Hello all, Today I am going to talk about a type of costume which was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns call this type of costume 'Rekko', after the particular kind of embroidery done on the chemise. This embroidery is done on the front just under the collar and results in the opening being on the side, as you can see in this image above. Karelia is a contiguous region, but references to it are complicated, as it is divided into three parts politically. Here is a map showing the various regions of Karelia. The regions of South Karelia [Etelä-Karjala] and North Karelia [Pohjois-Karjala] are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are within the Karelian Republic of Russia. This also includes the region of Zaonezhia, which lies east of Lake Onega and which is populated solely by Russians, so as to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian isthmus [Karjalankannas] is currently part of Leningrad Oblast in Russia, along with Ingria. The famous Kalevala was written in Karelia. The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, speaking a family of dialects which are considered to be Finnish or a closely related language, Generally, the areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian, while the areas in Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and the region north of Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian dialects of Finnish. There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in Tver' Oblast in Russia. They moved there to escape religious persecution by the Lutherans, but unfortunately they have mostly been assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian isthmus, along with a strip of territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 1940's. This land is still shown on Finnish maps. The costume which I will be addressing today was found in various versions in the southern part of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus, together with communities of Ingrian Finns including Tuuteri [Tuutari] in Ingria, which is south of the previous border. This costume is still maintained by the small community of Karelians and Ingrian Finns which remain in the area, as well as by many who now live within the current borders of Finland. The history and ethnogeography of this region is rather complicated, including, besides the Finns and Karelians the Votes, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Veps, Swedes, and Russians. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Isthmus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia As you can see from this map, besides Tuuteri, costumes with the rekko are found in the districts of Koivisto, Kuolemajärvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, Äyräpää, Kanneljärvi, Valkjärvi, Kivennapa, Rautu, Sakkola, and Metsäpirtti. These have, of course. now all been given Russian names. There are differences of detail between the costumes of the various districts. This costume was also found south of the border in some parts of Ingria, particularly in districts north of St. Petersburg, like Miikkulainen, and Vuole, but also in the district of Skuoritsa, which borders Tuuteri on the southwest, and the district of Tyrö on the Baltic coast to the north and west of Tuuteri [Tuutari]. Here is a photograph of the rekko paita or chemise. This particular example is from Sakkola. The rekko is a center piece in the front of the chemise which is gathered into tubes as for smocking. Embroidery is done across these tubes and onto the neighboring piece of material Here is a schematic of a rekko chemise. Unlike English smocking, the gathering threads are left in place, and the result is not elastic. The design, color and extent of the embroidery varies by district. Here is a closeup of a rekko from Valkjärvi done in orange, blue and white wool. Apparantly the original color of rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shade of yellow/orange still seems to generally be the primary color. The side opening is held closed by an engraved silver or pewter brooch, smaller for single girls, and larger for married women. This is the size of brooch which would be given to a girl by her fiance. Here are a few images I took from a Finnish woman's blog showing how she made a rekko from Kivennapa, step by step. She is an amazing seamstress and makes Sarafans as well. Her name seems to be Soja. Here is a link to her blog.It is very inspiring to see her work. http://soja.blogit.fi/tag/rekko/ Here are a couple of closeups of a rekko from Kuolemajärvi. Here is a closeup of a rekko from the district of Tyrö in Ingria. Sometimes you will see one of these costumes made with a fake rekko, substituting it with a patch just sewn onto the chemise, like this example from Tuuteri. This photo is from a catalog of a company that makes mass produced costumes. It is much easier to do this. Here is a closeup of the rekko embroidery from Metsäpirtti.This photo looks like the embroidery was originally done over the smocking and then was cut off and sewn onto a newer chemise. The photo was taken from this webpage, which shows every detail of the Metsäpirtti costume and has detailed instructions on how to make it, in Finnish, [Karelian?]. The images are not of the best quality, but the information is still very valuable and interesting. http://www.metsapirtti.net/perinne/metsapirttipuku/luku6.htm Besides the rekko, embroidery is done on a narrow band or stand-up collar, on the cuffs, and in Tuuteri, Skuoritsa and Tyrö on the shoulders above or below the sleeve seam. In the area from Sakkola to Vuole, a colored strip of printed cotton cloth was sometimes inserted in this seam. See the image above. Here is an example from Miikkulainen. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder. This is the collar to the Kivennapa chemise that Soja shows on her blog. On the Karelian isthmus, sarafans were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. The Rekko costumes are of either type, depending on district. This map shows the sarafan-wearing area shaded and stippled. There are two similar cuts used for the sarafan in this area. Examples from Sakkola An example from Miikkulainen. In Tuuteri and Skuoritsa the upper part is ornamented. On the west side of the isthmus, a skirt is worn, either of a single color, as in Muolaa, or plaid with striped broadcloth sewn onto the bottom hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. In Ingria the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt. Aprons are either wool or linen, usually with woven in designs, and/or embroidery. The linen aprons often have nyytinki bobbin-lace inserts and/or edging, like this example from Sakkola. Tan leather shoes are worn which are typical of Karelia, and are similar to those worn by the Saami [Lapps], but shorter. They have a distinctive pointed toe. Girls wear a headband or ribbon around the head. In Ingria in particular this was often highly ornamented with beadwork and metal plates. Here is an example from Tyrö. While married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made of cloth with embroidery and/or appliqued ribbon, and ties around the head. Here are a couple of examples. Here is what the two constituent pieces look like Here are some more examples of the embroidery on the sorokka. I will close with some photos showing the various forms of this costume in the various districts. Koivisto Kuolemajärvi Uusikirkko and Kanneljärvi Muolaa Äyräpää Kivennapa Valkjärvi Sakkola and Rautu Metsäpirtti Miikkulainen and Vuole Tuuteri Skuoritsa Tyrö Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative. I find this type of embroidery to be fascinating. I hope that some of you will find a way to adapt this idea and make something beautiful to enrich the world. Here is a Finnish website where you can order some of these costumes http://www.kansallispuvut.fi/puvut/koivisto_np.htm 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] email Source material: Ildiko Lehtinnen, 'Rahwaan Puku Folk Costume', Helsinki, 1984 Leena Hokkanen, 'The Bobbin-Laces of Karelian National Costumes', Saksa, Finland, 1991 Sylvi Kauhanen, 'Kansallispukuja', Helsinki, 1952 Ritva Somerma, 'Kansallispukuja', Lahti, Finland, 1991 Ritva Somerma, 'Finnish National Dresses', Lahti, Finland, 1987 Viola Malmi et al, 'Kostium i Prazdnyk', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2008 T. Jashkova, 'Kostium Karelii', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2009 Also the website of Finnish Museums online, which has remarkable images of items from various collections. http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/en

I learned basic backstrap rigid heddle weaving to make traditional belts for my Karelian folk costume I'm constructing.

