Shisha Embroidery: Mirrorwork from 13th century Persia to 21st century catwalk
My Grandmother was an amazing embroiderer and one of her favourite techniques was shisha embroidery which involves stitching shiny mirrors or metal to fabric. I wanted to try this technique out for myself and incorporated it into my newest piece of embroidery – an experimental gold and silver piece in which I tried out new techniques including bullion knots and, of course, shisha. My gold and silver abstract embroidery The history of shisha, also known as ‘sheesha’ or ‘abhala bharat,’ can be traced back to 13 th century Persia (modern day Iran) with the term ‘shisha’ coming from the Persian word ‘shisheh’ meaning ‘glass.’ The technique was spread by travellers during the Mughal Empire to India and further into southwest Asia. A bag that my Grandmother made embellished with shisha embroidery In early examples of shisha embroidery, the lower classes used chips of mica and shiny beetle wings to emulate the glittering garments of the wealthy upper-classes. These shiny adornments were la