Since 1988 — Hand embroidery, woven in gold

Toma Zari HouseFine Zari & Hand-Embroidered Textiles

Every length of fabric that leaves our workshop has passed through the hands of a karigar who learned the needle from someone who learned it before them. We work in zardozi, resham, and dabka — gold and silver thread pulled tight into cloth, stitch by stitch, the old way.

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Zardozi work in progress, Ahmedabad workshop

ZARDOZI• RESHAM• DABKA• GOTA PATTI• AARI WORK• ZARDOZI• RESHAM• DABKA• GOTA PATTI• AARI WORK•

Our Story

A house built on thread and patience

Toma Zari House began as a single karigar's table in a narrow Ahmedabad lane, where gold-wrapped thread was pulled through silk for the city's wedding trousseaus. Three decades on, the table has grown into a full workshop, but the method hasn't changed — everything is still stitched by hand, one frame at a time.

We supply bridal lehengas, dupattas, and yardage to designers and families who want work that will outlast the occasion it was made for. No two pieces come out identical, because no two hands stitch exactly alike.

"Machines can copy a pattern. They can't copy the give and pull of a hand that's done this for forty years." — Toma, Founder

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Five techniques, one workshop

Each technique carries its own weight, sheen, and occasion — from the heavy metallic relief of zardozi to the fine glint of dabka.

Zardozi

Raised gold and silver thread work, built up with metal wire and beads for bridal pieces that hold their shape and shine for decades.

Resham

Fine silk-thread embroidery in floral and paisley motifs — softer, lighter work suited to sarees and everyday festive wear.

Dabka

Coiled metallic wire stitched flat to the fabric, catching light in short flashes — a technique reserved for our finest bridal orders.

Gota Patti

Woven gold ribbon folded and appliquéd into geometric borders — the technique behind most of our dupatta and odhani work.

Aari Work

Hook-needle chain stitching, fast and fluid, used for dense all-over patterns on lehenga skirts and blouse panels.

Custom Commissions

Bring us a sketch, a swatch, or an old family piece to restore — our karigars will match thread, motif, and technique by hand.

The Craft

From bare cloth to finished piece

A single lehenga can take anywhere from two to six weeks, depending on the density of the work and the number of hands it passes through.

Design & tracing

The motif is drawn to scale, then perforated and dusted onto the fabric so the outline is ready for the frame.

Framing the cloth

Fabric is stretched drum-tight across a wooden adda frame — the tension is what keeps every stitch even.

Thread & metal preparation

Zari thread, dabka coils, and beads are sorted and matched to the design before a single stitch begins.

Hand embroidery

Karigars work the frame from both sides, building up the pattern in layers over days or weeks.

Finishing & pressing

Loose threads are cleared, the piece is steamed flat, and every inch is checked by hand before it leaves the workshop.

Zardozi bridal panel, 2025

Gold thread detail

Workshop, Ahmedabad

Visit the Workshop

Come see the thread work up close

We take most orders by appointment, so our karigars can walk you through fabric, motif, and technique before any thread is cut.

AddressZari Mohalla, Manek Chowk Road, Ahmedabad, Gujarat

Workshop hoursMon–Sat, 10:00 AM – 7:30 PM

Phone+91 98765 43210

Emailhello@tomazarihouse.com

Order lead time2–6 weeks, by piece