Hello all, Today I will do an overview of the costumes of the Saami people. Previously they were called Lapps, but this is not what they call themselves, and they consider the term to be pejorative. The origin of the word Lapp is controverted, but it may be from Old Finnish/Estonian for a place far away. The Land of the Saami; Sápmi, Sábme, or Saemie, depending on the Dialect, is split between four nation-states, Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia. It consists of the northern part of the Fenno-Scandian peninsula. Here is the webpage of the artist who created this map, Hans Ragnarmathisen http://www.keviselie-hansragnarmathisen.net/ The Saami do not have political recognition as a people, but they do have a flag. The colors of the flag are the same colors used in Saami costume, for the most part. Linguists group the various Saami dialects into 9 Languages, of which 3 are moribund. These languages are completely unrelated to Norwegian, Swedish or Russian, and only distantly related to Finnish. There are about 160,000 Saami worldwide, of which maybe 20,000 speak one of their native languages. In spite of this linguistic diversity, they do indeed think of themselves as one people, and recently have been very active politically. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sami_languages There are a large number of blogs and articles online as well. I will be following the linguistic groups in my discussion of the costumes. Here are two maps which show the different groups. The second one omits the three moribund languages, but has many useful place names. I will be referring to both groups and locations throughout the article. Saami languages were also once spoken much further south. This second map lumps some of the groups together: 1 Southern Saami 2 Central Saami 3. Northern Saami 4 Inari Saami 5 Skolt Saami 6 Kola Saami The term which the Saami use for their costume is Gákti. This has been borrowed into Norwegian as Kofte, into Swedish as Kolt, and into Finnish as Takki. There is no equivalent in Russian. The couple at the head of the article are wearing the costume which is the most famous, from Kautokeino (Guovdageaidnu) in Norway. [Throughout this article I will give the internationally recognized name of a location first, followed by the Saami name in parentheses.] This is undoubtedly the poster child of the Saami group, being one of the most colorful and impressive. Most of the Gákti have the same basic construction, however. The main part of the costume consists of a pullover, which is basically the same for men and women, the mens' version hangs about mid thigh, while the womens' hangs to the knee or mid calf, depending on the local variation. The following drawings by Max Tilke show the basic cut. The first is a woman's garment from 'Tornelappmark', which is an old name for far northern Sweden. This is a man's garment, place of origin unspecified. This shows a pair of pants and a variety of different hats and bonnets used by the Saami. The basic garment is belted with either a woven sash or leather strap, which may be variously ornamented. Men wear pants, and women also in cold weather; low boots with woven straps are worn, some of plain leather and others of reindeer fur. Reindeer fur leggings are worn in winter over the pants, these sometimes have 'wings' attached to the upper edge. Hats and bonnets vary greatly according to location. The basic color of the cloth is usually the blue of the Saami flag, but it may be black, off-white, or sometimes green. Garment pieces may also be of leather. The trim is almost always red and yellow, with some green added at times. Overgarments of reindeer fur are worn in winter. DMC has put out a book titled 'Lapland Embroideries', but NONE of the embroidery designs pictured in the book are Saami. There are a couple of designs from the woven sashes on p. 40, but the rest of the designs are from various other northern peoples ranging from the Icelanders to the Nanai. The Saami do not traditionally do embroidery as such. They do a lot of applique and patchwork on their costumes, and they do a type of metal couching using pewter wire. This is commonly done on belts, and on the bags which hang from the belt, and are also done on the dickey which is worn under the main garment in many Saami costumes. Here are a couple examples of this work, In the eastern parts of Sabme, beadwork is also done. In this image, the two woven sashes are Northern Saami from Enontekiö (Eanodat) in Finland, and the beaded one is Skolt Saami. I will now give short illustrations of the costumes of the various groups. This will by no means be exhaustive, as there are many regional types, and detailed information is difficult to find on some of them. Please refer to the above maps. SOUTH SAAMI There are about 2000 South Saami, of whom perhaps 600 can speak the language. Here is the costume from between Femunden and Saltfjellet in Norway. A closeup of the dickey, pin, purse and belt of this costume. Notice the pewter wire couching. This costume is from around Idre in Dalarna, Sweden. This young man is also South Saami from Sweden, from around AmmarnäsTärnaby, VilhelminaÅsele. CENTRAL SAAMI The central Saami traditionally spoke the Ume, Pite and Lule languages, going from south to north. Ume Saami currently has about 10 speakers, and Pite Saami has between 25 and 50. There are more who no longer speak the language. So many good sources of images do not bother to record the exact origin, so many of the images which I have are simply marked 'Sweden' or 'Norway'. I have not been able to find many images of these people. Ume Saami This is the only image which I have been able to find which is unequivocably Ume Saami. This woman is LenaMaria Nilsson who is active in Saami politics. Pite Saami Lule Saami Lule Saami is still spoken by perhaps 2000 people, the second largest of the Saami languages. A Lule Saami couple from Tysfjord Norway Lule Saami from Jokkmokk (Jåhkåmåhkke or Dálvvadis) in Sweden NORTHERN SAAMI The Northern Saami are found in the northernmost parts of Norway, Sweden, and Finland. Theirs is the largest of the Saami languages at 15,000 or more speakers. There are districts where they are still the majority population. There are a dozen or more very colorful costumes worn by the Northern Saami I will highlight just a few. Sweden: Jukkasjärvi (Čohkkirasjávri) Karesuando (Karesuanto, Gárasavvon or Karasavvon) Norway These are some of the Northern Saami costumes found in Norway. Troms (Romsa) Varanger (Várnjárga) Karasjok (Kárášjohka) The same basic costume is also worn in Tana. You can see the 'wings' on the fur leggings on the man. Kautokeino ( Guovdageaidnu) This is often described as 'embroidered', but in fact the ornamentation consists of rows of appliqued patterned ribbon. Finland The costumes of Enontekiö (Eanodat) are basically the same as in Kautokeino (Guovdageaidnu) Sodankylä (Soađegilli) Utsjoki (Ohcejohka) INARI SAAMI The Inari and Skolt languages are each highly divergent from the other Saami languages. About 300 people currently speak this language, although there is a movement to start teaching it to younger people. The Inari only live in Finland. SKOLT SAAMI The Skolt Saami number about 1250 and live in Norway, Finland and Russia, although most of the 400 speakers of the language live in Finland. Some of them abandoned the Gáktii for chemise and Sarafan as worn by their neighbors, The Karelians and the White Sea Russians. The women wear beaded caps which are similar to the Sorokka worn by the Karelians. KOLA SAAMI These only live in Russia. Of the three languages, Akkala is extinct, and 2 people still speak Ter. Kilden Saami is still spoken by perhaps 600 people. It is not used much in daily life, and most Saami in Russia do not speak it. I have found several images of Saami from Russia, but I do not have information as to which costume comes from which location. Some of these may be Skolt. Here is one blog which is devoted to Saami culture. This is well worth looking over for more information and links. http://saamiblog.blogspot.com/ Thank you for reading. I hope that you have found this interesting. The circumstances in which the Saami find themselves, being split by political borders, having local ways of speaking which are unintelligible to other communities, having no common language of their own, Identity at best ignored or often suppressed by the governments of the majority people are not unique. They are unfortunately similar for many indigenous people around the world. Each culture is a unique treasure which in a sense belongs to humanity at large. We should at least be aware of them. I have pieced this article together from many sources, and while I have caught some obvious errors, there may be others which have found their way into this article. I am particularly unsure concerning the material from Sweden. If anyone, Saami or otherwise notices such errors, I apologize and would greatly appreciate better information and images. Thank you. 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] Source Material: Ulf Hård af Segerstad, 'Dakkan En Bok om Samernas Slöjd', Malmö, Sweden, 1971Rolf Kjellström et al, 'Saami Daaidda', Helsinki, 1981 Heidi Fossnes, 'Norges Bunader og Samiske Folkedrakter', Oslo, 1994 Liv Trotzig et al, 'Sockendräkter Dalarna', Dalarna, 1976 Natalia Kalashnikova et al, 'National Costumes of the Soviet Peoples', Moscow, 1990 L. N. Molotova, 'Folk Art of the Russian Federation', Leningrad, 1981 Max Tilke, 'East European Costumes', London, 1926 Charles Holme, ed., 'Peasant Art in Sweden, Lapland, and Iceland', London, 1910 Laila Duran, 'Scandinavian Folklore vol I - III', AB, Sweden, 2011-2013 Much of this material I found online, I thank all those who make such information available. Upon request I will include explicit sources of the images. Thank you

