Craft / Our Process
A behind-the-scenes look at why IBHI chooses hand-stitching over glue guns, and why that decision matters for durability, quality, and craft.
In this article: What most décor brands do | What IBHI does instead | Why this matters to you | Sustainability angle | FAQs
IBHI products are hand-stitched for durability, quality, and long-lasting festive use.
If you have ever bought a decorated toran, a festive hanging, or a handmade décor piece and watched it fall apart within a season, there is a good chance a glue gun was involved.
At IBHI, we made a decision early on. No glue guns. Ever.
Here is why.
What Most Décor Brands Do
Walk into most handicraft production units and you will find glue guns on every table. They are fast, cheap, and convenient. A glue gun can attach a bead, a tassel, or an embellishment in seconds. For a brand trying to produce hundreds of pieces quickly, it is an obvious choice.
But fast and convenient are not the same as good.
Melted glue, the kind that comes out of a glue gun, is essentially a quick-fix adhesive. It holds things together under normal conditions. But the moment it meets heat, humidity, or the kind of rough handling that happens during shipping, travel, or festive storage, it lets go. Beads fall off. Tassels detach. The piece that looked beautiful in the store starts to look tired and incomplete within months.
That is not something we are willing to put our name on.
Every bead, tassel, and embellishment is attached by hand for a more secure finish.
What We Do Instead
Every single bead, tassel, ghunghru, and embellishment on an IBHI product is attached by hand, using a needle and thread.
Not a machine. Not a shortcut. A needle and thread, in the hands of one of our women artisans, stitch by stitch.
This means every element is secured in a way that does not loosen with heat, does not crack with cold, and does not give up when your IBHI product is packed, shipped halfway across the world, and unpacked in a home in Canada, the UK, or Australia.
Thread does not melt. Thread does not dry out. Thread, when knotted correctly by a skilled hand, holds for years.
But What About Adhesives?
We want to be honest with you. There are situations in our production process where an adhesive is genuinely the right tool, for structural bonding, for MDF surfaces, for certain fabric layers.
In those cases, we use premium grade, professional adhesives that are specifically designed for long-term hold and product durability.
What we do not use is a glue gun as a shortcut. There is a significant difference between a craft adhesive chosen deliberately for a specific purpose and a hot glue stick used because it is the quickest way to finish a piece before it goes out the door.
One is a craft decision. The other is a cost decision. We choose craft.
Why This Matters to You
You are buying an IBHI product because it means something. It is going on your front door, in your mandir, at a wedding, or being shipped as a gift to someone you love who lives far from home.
It needs to arrive intact. It needs to last through a festival season, and then another one. It needs to still look the way it looked when you first saw it.
That only happens when the person who made it cared enough to do it the slow way.
At IBHI, we have over 300 women artisans who do exactly that. Every piece that leaves our production facility has been touched, stitched, and finished by hand. No glue gun has been involved in attaching a single bead or tassel to any IBHI product.
That is not a marketing line. It is how we work.
Hand-stitching is not a shortcut. It is part of the IBHI standard.
The Sustainability Angle
There is one more reason we stay away from glue guns, and it is one we think about more than we talk about.
Hot glue is not sustainable. It is a plastic-based material that does not biodegrade. When a product held together by hot glue falls apart, and it will, both the glue and the piece it was holding often end up in the bin.
Hand-stitched products last longer. Products that last longer are not replaced as quickly. Products that are not replaced as quickly produce less waste.
Sustainability, for us, is not a campaign. It is built into the way we make things.
A Simple Promise
When you buy from IBHI, you are buying something that was made to last. Not made to look good on a product page and fall apart six months later.
No glue guns.
No shortcuts.
No compromises on the craft.
Just thread, needle, skilled hands, and a product that will still be on your door, in your mandir, or in your home long after the festival it was bought for.
That is the IBHI standard. And we are not changing it.
Want to see how our products are made? Follow us on Instagram @ibhi.co.in or visit ibhi.co.in to explore our full collection, handcrafted, hand-stitched, and made to last.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does IBHI not use glue guns?
IBHI avoids glue guns because hot glue can weaken with heat, humidity, storage, and shipping. Hand-stitching offers stronger, longer-lasting attachment for beads, tassels, and embellishments.
Are IBHI products completely hand-stitched?
Every bead, tassel, ghunghru, and embellishment on IBHI products is attached by hand using needle and thread. This helps improve durability and overall finish.
Does IBHI use any adhesives at all?
Yes, IBHI may use premium professional adhesives in selected cases where structural bonding is necessary. However, glue guns are not used as a shortcut for decorative attachments.
Why are hand-stitched handicrafts better than glue gun products?
Hand-stitched handicrafts generally last longer, handle movement and storage better, and are less likely to lose beads or tassels over time compared to products assembled with hot glue.
Are hand-stitched Indian handicrafts more sustainable?
Longer-lasting handcrafted products can help reduce waste because they do not need to be replaced as quickly. That makes hand-stitched décor a more thoughtful and durable choice.