White nakshi kantha with orange flowers and green running stitch

Representative photo. Your order is made to your specification by a verified seller. Photo: “Nakshi kantha (Flower motif)” by A junaid alam khan ( talk ), Public domain.

Home and lifestyle · Handicrafts and baskets

Nakshi kantha manufacturer in Bangladesh

Looking for a nakshi kantha manufacturer in Bangladesh? Send the size, cloth, design and quantity. We source from verified makers, approve a stitched sample, check layers, stitching and dye tests on bulk, and deliver or ship FOB Chattogram.

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Delivered by Roptan

Prefer to deal with suppliers yourself? Post it on the requirement board

Buying nakshi kantha in Bangladesh

Nakshi kantha is layered cloth held together and decorated with running-stitch embroidery. Old pieces were quilts, spreads, prayer mats and floor spreads; today it is also sold as bedspreads, wall hangings and cushion covers. Home retailers, interior buyers and gift companies abroad buy it, as do shops and hotels in Bangladesh. A nakshi kantha manufacturer in Bangladesh can work on old saris for one-off pieces or on new cloth for repeatable designs.

Roptan takes your design and size and sources the order from verified makers. We approve a stitched sample, fix cloth, layers and stitch spacing in writing, get dye tests on dyed lots and check stored stock for damp before packing. You deal with Roptan only.

Kinds of nakshi kantha

Kantha bedspreads and quilts

Full-size layered pieces for beds, stitched across the whole surface. Choose them for bedding ranges; they are laundered, so washing fastness matters most here.

Throws and wall hangings

Smaller or display pieces where the embroidery is the point. Choose them for decor and gift ranges sold on the look of the work.

Cushion covers

Kantha panels made up into covers. Choose them for accessory ranges in several colours, where pieces must match across a set.

Old-sari kantha

Layers of worn saris, so each piece differs in colour and pattern. Choose it for one-off, recycled ranges and sell it as unique, not as a repeat of a sample.

Framed and free-hand work

Stitched on an embroidery frame for a smooth surface, or free-hand for the rippled look of old pieces. Choose by the handle and finish you want, and say so.

How to brief a nakshi kantha manufacturer in Bangladesh

Size and use: Finished size in cm and the use: bed, wall, cushion or throw. It decides weight, layers and the tests that apply.
Cloth: New cotton cloth for repeatable work, or recycled saris for one-off pieces. Name the cloth for every layer.
Layers and stitch spacing: The number of layers and the spacing of the running stitch, which set weight, warmth and stitching time.
Stitches: Running stitch holds the layers; darning, pindot, kaitya or chatai make patterns, and bhorat fills large colour areas.
Design: A designer's traced master on the cloth lets a repeat order follow the approved piece. Send artwork or approve the traced master.
Thread and colour: Thread colours against a physical standard, and whether the ground cloth is dyed, since both affect the dye tests.

Origin, tests and papers for nakshi kantha

Geographical indication: Jamalpur nakshi kantha holds a GI on the Department of Patents, Designs and Trademarks register; the application was made in 2019 and the grant reported in 2024. The registered name is tied to Jamalpur, not to kantha made elsewhere.
REACH Annex XVII entry 43: Bars azo dyes that release listed amines above 30 mg/kg in textiles in prolonged skin contact, bedding included. Ask for an amine test on dyed lots.
ISO 105-C06 and ISO 105-X12: Colour fastness to washing, which matters for bedspreads, and to rubbing, which matters for dark thread on pale cloth.
REACH Annex XVII entry 61: Bars dimethyl fumarate, once used in anti-mould sachets, above 0.1 mg/kg in articles on the EU market.

What moves the price of nakshi kantha

Stitch cover: dense motifs and filled colour areas take far more stitching than a few rows of running stitch.
Size and layers: a bedspread with more layers takes more cloth and more stitching than a cushion cover.
Cloth: new cloth bought for the order differs in cost from recycled saris.
Design: a new traced design and stitched sample come before the first bulk piece.

Lead times and delivery

Kantha is slow handwork, so time depends on stitch cover, size and quantity, and on how many stitchers work on each design; no fixed range fits all orders. Weather and transport strikes can disrupt hand-stitched work, so allow a buffer, more so in the monsoon. Roptan sets time from the approved sample and confirms the dates and the minimum in the quote.

Inside Bangladesh we deliver to shops, hotels and offices, folded and bagged, counted by piece, in dry cartons with a packing list and a VAT invoice (Mushak 6.3).

Buying nakshi kantha for export

For importers we quote FOB Chattogram. A kantha bedspread may fall under HS heading 6304, a filled quilt under 9404, and a wall hanging or cushion cover under another line, so your customs broker confirms the code from our description. Documents usually include the commercial invoice, packing list, bill of lading, certificate of origin, a REX statement for EU GSP or UK DCTS claims, and the dye and fastness reports.

What we check for this order

Against the stitched sampleLayer count, cloth and stitch spacing on bulk pieces checked against the approved sample.
Dye tests on dyed lotsISO 105 fastness results and an amine report, with extra care on recycled cloth of unknown dye history.
Damp and mouldStored lots checked for mould spots or a musty smell after the monsoon, and no banned sachets in cartons.
Proof for a GI claimWhere you sell the piece as Jamalpur nakshi kantha, proof that the maker works in Jamalpur.

Questions buyers ask

Is all nakshi kantha protected as a geographical indication?

No. The registered GI in Bangladesh is Jamalpur nakshi kantha, applied for in 2019 and granted in 2024. Kantha made elsewhere can still be good work, but only pieces from Jamalpur makers should carry that name. India is also recorded as granting a nakshi kantha GI for West Bengal in 2008, so a buyer in Europe may meet both names.

Will a repeat order match the first one?

Closely, on new cloth. In commercial work a designer usually traces the motif onto the cloth and stitchers fill it, so a repeat follows the approved piece. Hand stitching still varies a little. Old-sari kantha cannot repeat, since each piece uses different saris.

Can kantha made from old saris pass EU dye tests?

It can, but test it. The dye history of recycled cloth is unknown, so ask for an amine test on the lot against the EU limit of 30 mg/kg, and fastness results, before you buy. Pieces that fail are taken out before shipment.

How long does a kantha order take?

It depends on size, stitch cover, quantity and the number of stitchers on each design. A dense bedspread takes far longer than a cushion cover. We time the stitched sample, plan bulk from it with a buffer for weather and strikes, and confirm dates in the quote.

How soon will I hear back about handicrafts and baskets?

Within 48 hours of a complete requirement, with a price and a delivery date. A requirement is complete when it has the quantity, where it is needed and by when.

Who do I deal with?

With Roptan, when Roptan manages the order: we buy from the verified seller and deliver to you. With the supplier directly, when you post on the requirement board and choose a quote yourself.