I learned basic backstrap rigid heddle weaving to make traditional belts for my Karelian folk costume I'm constructing.

Hello all, Today I am going to talk about a type of costume which was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns call this type of costume 'Rekko', after the particular kind of embroidery done on the chemise. This embroidery is done on the front just under the collar and results in the opening being on the side, as you can see in this image above. Karelia is a contiguous region, but references to it are complicated, as it is divided into three parts politically. Here is a map showing the various regions of Karelia. The regions of South Karelia [Etelä-Karjala] and North Karelia [Pohjois-Karjala] are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are within the Karelian Republic of Russia. This also includes the region of Zaonezhia, which lies east of Lake Onega and which is populated solely by Russians, so as to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian isthmus [Karjalankannas] is currently part of Leningrad Oblast in Russia, along with Ingria. The famous Kalevala was written in Karelia. The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, speaking a family of dialects which are considered to be Finnish or a closely related language, Generally, the areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian, while the areas in Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and the region north of Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian dialects of Finnish. There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in Tver' Oblast in Russia. They moved there to escape religious persecution by the Lutherans, but unfortunately they have mostly been assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian isthmus, along with a strip of territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 1940's. This land is still shown on Finnish maps. The costume which I will be addressing today was found in various versions in the southern part of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus, together with communities of Ingrian Finns including Tuuteri [Tuutari] in Ingria, which is south of the previous border. This costume is still maintained by the small community of Karelians and Ingrian Finns which remain in the area, as well as by many who now live within the current borders of Finland. The history and ethnogeography of this region is rather complicated, including, besides the Finns and Karelians the Votes, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Veps, Swedes, and Russians. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Isthmus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia As you can see from this map, besides Tuuteri, costumes with the rekko are found in the districts of Koivisto, Kuolemajärvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, Äyräpää, Kanneljärvi, Valkjärvi, Kivennapa, Rautu, Sakkola, and Metsäpirtti. These have, of course. now all been given Russian names. There are differences of detail between the costumes of the various districts. This costume was also found south of the border in some parts of Ingria, particularly in districts north of St. Petersburg, like Miikkulainen, and Vuole, but also in the district of Skuoritsa, which borders Tuuteri on the southwest, and the district of Tyrö on the Baltic coast to the north and west of Tuuteri [Tuutari]. Here is a photograph of the rekko paita or chemise. This particular example is from Sakkola. The rekko is a center piece in the front of the chemise which is gathered into tubes as for smocking. Embroidery is done across these tubes and onto the neighboring piece of material Here is a schematic of a rekko chemise. Unlike English smocking, the gathering threads are left in place, and the result is not elastic. The design, color and extent of the embroidery varies by district. Here is a closeup of a rekko from Valkjärvi done in orange, blue and white wool. Apparantly the original color of rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shade of yellow/orange still seems to generally be the primary color. The side opening is held closed by an engraved silver or pewter brooch, smaller for single girls, and larger for married women. This is the size of brooch which would be given to a girl by her fiance. Here are a few images I took from a Finnish woman's blog showing how she made a rekko from Kivennapa, step by step. She is an amazing seamstress and makes Sarafans as well. Her name seems to be Soja. Here is a link to her blog.It is very inspiring to see her work. http://soja.blogit.fi/tag/rekko/ Here are a couple of closeups of a rekko from Kuolemajärvi. Here is a closeup of a rekko from the district of Tyrö in Ingria. Sometimes you will see one of these costumes made with a fake rekko, substituting it with a patch just sewn onto the chemise, like this example from Tuuteri. This photo is from a catalog of a company that makes mass produced costumes. It is much easier to do this. Here is a closeup of the rekko embroidery from Metsäpirtti.This photo looks like the embroidery was originally done over the smocking and then was cut off and sewn onto a newer chemise. The photo was taken from this webpage, which shows every detail of the Metsäpirtti costume and has detailed instructions on how to make it, in Finnish, [Karelian?]. The images are not of the best quality, but the information is still very valuable and interesting. http://www.metsapirtti.net/perinne/metsapirttipuku/luku6.htm Besides the rekko, embroidery is done on a narrow band or stand-up collar, on the cuffs, and in Tuuteri, Skuoritsa and Tyrö on the shoulders above or below the sleeve seam. In the area from Sakkola to Vuole, a colored strip of printed cotton cloth was sometimes inserted in this seam. See the image above. Here is an example from Miikkulainen. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder. This is the collar to the Kivennapa chemise that Soja shows on her blog. On the Karelian isthmus, sarafans were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. The Rekko costumes are of either type, depending on district. This map shows the sarafan-wearing area shaded and stippled. There are two similar cuts used for the sarafan in this area. Examples from Sakkola An example from Miikkulainen. In Tuuteri and Skuoritsa the upper part is ornamented. On the west side of the isthmus, a skirt is worn, either of a single color, as in Muolaa, or plaid with striped broadcloth sewn onto the bottom hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. In Ingria the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt. Aprons are either wool or linen, usually with woven in designs, and/or embroidery. The linen aprons often have nyytinki bobbin-lace inserts and/or edging, like this example from Sakkola. Tan leather shoes are worn which are typical of Karelia, and are similar to those worn by the Saami [Lapps], but shorter. They have a distinctive pointed toe. Girls wear a headband or ribbon around the head. In Ingria in particular this was often highly ornamented with beadwork and metal plates. Here is an example from Tyrö. While married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made of cloth with embroidery and/or appliqued ribbon, and ties around the head. Here are a couple of examples. Here is what the two constituent pieces look like Here are some more examples of the embroidery on the sorokka. I will close with some photos showing the various forms of this costume in the various districts. Koivisto Kuolemajärvi Uusikirkko and Kanneljärvi Muolaa Äyräpää Kivennapa Valkjärvi Sakkola and Rautu Metsäpirtti Miikkulainen and Vuole Tuuteri Skuoritsa Tyrö Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative. I find this type of embroidery to be fascinating. I hope that some of you will find a way to adapt this idea and make something beautiful to enrich the world. Here is a Finnish website where you can order some of these costumes http://www.kansallispuvut.fi/puvut/koivisto_np.htm 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] email Source material: Ildiko Lehtinnen, 'Rahwaan Puku Folk Costume', Helsinki, 1984 Leena Hokkanen, 'The Bobbin-Laces of Karelian National Costumes', Saksa, Finland, 1991 Sylvi Kauhanen, 'Kansallispukuja', Helsinki, 1952 Ritva Somerma, 'Kansallispukuja', Lahti, Finland, 1991 Ritva Somerma, 'Finnish National Dresses', Lahti, Finland, 1987 Viola Malmi et al, 'Kostium i Prazdnyk', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2008 T. Jashkova, 'Kostium Karelii', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2009 Also the website of Finnish Museums online, which has remarkable images of items from various collections. http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/en

