Hello all, I will continue our survey of Lithuanian costumes by travelling east into Dzukija, [Dzukia], also called Dainava, the land of Song.Dzukia lies in southeastern Lithuania. The cultural capitol of the region is Alytus. For more information see this article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dz%C5%ABkija Here is a map showing Dzukia according to the 5 region system. And here is a map showing Dzukija according to the seven region system. First, a couple of images from V. Dalaima, showing his view of the Dzukia costume A couple of images from the recent book by Andrašiūnaitė. A photograph by R. Paknys. And a couple of images from Jurkuviene. Notice the footwear, moccasins on the boy, and shoes looped or knitted from hemp or linen string on the girl. A couple images from Tamošaitis. And one from Glemžaitė. The chemise is the standard tunic type cut of LIthuania, with relatively narrow shoulder tabs. The lower sleeves often have woven ornament, see the various images in this posting. Here is the design woven into the sleeves of the girl shown just above. Here is a closeup of some pick up designs, most likely in red, woven into the sleeve of a chemise. Dzukia, like Kapsai, has embroidery on the chemise perhaps more often than in other regions. This may be due to proximity with Belarus, where embroidery is just about universal in the folk costume. Here is a woman with very fine counted satin stitch embroidery on her lower sleeves and cuff. And some examples of the different kinds of embroidery used on the sleeves. Notice that the linen in both of the sleeves on the right have been woven with a pattern. Broderie Anglaise was also popular in this region for chemises in the late 19th cent. The skirts, as the most casual perusal of the images in this posting will show, were overwhelmingly made of plaid. One characterisic of all the weaving in this region is the inclusion of small float patterns placed linearly in the weaving, and also isolated overlay patterns woven into the basic plaids. Here is an example of the first. If you look carefully at the skirt, you will see the overlay designs individually woven on top of the plaid in the skirt. Here is a closeup of the skirt. The apron takes center stage again in this costume. Most are of a small plaid design, but some other designs are used as well. Take another look at the various images. Dzukia is especially known for plaids with overlay designs woven in the squares, which is unique to this region. Another type of apron typical of this region has small vertical stripes or plaids, with overlay designs woven in contrasting colors above the hem. Here are a couple examples. There are several other types of aprons worn in this region, but these are the most distinctive. The sashes are typical for Lithuania, with elaborate pickup designs, or other woven ornament. One type of sash unique to Dzukija is a white one with isolated self contained colored designs woven in overlay, placed at intervals along the sash much as they are on the aprons. The mannequen just avove the aprons features such a sash, as do a few other images in the posting, and the two sashes on the left in this image. There are several cuts of bodice used in this region, as you can see from the various images, but the two most distinctive to the region are distinguished by side closure. Here are the patterns for these two types of bodice. The first tyope has four large lappets around the waist, but none in front, where a panel covers the front down to the waist and attaches at the side, C is is one of the lappets and D is the front panel. You can see this cut in several of the images above. This bodice wraps around and closes on the side. You can see it here below and in the second image above from Tamošaitis Either of these cuts are made either from home woven cloth, like the following example, or from brocade or other expensive bought material, as in the images above. The headcoverings are similar to those we have already covered in Kapsai. The costumes are completed with necklaces of amber, coral, or glass beads. Thank you for reading, I hope you have found this interesting and maybe even inspiring. For more information, you can reference this article by Jurkoviene. http://ausis.gf.vu.lt/eka/costume/cost_dzukija.html Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals Roman K. Rkozakand@aol Source Material: AntanaTamošaitis and Anastazija Tamošaitienė, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Toronto, 1979 Vida Kulikauskienė et al, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Vilnius, 1994, Kati Reeder Meek, 'Reflections from a Flaxen Past, For Love of LIthuanian Weaving', Alpena, Michigan, 2000 Teresė Jurkiuvenė, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Vilnius, 2006 Mikalina Glemžaitė, 'Lietuvių Tautiniai Drabužiai', [Lithuanian National Clothing] Vilnius, 1955 Stasė Bernotienė, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Moterų Drabužiai XVIII a XX pr.' [Lithuanian Women's Folk Clothing from the XVIII to the XX cent], Vilnius, 1974, Stasė Bernotienė, 'Lietuvių Valstiecių Išeiginės Prijuostės XIX a. - XX a. pradžia' [Lithuanian Aprons of the 19th and 20th cent], Vilnius, 2007 J. Grigienė et al, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Menas - Drabužiai' [Lithuanian Folk Art - Clothing], Vilnius, 1974 Elena Matulionienė, 'Klaipėdos Krašto Tautiniai Drabužiai' [Folk Clothing of the Klaipeda Region], Klaipeda, 2005 V. Palaimas, artist, set of postcards, 'Lithuanian Folk Costume', 1961 R. Paknys, photographer, set of postcards, 'Lietuvių Tautiniai Drabužiai', 1991 Tatyana Razina et al, 'Folk Art in the Soviet Union', Leningrad, 1990 Irma šidiškienė, 'Buti LIetuve', Vilnius, 2004

