What is cutwork embellishment in Indian ethnic wear? How does it differ from laser cut?

Cutwork is an embellishment technique where small shapes — holes, openings, geometric patterns — are cut out of fabric, with the cut edges either left raw (on synthetic fabrics) or finished with hand or machine stitching to prevent fraying.

Traditional (hand) cutwork:

• Holes cut with small scissors or punches, then whipstitched or buttonhole-stitched by hand around each opening
• Very time-intensive — used in luxury and handcraft ethnic wear
• Seen on traditional Indian textiles: Kashmiri zari cutwork, South Indian tablecloth traditions

Machine cutwork:

• Computer-controlled embroidery machines create cutwork by stitching around an area then cutting the enclosed fabric — known as "Broderie Anglaise" or machine cutwork
• Much faster than hand cutwork, commonly seen on cotton kurtis and georgette suit dupattas

Laser cutwork:

• Laser beam cuts precise shapes in synthetic fabric — edges are heat-sealed automatically (no fraying on synthetics)
• Fast, consistent, can achieve very complex patterns impossible by hand or machine