Hello all, Today I am going to talk about a type of costume which was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns call this type of costume 'Rekko', after the particular kind of embroidery done on the chemise. This embroidery is done on the front just under the collar and results in the opening being on the side, as you can see in this image above. Karelia is a contiguous region, but references to it are complicated, as it is divided into three parts politically. Here is a map showing the various regions of Karelia. The regions of South Karelia [Etelä-Karjala] and North Karelia [Pohjois-Karjala] are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are within the Karelian Republic of Russia. This also includes the region of Zaonezhia, which lies east of Lake Onega and which is populated solely by Russians, so as to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian isthmus [Karjalankannas] is currently part of Leningrad Oblast in Russia, along with Ingria. The famous Kalevala was written in Karelia. The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, speaking a family of dialects which are considered to be Finnish or a closely related language, Generally, the areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian, while the areas in Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and the region north of Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian dialects of Finnish. There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in Tver' Oblast in Russia. They moved there to escape religious persecution by the Lutherans, but unfortunately they have mostly been assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian isthmus, along with a strip of territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 1940's. This land is still shown on Finnish maps. The costume which I will be addressing today was found in various versions in the southern part of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus, together with communities of Ingrian Finns including Tuuteri [Tuutari] in Ingria, which is south of the previous border. This costume is still maintained by the small community of Karelians and Ingrian Finns which remain in the area, as well as by many who now live within the current borders of Finland. The history and ethnogeography of this region is rather complicated, including, besides the Finns and Karelians the Votes, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Veps, Swedes, and Russians. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Isthmus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia As you can see from this map, besides Tuuteri, costumes with the rekko are found in the districts of Koivisto, Kuolemajärvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, Äyräpää, Kanneljärvi, Valkjärvi, Kivennapa, Rautu, Sakkola, and Metsäpirtti. These have, of course. now all been given Russian names. There are differences of detail between the costumes of the various districts. This costume was also found south of the border in some parts of Ingria, particularly in districts north of St. Petersburg, like Miikkulainen, and Vuole, but also in the district of Skuoritsa, which borders Tuuteri on the southwest, and the district of Tyrö on the Baltic coast to the north and west of Tuuteri [Tuutari]. Here is a photograph of the rekko paita or chemise. This particular example is from Sakkola. The rekko is a center piece in the front of the chemise which is gathered into tubes as for smocking. Embroidery is done across these tubes and onto the neighboring piece of material Here is a schematic of a rekko chemise. Unlike English smocking, the gathering threads are left in place, and the result is not elastic. The design, color and extent of the embroidery varies by district. Here is a closeup of a rekko from Valkjärvi done in orange, blue and white wool. Apparantly the original color of rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shade of yellow/orange still seems to generally be the primary color. The side opening is held closed by an engraved silver or pewter brooch, smaller for single girls, and larger for married women. This is the size of brooch which would be given to a girl by her fiance. Here are a few images I took from a Finnish woman's blog showing how she made a rekko from Kivennapa, step by step. She is an amazing seamstress and makes Sarafans as well. Her name seems to be Soja. Here is a link to her blog.It is very inspiring to see her work. http://soja.blogit.fi/tag/rekko/ Here are a couple of closeups of a rekko from Kuolemajärvi. Here is a closeup of a rekko from the district of Tyrö in Ingria. Sometimes you will see one of these costumes made with a fake rekko, substituting it with a patch just sewn onto the chemise, like this example from Tuuteri. This photo is from a catalog of a company that makes mass produced costumes. It is much easier to do this. Here is a closeup of the rekko embroidery from Metsäpirtti.This photo looks like the embroidery was originally done over the smocking and then was cut off and sewn onto a newer chemise. The photo was taken from this webpage, which shows every detail of the Metsäpirtti costume and has detailed instructions on how to make it, in Finnish, [Karelian?]. The images are not of the best quality, but the information is still very valuable and interesting. http://www.metsapirtti.net/perinne/metsapirttipuku/luku6.htm Besides the rekko, embroidery is done on a narrow band or stand-up collar, on the cuffs, and in Tuuteri, Skuoritsa and Tyrö on the shoulders above or below the sleeve seam. In the area from Sakkola to Vuole, a colored strip of printed cotton cloth was sometimes inserted in this seam. See the image above. Here is an example from Miikkulainen. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder. This is the collar to the Kivennapa chemise that Soja shows on her blog. On the Karelian isthmus, sarafans were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. The Rekko costumes are of either type, depending on district. This map shows the sarafan-wearing area shaded and stippled. There are two similar cuts used for the sarafan in this area. Examples from Sakkola An example from Miikkulainen. In Tuuteri and Skuoritsa the upper part is ornamented. On the west side of the isthmus, a skirt is worn, either of a single color, as in Muolaa, or plaid with striped broadcloth sewn onto the bottom hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. In Ingria the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt. Aprons are either wool or linen, usually with woven in designs, and/or embroidery. The linen aprons often have nyytinki bobbin-lace inserts and/or edging, like this example from Sakkola. Tan leather shoes are worn which are typical of Karelia, and are similar to those worn by the Saami [Lapps], but shorter. They have a distinctive pointed toe. Girls wear a headband or ribbon around the head. In Ingria in particular this was often highly ornamented with beadwork and metal plates. Here is an example from Tyrö. While married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made of cloth with embroidery and/or appliqued ribbon, and ties around the head. Here are a couple of examples. Here is what the two constituent pieces look like Here are some more examples of the embroidery on the sorokka. I will close with some photos showing the various forms of this costume in the various districts. Koivisto Kuolemajärvi Uusikirkko and Kanneljärvi Muolaa Äyräpää Kivennapa Valkjärvi Sakkola and Rautu Metsäpirtti Miikkulainen and Vuole Tuuteri Skuoritsa Tyrö Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative. I find this type of embroidery to be fascinating. I hope that some of you will find a way to adapt this idea and make something beautiful to enrich the world. Here is a Finnish website where you can order some of these costumes http://www.kansallispuvut.fi/puvut/koivisto_np.htm 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] email Source material: Ildiko Lehtinnen, 'Rahwaan Puku Folk Costume', Helsinki, 1984 Leena Hokkanen, 'The Bobbin-Laces of Karelian National Costumes', Saksa, Finland, 1991 Sylvi Kauhanen, 'Kansallispukuja', Helsinki, 1952 Ritva Somerma, 'Kansallispukuja', Lahti, Finland, 1991 Ritva Somerma, 'Finnish National Dresses', Lahti, Finland, 1987 Viola Malmi et al, 'Kostium i Prazdnyk', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2008 T. Jashkova, 'Kostium Karelii', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2009 Also the website of Finnish Museums online, which has remarkable images of items from various collections. http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/en