Hello all, Today i am going to talk about a specific costume of southern Selonia. I already did one posting on Selonian costume from the north of Selonia. The costume i will describe today straddles the Latvian - Lithuanian border, being found in Nereta district, Augšzeme Province, Latvia. .For location see this link. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nereta_municipality And Biržai district, Aukštaitia Province, Lithuania. Check this link for location. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bir%C5%BEai This costume resembles those of Lithuania more than it does those of Latvia, but it has some distinct characteristics. You may recall a map i included in my last posting showed an ethnic Lithuanian presence north of the border in this area. I cannot verify that, but the costumes are clearly from the same tradition. Here are two examples of the costume of the Nereta district, a married woman and back view And an unmarried girl. And here are a couple of examples of costumes from the Biržai district. A single girl. A young married woman with a cradle.[note the elaborately woven skirt] And a museum exhibit. These images are all from different sources so the quality varies quite a bit, i'm afraid. The distinctive piece of this costume is the chemise, which is typical neither of Latvian nor of Lithuanian Costume. The chemise is made of two seperate fields for the front and back, and there are two wide inserts sewn onto the shoulders which contain horizontal woven ornament in red. Both Latvian and Lithuanian chemises typically have a narrow bar over the shoulders with the front and back generally cut in one piece. The cut of this region is much more typical of Slavic costume, in fact if i had seen one of these chemises without knowing its provenance i would have identified it as being from Polissia, on the Ukrainian/Belorussian border. The second distinctive feature is red woven ornament placed vertically on the body of the sleeve. This feature is also not typical of either country. One could speculate that these features owe their existance to the old Selonian tribes. Here is the cut of the chemise of this region. Here are some closeups of chemises on the Latvian side. This is the shoulder insert and upper sleeve of one chemise.  The collar of the same chemise. This is the shoulder piece and upper sleeve of another chemise. This is the shoulder piece of yet another chemise, the shoulder piece being attached with a decorative open stitching, the upper sleeve being at the right side of the image, and the body of the chemise at the bottom. The woven stripes would display horizontally on the upper arm. Here are two examples from the Lithuanian side. If you look at the images above, you will see that most show a plaid skirt, each woven in a different design based on red, green and other colors. Another part of the costume is a sash, either inkle woven, or very commonly hand braided. It also includes a linen apron, plain woven, or woven with a pattern, with red ornament at the hem, woven or embroidered or both. It may also be edged with bobbin lace or fringe. Here is a closeup of the apron shown in the first image. Here is a closeup of another apron from the Latvian side. Here are closeups of two aprons from the Lithuanian side. You will recognize this apron from the three part image of the museum exhibit above. Both of these examples have a patten woven into the entire apron. Two more linen components of this costume include the married woman's headcloth or 'wimple', called 'galvasauts' in Latvian and 'nuometas' in Lithuanian. The ends were ornamented with similar designs as the chemise and the apron. Often the two ends had different designs. There are various ways of tying this garment, as you can see above. The last garment, visible in the first image, is the rectangular linen wrap, called 'snatene' in Latvian and in Lithuanian 'panuometis' if made of one panel and 'drobule' if made of two panels joined together lengthwise. These also had ends ornamented in the same way as the aprons and chemises. They were sometimes woven of linen and wool for cooler weather, but the elaborately decorated