Whether you dig through heirloom trunks or your grandmother’s collectibles, you’ll find a treasure of memories, antique things, and pieces of exquisite crafts that evoke a sense of nostalgia and carry the charm of the good old days. Cross stitch embroidered linens, pillow tops, coasters, and ornamental mats are intuitive of such a sentimental yearning. The most widely used needlework in Colonial America, the Middle East, and Victorian England in the 18th and 19th centuries, cross-stitch embroidery was considered a significant skill for the girls and used to ornate household linens.
With designers tapping into the craft’s core past aesthetics to relegate it into high-fashion clothing, the cross-stitch embroidery has seen a humble resurgence through collections on a prominent level. The thread embroidery sewn into the gridded patterns of x or + shapes is being rendered as the core element of quaint, charming looks.
The slow crafting technique is distinguished as a core element of Payal Pratap’s rotational dresses and separates. The designer interprets elegant floral placement motifs in her signature collections, collaborating with the time-honed craftsmen of the country. Pinnacle by Shruti Sancheti on the other hand, is known for translating it into a glocal bohemian flavour, best suited for a vacation getaway, city walks, or resorts.
Payal Pratap 
Pinnacle by Shruti Sancheti
Although simple, the crafting technique sits close to mathematical accuracy and handcrafted precision. With over ten variations of the needlepoint work, its versatile essence offers ample ways for reinvention. Choosing a rather minimalistic approach, Dash and Dot render the lego-like embroidery on the clean lines of their staple shirts. The forgotten technique has also found a place in exquisite tonal ivory embellishments of Varq by Varun & Nidhika. Kavita Bhartia takes the more is more route rendering cross stitch in multicolored thread work on a colour-blocked lehenga ensemble.
Dash and Dot 
Varq by Varun & Nidhika
The cross-stitch embroidery was referred to as cushion work in the Middle ages implying its use intensively in home linens. Ritu Kumar Home translates it as a vision of artisanal richness to elevate the decor setting with cross-stitch embroidered cushions. Similarly, Ode and Cleo retain their vintage essence rendering the thread work on a velvet base cushion. Home decor is the perfect way to incorporate the noteworthy pattern if you’re reminiscing about times when hobbies were incorporated into our everyday lives.
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