To see all pictures published yet look at the categories in the sidebar and Click ‘SIVO – Dansfestival’

Hello all, Today I am going to talk about a type of costume which was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns call this type of costume 'Rekko', after the particular kind of embroidery done on the chemise. This embroidery is done on the front just under the collar and results in the opening being on the side, as you can see in this image above. Karelia is a contiguous region, but references to it are complicated, as it is divided into three parts politically. Here is a map showing the various regions of Karelia. The regions of South Karelia [Etelä-Karjala] and North Karelia [Pohjois-Karjala] are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are within the Karelian Republic of Russia. This also includes the region of Zaonezhia, which lies east of Lake Onega and which is populated solely by Russians, so as to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian isthmus [Karjalankannas] is currently part of Leningrad Oblast in Russia, along with Ingria. The famous Kalevala was written in Karelia. The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, speaking a family of dialects which are considered to be Finnish or a closely related language, Generally, the areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian, while the areas in Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and the region north of Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian dialects of Finnish. There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in Tver' Oblast in Russia. They moved there to escape religious persecution by the Lutherans, but unfortunately they have mostly been assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian isthmus, along with a strip of territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 1940's. This land is still shown on Finnish maps. The costume which I will be addressing today was found in various versions in the southern part of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus, together with communities of Ingrian Finns including Tuuteri [Tuutari] in Ingria, which is south of the previous border. This costume is still maintained by the small community of Karelians and Ingrian Finns which remain in the area, as well as by many who now live within the current borders of Finland. The history and ethnogeography of this region is rather complicated, including, besides the Finns and Karelians the Votes, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Veps, Swedes, and Russians. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Isthmus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia As you can see from this map, besides Tuuteri, costumes with the rekko are found in the districts of Koivisto, Kuolemajärvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, Äyräpää, Kanneljärvi, Valkjärvi, Kivennapa, Rautu, Sakkola, and Metsäpirtti. These have, of course. now all been given Russian names. There are differences of detail between the costumes of the various districts. This costume was also found south of the border in some parts of Ingria, particularly in districts north of St. Petersburg, like Miikkulainen, and Vuole, but also in the district of Skuoritsa, which borders Tuuteri on the southwest, and the district of Tyrö on the Baltic coast to the north and west of Tuuteri [Tuutari]. Here is a photograph of the rekko paita or chemise. This particular example is from Sakkola. The rekko is a center piece in the front of the chemise which is gathered into tubes as for smocking. Embroidery is done across these tubes and onto the neighboring piece of material Here is a schematic of a rekko chemise. Unlike English smocking, the gathering threads are left in place, and the result is not elastic. The design, color and extent of the embroidery varies by district. Here is a closeup of a rekko from Valkjärvi done in orange, blue and white wool. Apparantly the original color of rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shade of yellow/orange still seems to generally be the primary color. The side opening is held closed by an engraved silver or pewter brooch, smaller for single girls, and larger for married women. This is the size of brooch which would be given to a girl by her fiance. Here are a few images I took from a Finnish woman's blog showing how she made a rekko from Kivennapa, step by step. She is an amazing seamstress and makes Sarafans as well. Her name seems to be Soja. Here is a link to her blog.It is very inspiring to see her work. http://soja.blogit.fi/tag/rekko/ Here are a couple of closeups of a rekko from Kuolemajärvi. Here is a closeup of a rekko from the district of Tyrö in Ingria. Sometimes you will see one of these costumes made with a fake rekko, substituting it with a patch just sewn onto the chemise, like this example from Tuuteri. This photo is from a catalog of a company that makes mass produced costumes. It is much easier to do this. Here is a closeup of the rekko embroidery from Metsäpirtti.This photo looks like the embroidery was originally done over the smocking and then was cut off and sewn onto a newer chemise. The photo was taken from this webpage, which shows every detail of the Metsäpirtti costume and has detailed instructions on how to make it, in Finnish, [Karelian?]. The images are not of the best quality, but the information is still very valuable and interesting. http://www.metsapirtti.net/perinne/metsapirttipuku/luku6.htm Besides the rekko, embroidery is done on a narrow band or stand-up collar, on the cuffs, and in Tuuteri, Skuoritsa and Tyrö on the shoulders above or below the sleeve seam. In the area from Sakkola to Vuole, a colored strip of printed cotton cloth was sometimes inserted in this seam. See the image above. Here is an example from Miikkulainen. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder. This is the collar to the Kivennapa chemise that Soja shows on her blog. On the Karelian isthmus, sarafans were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. The Rekko costumes are of either type, depending on district. This map shows the sarafan-wearing area shaded and stippled. There are two similar cuts used for the sarafan in this area. Examples from Sakkola An example from Miikkulainen. In Tuuteri and Skuoritsa the upper part is ornamented. On the west side of the isthmus, a skirt is worn, either of a single color, as in Muolaa, or plaid with striped broadcloth sewn onto the bottom hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. In Ingria the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt. Aprons are either wool or linen, usually with woven in designs, and/or embroidery. The linen aprons often have nyytinki bobbin-lace inserts and/or edging, like this example from Sakkola. Tan leather shoes are worn which are typical of Karelia, and are similar to those worn by the Saami [Lapps], but shorter. They have a distinctive pointed toe. Girls wear a headband or ribbon around the head. In Ingria in particular this was often highly ornamented with beadwork and metal plates. Here is an example from Tyrö. While married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made of cloth with embroidery and/or appliqued ribbon, and ties around the head. Here are a couple of examples. Here is what the two constituent pieces look like Here are some more examples of the embroidery on the sorokka. I will close with some photos showing the various forms of this costume in the various districts. Koivisto Kuolemajärvi Uusikirkko and Kanneljärvi Muolaa Äyräpää Kivennapa Valkjärvi Sakkola and Rautu Metsäpirtti Miikkulainen and Vuole Tuuteri Skuoritsa Tyrö Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative. I find this type of embroidery to be fascinating. I hope that some of you will find a way to adapt this idea and make something beautiful to enrich the world. Here is a Finnish website where you can order some of these costumes http://www.kansallispuvut.fi/puvut/koivisto_np.htm 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] email Source material: Ildiko Lehtinnen, 'Rahwaan Puku Folk Costume', Helsinki, 1984 Leena Hokkanen, 'The Bobbin-Laces of Karelian National Costumes', Saksa, Finland, 1991 Sylvi Kauhanen, 'Kansallispukuja', Helsinki, 1952 Ritva Somerma, 'Kansallispukuja', Lahti, Finland, 1991 Ritva Somerma, 'Finnish National Dresses', Lahti, Finland, 1987 Viola Malmi et al, 'Kostium i Prazdnyk', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2008 T. Jashkova, 'Kostium Karelii', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2009 Also the website of Finnish Museums online, which has remarkable images of items from various collections. http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/en

