especially on delicate jaali sections.
- If storing for an extended period, refold occasionally to prevent permanent crease lines from forming along the same points.
A Few Extra Tips
- New chikankari pieces should generally be washed separately for the first 1-2 washes, as slight color runoff is common with natural or semi-natural dyes even when the piece is colorfast-tested.
- Avoid perfume or deodorant contact directly on embroidered areas — alcohol-based sprays can occasionally affect thread color over time.
- Minor thread snags can usually be gently pushed back through to the reverse side with a blunt needle rather than cut, which avoids unraveling.
Why This Extra Care Is Worth It
Hand embroidery isn't just decoration stitched onto fabric — it's structurally part of the garment, built stitch by stitch by an artisan's hands. Treated well, a hand-embroidered chikankari piece can genuinely last for years, often outlasting machine-made "chikankari-style" garments many times over, both because of the quality of the underlying fabric and the durability of hand stitching versus machine stitching.
If you ever have questions about caring for a specific piece from Riwaayat-e-Chikan, feel free to reach out — we're happy to help