Villaine so typical of Latvia is found neither in this region, nor in the rest of Lithuania. If you examine the images above, you will see that the Lithuanian images show two different cuts to the bodice, or 'liemene'. The last two images show a very basic cut, round neck opening, made of four pieces, sewn to the waist, and unjoined below, the bottom edges of the four pieces forming four lappets that extend to the hips. This is a common cut which is found all over Lithuania and Belarus. The first of the images shows a quite different cut, extending only to the waist in back but having two short extensions on the front. This cut is only found in western Aukštaitia, and in prints by Palaima and others, this is shown as the bodice typical of Aukštaitia. It was made of various materials, home woven as well as velvet or brocade. If the latter was the case, it was edged by metallic galoon. Either way it was fastened down the front with a chain laced through metal eyes or hooks. A couple images of this costume from the Lithuanian side. Note that this outfit has the horizontal ornament on the shoulder inset, but has horizontal ornament on the lower sleeve, instead of vertical. The various images show necklaces of glass or amber, typical of the entire Baltic region, but the girl wearing this bodice is also wearing a silver necklace of hollow beads and dangles, similar to those worn in neighboring Zemgale and by the Finnic peoples. These are also not found in other regions of Lithuania. The 'karuna' or crown shown in two of the Lithuanian images above is made of a wide piece of commercially produced galoon, lined and fastened around the head, by itself in the first image, and combined with a bow made of a wide commercially produced ribbon in the second. The Latvian girl is photographed with a 'vainags' typical of eastern Latvia, with beaded decoration on red cloth. Thank you for reading, i hope you have found this interesting and perhaps inspiring. I intend to work my way through the various provinces of Lithuania unless i get a request to research another area first. Feel free to contact me with requests for research. I hope to eventually cover all of Europe and the Former Russian Empire/Soviet Union. I also gratefully accept tips on source materials which i may not have. I also accept commissions to research/design, sew, and/or embroider costumes or other items for groups or individuals Roman K. Rkozakand@aol Source Material: Source Material: Velta Rozenberga et al, 'Latviesu Tautas Terpi III Zemgale, Augszeme, Latgale' [Latvian National Costumes III Zemgale, Augszeme, Latgale], Riga, 2003 N. Kalashnikova, 'National Costumes of the Soviet Peoples', Moscow, 1990 Ilze Zingite, 'Latvian National Costumes', Riga, 2000 J. Sudmalis, 'Cimdu Rasti' [Mitten designs], Riga, 1961 Aija Jansone et al, 'Ieteikumi Latviesu Tautas Terpu Valkatajiem', Riga, 2002 AntanaTamošaitis and Anastazija Tamošaitienė, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Toronto, 1979 Vida Kulikauskienė et al, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Vilnius, 1994, Kati Reeder Meek, 'Reflections from a Flaxen Past, For Love of LIthuanian Weaving', Alpena, Michigan, 2000 Teresė Jurkiuvenė, 'Lithuanian National Costume', Vilnius, 2006 Mikalina Glemžaitė, 'Lietuvių Tautiniai Drabužiai', [Lithuanian National Clothing] Vilnius, 1955 Stasė Bernotienė, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Moterų Drabužiai XVIII a XX pr.' [Lithuanian Women's Folk Clothing from the XVIII to the XX cent], Vilnius, 1974, Stasė Bernotienė, 'Lietuvių Valstiecių Išeiginės Prijuostės XIX a. - XX a. pradžia' [Lithuanian Aprons of the 19th and 20th cent], Vilnius, 2007 J. Grigienė et al, 'Lietuvių Liaudies Menas - Drabužiai' [Lithuanian Folk Art - Clothing], Vilnius, 1974 Elena Matulionienė, 'Klaipėdos Krašto Tautiniai Drabužiai' [Folk Clothing of the Klaipeda Region], Klaipeda, 2005 V. Palaimas, artist, set of postcards, 'Lithuanian Folk Costume', 1961 R. Paknys, photographer, set of postcards, 'Lietuvių Tautiniai Drabužiai', 1991 Tatyana Razina et al, 'Folk Art in the Soviet Union', Leningrad, 1990 Irma šidiškienė, 'Buti LIetuve', Vilnius, 2004 

