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White Chikankari table mat with white-on-white chikan hand embroidery, made in Hardoi, Uttar Pradesh

Close-up of white chikan embroidery stitches showing raised texture on the white table mat

White Chikankari table mat laid on a dark wood dining table with plain stoneware

Chikankari table mat photographed flat to show the full embroidered motif layout

Corner and hem finish of the white Chikankari hand embroidered table mat

Chikankari Table Mat

Curated by Samuday Crafts Pvt Ltd

Rs. 479

Product Details

White on white is where chikan work began, and it is the hardest register to fake. The embroidery has no colour contrast to carry it, so what you read is texture: the small shadow each stitch throws against the cloth around it. It comes out of the HCL Samuday self help groups in Hardoi district, Uttar Pradesh, where rural women are trained in the craft and paid for the piece.

A white mat shows everything. Handwash it separately, keep chlorine bleach away from it, and blot spills instead of rubbing them in.

Art TypeChikankari

Dimension32X22X6

Materials & Care

As this is a handcrafted product, slight variations in color and embroidery add to its unique charm Handwash separately. Do not machine wash.

Product Disclosure

SKUSD-CHTM-WH-02

Style CodeSD-CHTM-WH

HSN Code63021010

RegionHardoi

StateUttar pradesh

Curated bySamuday Crafts Pvt Ltd

Each piece is handcrafted, so slight variations in colour, texture and dimension are natural and celebrate its handmade origin.

WHERE IT WORKS: White needs something to sit against. On dark wood, walnut, rosewood, or stained mango, the mat reads as a clean rectangle of light and every stitch stands up in relief against it. On a pale surface it disappears. If your table is marble, birch, or painted white, run a darker board or a length of cloth underneath and let the mat sit on that instead.

READING THE EMBROIDERY: Light does the work here. Side light from a window, or a low lamp set off to one edge, rakes across the stitches and throws the shadow that makes white-on-white legible at all. Flat overhead light kills it. Position the setting accordingly.

WHAT TO SET ON IT: White is the flexible one. Coloured stoneware, brass, copper, and dark glazed ceramic all read cleanly against it, and unlike a natural-fibre mat this one does not compete with a printed napkin for attention. Keep one element patterned and let everything else stay plain.

THE PRACTICAL LIMITS: Turmeric, beetroot, red wine, and hot oil are the four things a white cotton-weight mat rarely recovers from. Use it for tea, breakfast, dry snacks, a lamp base, or a vase standing on its own coaster. Save it from the curry night.

ORDERING FOR A TABLE OF FOUR: Small differences between pieces show up more on white than on anything else, because there is no print or colour to absorb them. That is hand embroidery behaving normally, not a fault. Order the set in one go, since a mat added six months later will have been embroidered by a different hand.

THE BLUE THAT IS NOT THERE: Before a single stitch goes in, the design arrives on the cloth in blue. Wooden blocks cut for the pattern are printed across the fabric in a washable indigo paste, laying down the line the embroiderer will follow. Every chikan piece you have ever handled was blue first.

STITCHING ON THE LINE: The embroiderer works along the printed outline, covering it as she goes. Accuracy matters more on a white ground than on any other, because a stitch that strays leaves blue showing at the edge of a motif and there is no colour anywhere to hide it.

THE WASH: This is the step that finishes the piece, and the one buyers never see. The mat is soaked and washed until the indigo lifts out completely, then starched and pressed flat. Faint blue still sitting in the corners of a motif is the classic tell of a piece rushed through this stage.

WHAT THAT MEANS FOR CARE: Because the cloth has already been through one hard wash during making, the worst of the shrinkage is behind it. Handwashing at home is about protecting the embroidery threads and the pressed finish, not about setting a dye.

What is a Chikankari table mat?

A Chikankari table mat is a cloth placemat carrying chikan hand embroidery, the white-thread needlework tradition of Uttar Pradesh. This one is worked in white on a white ground and is made in Hardoi district by women artisans in the HCL Samuday self help groups, with Samuday Crafts as the curator. The embroidery reads through texture rather than colour.

Why is Chikankari traditionally worked in white on white?

Chikankari developed as white thread on pale cloth under Mughal court patronage, where the restraint was the point and the skill showed in the stitch rather than in the colour. The effect depends on shadow: raised and knotted stitches catch light differently from the flat ground behind them. Coloured chikan work is a much more recent commercial development.

How should you wash a white Chikankari table mat?

A white Chikankari table mat should be handwashed separately in cool water with a mild detergent, which is the care instruction given on this product. Do not wring it, because twisting pulls the knotted stitches out of shape. Press it while slightly damp, on the reverse, so the embroidery stays raised.

How do you remove a stain from a white Chikankari mat?

To remove a stain from a white Chikankari mat, blot it immediately rather than rubbing, since rubbing drives the mark into the weave and can fray the embroidery. For general dullness, a soak in cool water with a little mild detergent works better than any single aggressive treatment. Oil, turmeric and red wine are the marks least likely to come out completely.

Can you bleach a Chikankari table mat?

Bleaching a Chikankari table mat is not advisable, because chlorine weakens cotton fibre and can leave white cloth looking yellower over time rather than whiter. It also attacks the embroidery thread faster than the ground fabric, which is where the piece's value sits. Oxygen based whiteners used sparingly are the gentler option.

Will a white table mat yellow over time?

A white table mat can yellow with age, and the usual causes are stored body oils, detergent residue left in the fibre, and chlorine bleach rather than dirt itself. Rinsing thoroughly and storing the mats clean and dry prevents most of it. Do not put them away starched for a long season, since starch attracts insects and can discolour.

Should there be any blue left on the embroidery?

No blue should be visible on the embroidery of a finished piece. The pattern is block printed onto the cloth in washable indigo before stitching, and the final wash is supposed to take all of it out. Faint blue remaining at the edges of a motif indicates the washing stage was cut short.

What is this Chikankari table mat made of?

This Chikankari table mat is a woven cloth mat rather than a natural-fibre one, and the seller files it under the HSN code used for cotton table linen. The exact fibre content is not listed on the product page, so check the specifications or ask before ordering if it matters to you. The care instruction is handwash only.

What size is this table mat, and how many should I order?

This table mat is listed at 32 x 22 in the specifications, and the unit should be confirmed there before ordering, since the figure decides whether it suits a side table or a full place setting. For a dining table, count one per seat and add a spare, because a stained mat in a set of four is hard to replace exactly. Handmade pieces vary slightly from any stated measurement.

How is this different from the Chikankari jute table mat?

The difference from the Chikankari jute table mat is the ground the embroidery sits on, and it changes almost everything else. Jute is coarse and open, which forces bolder, more widely spaced motifs and rules out the finer stitches; this white cloth mat carries the traditional close work and the white-on-white shadow effect. The jute version is the more rustic and forgiving of the two.

Does this table mat come as a set?

This table mat is listed and priced as a single piece, so a set means ordering the quantity you need. Buying them together matters more here than with a printed mat, since white shows the natural variation between hands and batches. Check the product page for current stock before planning a set of six.

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