Hello all, Today I am going to talk about a type of costume which was found in the southern and western parts of the Karelian Isthmus. The Finns call this type of costume 'Rekko', after the particular kind of embroidery done on the chemise. This embroidery is done on the front just under the collar and results in the opening being on the side, as you can see in this image above. Karelia is a contiguous region, but references to it are complicated, as it is divided into three parts politically. Here is a map showing the various regions of Karelia. The regions of South Karelia [Etelä-Karjala] and North Karelia [Pohjois-Karjala] are within the current borders of the Finnish state. The regions of White Karelia, Olonets Karelia and Ladoga Karelia are within the Karelian Republic of Russia. This also includes the region of Zaonezhia, which lies east of Lake Onega and which is populated solely by Russians, so as to dilute the percentage of Karelians within the Republic. The Karelian isthmus [Karjalankannas] is currently part of Leningrad Oblast in Russia, along with Ingria. The famous Kalevala was written in Karelia. The Karelians are closely related to the Finns, speaking a family of dialects which are considered to be Finnish or a closely related language, Generally, the areas east of the border and Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian, while the areas in Finland, the Karelian Isthmus and the region north of Lake Ladoga are considered to speak Karelian dialects of Finnish. There is also a community of Orthodox Karelians living in Tver' Oblast in Russia. They moved there to escape religious persecution by the Lutherans, but unfortunately they have mostly been assimilated by the Russian population. The Karelian isthmus, along with a strip of territory north of Lake Ladoga was annexed by the Soviet Union from Finland in the 1940's. This land is still shown on Finnish maps. The costume which I will be addressing today was found in various versions in the southern part of the Finnish Karelian Isthmus, together with communities of Ingrian Finns including Tuuteri [Tuutari] in Ingria, which is south of the previous border. This costume is still maintained by the small community of Karelians and Ingrian Finns which remain in the area, as well as by many who now live within the current borders of Finland. The history and ethnogeography of this region is rather complicated, including, besides the Finns and Karelians the Votes, Izhorians, Ingrian Finns, Veps, Swedes, and Russians. For more information see these articles. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelian_Isthmus http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ingria http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karelia As you can see from this map, besides Tuuteri, costumes with the rekko are found in the districts of Koivisto, Kuolemajärvi, Uusikirkko, Muolaa, Äyräpää, Kanneljärvi, Valkjärvi, Kivennapa, Rautu, Sakkola, and Metsäpirtti. These have, of course. now all been given Russian names. There are differences of detail between the costumes of the various districts. This costume was also found south of the border in some parts of Ingria, particularly in districts north of St. Petersburg, like Miikkulainen, and Vuole, but also in the district of Skuoritsa, which borders Tuuteri on the southwest, and the district of Tyrö on the Baltic coast to the north and west of Tuuteri [Tuutari]. Here is a photograph of the rekko paita or chemise. This particular example is from Sakkola. The rekko is a center piece in the front of the chemise which is gathered into tubes as for smocking. Embroidery is done across these tubes and onto the neighboring piece of material Here is a schematic of a rekko chemise. Unlike English smocking, the gathering threads are left in place, and the result is not elastic. The design, color and extent of the embroidery varies by district. Here is a closeup of a rekko from Valkjärvi done in orange, blue and white wool. Apparantly the original color of rekko embroidery was golden yellow. Some shade of yellow/orange still seems to generally be the primary color. The side opening is held closed by an engraved silver or pewter brooch, smaller for single girls, and larger for married women. This is the size of brooch which would be given to a girl by her fiance. Here are a few images I took from a Finnish woman's blog showing how she made a rekko from Kivennapa, step by step. She is an amazing seamstress and makes Sarafans as well. Her name seems to be Soja. Here is a link to her blog.It is very inspiring to see her work. http://soja.blogit.fi/tag/rekko/ Here are a couple of closeups of a rekko from Kuolemajärvi. Here is a closeup of a rekko from the district of Tyrö in Ingria. Sometimes you will see one of these costumes made with a fake rekko, substituting it with a patch just sewn onto the chemise, like this example from Tuuteri. This photo is from a catalog of a company that makes mass produced costumes. It is much easier to do this. Here is a closeup of the rekko embroidery from Metsäpirtti.This photo looks like the embroidery was originally done over the smocking and then was cut off and sewn onto a newer chemise. The photo was taken from this webpage, which shows every detail of the Metsäpirtti costume and has detailed instructions on how to make it, in Finnish, [Karelian?]. The images are not of the best quality, but the information is still very valuable and interesting. http://www.metsapirtti.net/perinne/metsapirttipuku/luku6.htm Besides the rekko, embroidery is done on a narrow band or stand-up collar, on the cuffs, and in Tuuteri, Skuoritsa and Tyrö on the shoulders above or below the sleeve seam. In the area from Sakkola to Vuole, a colored strip of printed cotton cloth was sometimes inserted in this seam. See the image above. Here is an example from Miikkulainen. In Ingria, the sleeves are often gathered at the top of the shoulder. This is the collar to the Kivennapa chemise that Soja shows on her blog. On the Karelian isthmus, sarafans were worn in the east and south, and skirts in the north and west. The Rekko costumes are of either type, depending on district. This map shows the sarafan-wearing area shaded and stippled. There are two similar cuts used for the sarafan in this area. Examples from Sakkola An example from Miikkulainen. In Tuuteri and Skuoritsa the upper part is ornamented. On the west side of the isthmus, a skirt is worn, either of a single color, as in Muolaa, or plaid with striped broadcloth sewn onto the bottom hem, as in Koivisto and Kuolemajärvi. In Ingria the rekko costume is also sometimes worn with a skirt. Aprons are either wool or linen, usually with woven in designs, and/or embroidery. The linen aprons often have nyytinki bobbin-lace inserts and/or edging, like this example from Sakkola. Tan leather shoes are worn which are typical of Karelia, and are similar to those worn by the Saami [Lapps], but shorter. They have a distinctive pointed toe. Girls wear a headband or ribbon around the head. In Ingria in particular this was often highly ornamented with beadwork and metal plates. Here is an example from Tyrö. While married women wear a headdress called sorokka, which is made of cloth with embroidery and/or appliqued ribbon, and ties around the head. Here are a couple of examples. Here is what the two constituent pieces look like Here are some more examples of the embroidery on the sorokka. I will close with some photos showing the various forms of this costume in the various districts. Koivisto Kuolemajärvi Uusikirkko and Kanneljärvi Muolaa Äyräpää Kivennapa Valkjärvi Sakkola and Rautu Metsäpirtti Miikkulainen and Vuole Tuuteri Skuoritsa Tyrö Thank you for reading, I hope that you have found this interesting and informative. I find this type of embroidery to be fascinating. I hope that some of you will find a way to adapt this idea and make something beautiful to enrich the world. Here is a Finnish website where you can order some of these costumes http://www.kansallispuvut.fi/puvut/koivisto_np.htm 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. I also choreograph and teach folk dance. Roman K. [email protected] email Source material: Ildiko Lehtinnen, 'Rahwaan Puku Folk Costume', Helsinki, 1984 Leena Hokkanen, 'The Bobbin-Laces of Karelian National Costumes', Saksa, Finland, 1991 Sylvi Kauhanen, 'Kansallispukuja', Helsinki, 1952 Ritva Somerma, 'Kansallispukuja', Lahti, Finland, 1991 Ritva Somerma, 'Finnish National Dresses', Lahti, Finland, 1987 Viola Malmi et al, 'Kostium i Prazdnyk', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2008 T. Jashkova, 'Kostium Karelii', Petrozavodsk, Karelia, 2009 Also the website of Finnish Museums online, which has remarkable images of items from various collections. http://suomenmuseotonline.fi/en

