Embroidery emerged to fulfill the purpose of reconstructing clothing items in terms of mending, patching, tailoring, and reinforcing the cloth by hand. History of gota patti can be traced back to the 3rd and 5th Centuries. The craft of gota Patti is centuries-old, and it is generally believed to have originated in Rajasthan itself. However, some believe that it is a form of Pakistani embroidery that was first popular in Punjab and later spread to other states.

The cultural significance of gota patti pays heed to the value of tradition, especially since it was worn by the Rajput and Mughal royalty. Traditionally, gota patti was used in garments for royals, members of the court, priests and temple idols, as well as altars (shrines and prayer offerings). The threads were real gold and silver, making it an expensive craft. 

The intricacy in detail and the vibrant and unique colour, add to the overall look of clothes with gota patti work.

This technique involves gold and silver lace/ribbon woven together in a twill or satin weave, which is then embossed over other fabrics to produce extravagant clothing, with an undeniable aura of luxury. To add on, beads, zari, and special cut stones are added to create tasteful patterns.

Understanding the purpose of the design means taking a closer look at the nomenclature of the term. ‘Patti’ directly refers to the most important part of the motif, the leaf. Tapes are folded into rhomboid units, which are leaves. Then, they are organized into jaal or butas to create the motif, which is later sewed onto the fabric. Popularly, peacocks, paisleys, floral and geometric patterns, sparrows, elephants, palanquins, horses, and human figures are used. 

Lightweight fabrics like chiffon, georgette, crepes, and tussar silks are customarily used for gota patti work. There are various kinds of gota patti, including phool, seekhi, mothda, lappa, bakhandi, and bijiya.

The craft of gota patti is quite time-consuming, wherein there are several steps involved in getting the best possible result. First, the yarn is bought from the market, manually strung onto the electricity-run machine. The woven fabric comes out of the machine in the form of ribbons that are cut to length as per the customers’ needs. These ribbons are then supplied further to make laces for different designs.

The craftwork process begins with motifs being drawn on tracing paper which is then perforated so that it can be used for tracing the design on the fabric. To ease the work of the artisans, the fabric is tied using sturdy cords on a wooden frame called adda. Chalk is used to mark where the motifs are to be traced.

In the next step, motifs are traced on the fabric with cotton or cloth using a paste of chalk powder and kerosene oil. 

Gota patti is then pasted onto the traced parts of the fabric, and the edges are embroidered with zari thread to give it a more clean, finished look. This makes the result look more elegant. Following this, a peetan, which is a hammer/block made out of wood, is used to beat the entire fabric.

Finally, the fabric is removed from the wooden frame and is ready to be sold.