Beyond Koranur near Ooty, Tamil Nadu, these Toda women embroidered black and red synthetic yarn onto cream fabric to produce designs that look from a distance as if they are woven into the fabric.

The cream cloth had a slightly open weave similar to that used for counted thread work like cross-stitch, allowing the embroiderers to use a large needle to add the red or black threads in either warp or weft direction.

Patterns were built up row by row, often leaving a row of fringed loops along the side of strips or square sections for added decoration. The pattern yarns were about the weight of western baby knitting yarns

For more photos see Ooty: Toda Embroidery