​​Ethnic Textile Art

Yugoslavian embroidery shows peasant art at its best, using designs passed down over the generations.  This embroidery is so rich and diverse in appearance that it is hard to describe a specific technique that is uniquely Yugoslavian.  Yugoslavia was unified as a separate country in 1918, and no longer exists today.  This embroidery shows the influence of multiple ethnic groups still living in this geographic area.

 

Examples of traditional costumes show garments created by an individual for personal use, which were made entirely from hand-made fabrics and fibers.  Their garments were heavily adorned with wool, linen and in some areas, even silk threads.  More recently created costumes show a wider diversity of materials being used, including metallic threads, beads and sequins, and even cowrie shells.  

 

Traditional Yugoslavian garments are influenced by many factors – the age and marital status of the woman, the geographic area from which the costume originated, as well the specific holiday during which the garment is to be worn.  When someone moves from a specific geographical area, it is possible for other Yugoslavians to identify that individual’s “home” region solely from the embroidery found on their garments.

 

The history of this particular form of weaving was not described in any of the texts I consulted in preparing this documentation.  The sources listed in the bibliography contain charts and close-ups of this style of embroidery, but not an explanation of its origin.  At least six of these sources identify this technique as “Yugoslavian”, and show a variety of different designs using this weaving technique.  Therefore, I feel confident in describing this project as “Yugoslavian Weaving.”    

 

Drawing a parallel to other ethnic groups, my assumption is that this weaving was probably among the first needlework tasks assigned to a young girl.  (Yugoslavian girls were expected to begin stitching as young as 4 or 5.)  As the embroiderer became more proficient, additional techniques would begin to be shown on their work.  In some of the sources, this style of weaving was combined with examples of the “slav stitch”  - one of the most common of all stitches found in Yugoslavian needlework.     

 

Folk artists use the materials available to them to produce functional articles.  A frequent practice among many folk cultures is the sharing of tasks, especially with the creation of textiles.  If one family were known for dyes of a certain color, they would frequently trade with their neighbors to obtain a second hue.  Depending on the character and availability of the materials used to create their dyes, remaining examples of Yugoslavian weaving often have colors that are not carefully coordinated (at least to the eyes of a 21st century needleworker.)

 

Yugoslavian embroidery certainly merits our attention as needleworkers.  In its history, a rich of variety of techniques (up to nine specific types) have been worked on diverse materials (linen, wool, cotton and leather) using multiple sewing materials (linen, silk, metallic threads, beads, sequins and shells.)  In all of these characteristics, it reflects the common thread of many of the folk-arts - the desire to create beauty in the simple things of life.