Gusli (Гусли) it's the oldest East Slavic multi-string plucked instrument. It's roots lie in Novgorod. Gusli is related to Karelian/Finnish kantele, Latvian kokle and Lithuanian kankles. Hi, long ti…

I learned basic backstrap rigid heddle weaving to make traditional belts for my Karelian folk costume I'm constructing.

The Cumans originally lived east of the Yellow River, in China, making them the only Caucasian people in eastern Asia at the time. A genetic study was done on Cuman burials within Hungary and it wa…

Another connection between the Peasant Arts movement and Walter Crane, is Crane's interest in peasant clothing and embroidery. Crane travelled Europe admiring peasant embroidery. Peasant Arts members also travelled Europe gaining inspiration from peasant art, the most significant traveller being the Rev. Gerald Davies who amassed the objects that were donated as the Peasant Arts Museum. Russian Peasant Embroidery illustration by Walter Crane from Crane, Walter, William Morris to Whistler G. Bell and Sons Limited, London, 1911) In his book William Morris to Whistler (Crane, G. Bell and Sons Limited, London, 1911) Crane writes “embroidery as an art of design may be considered from many different points of view – but none of these are more important than those of colour and its treatment. It is indeed to colour that decorative needlework owes its chief charm, and in no direction is the influence of controlling taste more essential, and in its absence the most elaborate workmanship and technical accomplishment are apt to be wasted… The Russian peasants have a form of frock or long blouse worn by young girls, which affords an instance of effective use of frank and bright colour upon a white ground. The garment itself is of homespun linen. It has a square opening for the neck, and is put on over the head, like a smock frock. The sleeves are quite simple, full on the upper arm and narrowing to a band on the wrist. The skirt, which falls straight from the shoulders, is decorated with a series of horizontal bands of pattern worked in cross-stitch, the principal colours being red and green, colours which always tell well upon white. The square-cut opening at the neck and the cuffs are emphasized by embroidered pattern of similar kind but on a smaller scale. The garment is ingeniously adapted to the growth of its wearer by adding extra rings of pattern to the skirt, and by enlarging a square piece let in at the arm-pits.” From Crane, Walter, An Artist’s Reminscences, Macmillan Company, 1907 Upon discussing the use of colour in embroidery, he states “as a general principle, especially where many colours are employed, we are more likely to secure harmony if we choose reds, for instance, inclining to orange, blues inclining to green, yellows inclining to green or brown, blacks of a greenish or olive tone. Perfectly frank and pure colours, however, may be harmonized, especially with the use of gold, though they are more difficult to deal with – unless one can command the natural, primitive instinct of the Hungarian, the Greek, or the Persian peasant.” Embroidery detail of 1620s linen jacket, formerly of the Isham Collection at the V&A Museum In Establishing Dress History (Taylor, Lou, Manchester University Press, 2004), it is described that “In 1900, Walter Crane much admired the quality of craft work in this collection (the Isham collection from Lamport Hall, Northamption, of twenty-seven rare examples of seventeenth-century dress and embroideries. This included entire men’s suits of the 1675-1700 period and remains one of the great treasures of the Victoria and Albert Museum) and believed, all too optimistically as it turned out, that it ‘would make possible an instructive exhibition of costumes in the Museum’”. Illustration by Walter Crane from Mrs Molesworth, The Tapestry Room: a Child's Romance, MacMillan and Co., 1879 Describing a visit to Bohemia in 1890 (Crane, Walter, An Artist’s Reminscences, Macmillan Company, 1907), Crane writes “we made the acquaintance at Prague of M. Borowsky, the curator the Rudolphinum Museum…The most interesting things, however, to us were Bohemian peasant costumes, of which there was a fine collection. Many of the peasant women’s head-dresses were wonderful, embroidered with gold and silver, and the dresses also embroidered. The peasant women still embroider their own dresses and the national costume is kept up, and the peasants come out in their bravery, though it is true one heard that they did not like being stared at by the townsfolk. They certainly seemed to belong to another race, and mad a striking contrast in the streets to the ordinary citizens in the unromantic garb of modern business and town life. Walter Crane by G.F. Watts, 1891 National Portrait Gallery (G.F. Watts lived in Compton, a few miles from Haslemere) Through the kindness of M. Borowsky, who induced a group of country folks in their costume to submit to the process, I was enabled to get a sketch of typical group who happened to be wandering through the Museum. The lady was remarkable for her daring arrangement of colour. A red kerchief, curiously folded, covered her head, showing a long plait of hair, to which was attached a big bow of pink ribbon edged with lace. Her jacket was bright purple, elaborately embroidered and braided, and her skirt was a vivid print, in vertical stripes of red and yellow, bearing floral patterns. Striped stockings (red and white) and (alas!) modern kid boots completed the costume. She held a little rosary in her hands as she stood for me.” In Carrara, Tuscany, on the same journey, Crane describes how he painted a model who was a fine “fine-looking peasant woman”, he explained that “the effect of the warm hite robe and deep-toned flesh against the blue in the full Italian sunlight was very striking and beautiful, and I made a study at the same time, which I afterwards exhibited at the R.W.S under the title of “Madonna of the Vineyards”. I cannot trace this painting. Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest In 1900 Walter Crane took his touring exhibition to the Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest. Crane recalls a speech that M. Radiscics, the Director of the Museum of Applied Arts, gave in his honour around 1900 “We must learn how the Hungarian peasant cloaks, flower-decorated trunks, dishes, cups, must be transformed into ornaments fit to embellish drawing-rooms, palaces, altars; we must learn how to transform into a creating power the aesthetical sense and artistic inclination of our people. Should one man not be able to execute the task Walter Crane has finished alone, then the task must be shared among ten, among a hundred – and their activity will be blessed.” Embroidery from Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest: "Dísz nyeregtakaró, részlet, 1600 körül" Crane writes that “I was able to get some sketches of the peasants in their costumes here, and very brilliant in colour they were. They were quite willing to stand for one, too…An old woman was sitting at the small window busy at work on an elaborate piece of embroidery, which would take about six months to finish, she said. These peasant embroideries were now being collected extensively by the rich people in the towns, and fine old pieces were becoming rate. Newer embroidery from Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest: "Vörösruhás nő, Rippl-Rónai kárpit, 1898" Schools of embroidery were being established in the towns to teach the work which the peasantry had taught themselves, and of course, at every remove, the patterns became tamer. It does not seem possible to transform unconscious spontaneous art into learned art, any more than it is possible for wild flowers to flourish in a formal garden.” This places Crane potentially at odds with Godfrey Blount's prescribed works for the Peasant Arts movement.

