Tailoring and Embroidery
Sewing and decorating with embroidery of garments for women, especially the bridal attire was a hobby as well as profession of the Cutchi Memon women until about 1950s. The embroidery work, Bharth, consisted of making patterns with coloured threads, badlo, zari (Kasab, Kasav), salmo, sitara (Chamki), and mukaish.  While embroidery stands were used for needle work, talli stands were used for knit work. Talli work, besides being used to be stiched on to garments was also used to decorate Kozis, pillow covers, cushions etc. A few specimens of articles made are shown below.

Plain silver or gold wire flattened into thin ribbon was called Badlo and the work as Badlo Chhandno. The badlo wound around a silk or cotton thread as base became the zari. Flattened bits of badlo cut in the shape of a star, cresent or disk with a hole in the centre was termed sitaro whereas tiny dots with a raised centre was mukaish. Very thin bare wire is called Salmo. While the art of Bhart flourishes in Rajashan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh, it has absolutely vanished from the hands of Cutchi Memon women. (Incidentally, my niece Halima Bai is running an outfit for zari work, in Thiruvananthapuram, with workers from outside the state.) 
 

Another widely practised technique was Thalli weaving where patterns were woven on a set of Thalli equipment comprised of a pillow and reels and spindles  carrying threads and zari. Originally a Persian technique, it was widespread in North India, including Cutch. The Thalli culture migrated to Dubai and Abudhabi and is sustained there as a tribal culture, while it declined and decimated  in India with the mechanization of knitting and it failed to continue with the Cutchi Memon community as the new generations were either not interested or because the readymade apparel were more attractive and their procurement effortless.

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Other hobbies included knitting woolen socks and sweaters, making bags and purses with beads which somehow survived.  At the same time doll making, making decorative chains and frills with broken coloured glass bangles perished. Moreover, certain other tasks like making and re-making of mattresses, quilts, cushions and pillows with silk cotton and old clothes faded out with the rubber mattresses and such other products becoming easily available.