Estonian handicraft

Foto: ANITA SAKA Josta no A.B. privātkolekcijas.

Hello alll, Today I am continuing my series on Lithuanian Costume, with a look at the costume of the region of Zanavykija also spelle...

Estonian folk costumes

while dancing Summer Solstice folk music

Uzņēmums SIA "MUDURI" nodarbojas ar tautas tērpu šūšanu, izšūšanu, komplektēšanu. Tautas tērpus piedāvājam koriem, tautas deju ansambļiem, folkloras kopām, kā arī individuāliem pasūtītājiem. Uzņēmumā strādā meistari, kas labi pārzina tautas tērpu darināšanas tradīcijas, izšūšanas tehniku, tērpu piegrieztnes. Tērpu gatavošanā 60% tiek izmantots roku darbs. Tautas tērpu auduma krāsas un tekstūra tiek piemeklētas maksimāli tuvu senajiem etnogrāfiskajiem tērpiem. Darinot tērpu, izmantojam dabīgus materiālus - linu, vilnu un kokvilnu. Papildus piedāvājam tērpus īrēt, labot un restaurēt. Sniedzam konsultācijas tērpu komplektēšanā un to valkāšanā. Nodarbojamies arī ar bērnu apģērbu šūšanu, izšūšanu. Gatavojam tekstilpreces interjeram - galdautus, salvetes, pārklājus atbilstoši klienta velmēm. Pēdējo gadu laikā mūsu klientu lokā ir citu valstu mākslinieciskie kolektīvi un individuālie pasūtītāji (Īrija, Luksemburga, Austrālija, Kanāda, ASV, Norvēģija u.c.) Uzņēmumā darinātie tērpi ir atzinīgi novērtēti Latvijas Dziesmu un Deju Svētkos. Regulāri piedalāmies Brīvdabas Muzeja ikgadējā gadatirgū, šogad mūsu produkcija tiks prezentēta izstādē "Intertextil Balticum". Muduri "MUDURI" deals with folk costume sewing, embroidery, manning. We offer our Folk costumes to choirs, folk dance ensembles, folk groups, and individual customers. The craftsmen who work in the company are familiar with the folk costume traditions in fabrication, stitching techniques and dress patterns. There is 60% manual labor in our preparing process. Folk costume fabric, color and texture are selected as close as ancient ethnographic costumes. Preparing costumes we use natural materials - linen, wool and cotton. In addition we offer to rent, repair and restore costumes. We provide consulting in staffing and wearing. We offer children clothing, embroidery. We prepare interior textiles - tablecloths, napkins, covers the customer's needs. In recent years, our clients are a circle of other national artistic collective and individual customers (Ireland, Luxembourg, Australia, Canada, USA, Norway, etc.) Our folk costumes are high rated in Latvian Song and Dance Festival. We regularly take part in the annual trade fair at the open-air museum , this year our production will be presented in the exhibition "Intertextil Balticum”. Muduri at www.visitlatvia.lv

Juhend rahvarõiva seeliku õmblemiseks.

Estonian folk costumes - Kadrina midriff blouse - embroidery with bobbin lace edge