Just outside Helsinki, a show at the Gallen-Kallela Museum ties together Finnish epic poetry, local storytelling in many languages, and rarely seen artworks by a famous painter.

Unvorstellbar schöne Waldlandschafte, echte Rentiere und die absolute Ruhe! Wo man das bekommt? Ihr erfahrt es in unseren Lappland Reisetipps.

View album on Yandex Disk

READY TO SHIP This is soft and luxurious feel ethnic Ukrainian floral shawl in square shape. Eye-catching, stylish, versatile and warm. The oversized shawl wrap scarf’s Classic floral design is timeless. Worn day or night, season to season, it adds an effortless modern and chic look to any outfit. Easy to style as a layering garment with your favorite jacket, T-shirt, blouse, dress, cardigan, sweater, coat or raincoat. The perfect go-to accessory for your wardrobe adding the finishing touch to your outfit. Carefully selected colors make this classic scarf. The rich cotton weave fabric has a soft, luxurious feel, perfect to keep warm and cozy. Size is: 110 x 110 cm or 43.3" x 43.3". We have them in different colors. SHIPMENT All items are in stock and ready for shipping. We usually ship our items within 2 business days after receiving a payment. We use standard economy shipping by airmail registered service. Usually it takes about 10-12 days to Europe and about 10-20 days to USA. If you want to upgrade shipping to any express services ( such as EMS or DHL ) please contact me and I`ll make you an offer. All items will be shipped from Ukraine and will be packed in safety box. RETURNS Returns are accepted within 14 days from the delivery date. Return shipping costs are paid by you. Please note that actual colors may differ from photo, due to your screen settings.

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Suomen käsityön museon Näytönpaikka ikkunaan vaihtui uusi näyttely käspaikoista. Näyttely on osa Käsityö elämässä - käsityön juhlavuoden museon tuottamaa ohjelmaa. Kuva Suomen Asutusmuseosta. Ielleh järilleh kirjuttamine on karjalaa ja tarkoittaa etupistokirjontaa, joka on vanhin käspaikkojen koristelutapa. Käspaikka on pitkä kapea pyyheliina ja rituaaliesine. Se oli Karjalassa talon arvotavara. Kun karjalainen astui sisälle kotiin, hän huuhteli ensin kätensä, kuivasi ne käspaikkaan, teki ristinmerkin vastakkaisessa nurkassa olevan ikonin suuntaan ja vasta sitten tervehti isäntäväkeä. Sitä käytettiin sekä kotona että kirkossa. Juhla-aterialla se levitettiin ruokailijoiden syliin, häissä ja hautajaisissa käspaikoilla oli rituaalisia tehtäviä. Näyttelyssä olevat käspaikat on valmistettu vuosien 1991 - 2012 välisenä aikana. Suurin osa on Julia Salmisen (s. 1933 Laatokan Mantsinsaarella) tekemiä. Salminen on halunnut elvyttää ja siirtää käspaikkojen tekemistä tuleville sukupolville. Hän on tutkinut vanhoja malleja ja tehnyt niistä ruutupiirroksia ja työohjeita. Viisi vuotta hän on opettanut vapaaehtoisesti käspaikkojen tekemistä Jyväskylässä. Kahden ikkunan valloittaneet käspaikat on suurimmaksi osaksi ripustettu tangoille, jolloin molempien päiden kirjaillut kuviot näkyivät. Käspaikoissa käytetään etupistokirjontaa, jolloin kuvio näyttää molemmilta puolilta samalta, eli tekstiilistä tulee nurjaton. Käspaikan tavallisin leveys on 30-35 cm ja pituus 2-2,5 m. Materiaalina käytetään kotikutoista pellavapalttinaa. Kirjonta tehdään puuvillalangalla, perinteisesti yleisimmin punaisella värillä. Tämä oli ensimmäinen kerta kun näin käspaikkoja koristeltuna myös muilla väreillä kuin punaisella. Käspaikkojen kuvioaiheita pidetään keskiaikaisina ja bysanttilaisina, mutta virikkeitä on saatu myös lännestä. Malleja on sovellettu aina omaperäisesti, mutta samalla on pitäydytty kansanomaisissa aiheissa. Elämänpuu, kasvi- ja eläinaiheet, ihmishahmot sekä geometriset kuviot toistuvat välillä hyvinkin tyyliteltyinä ja toisiinsa sulautuneina. Ornamenteilla on symboliset merkitykset ja pienillä kuvio-osasilla omat vakiintuneet nimityksensä, kuten käpälikkö, omenainen, näreinen tai kirkkonen. Suosituin kuvioaihe on kautta aikojen ollut lintu: riikinkukko, kaksipäinen lintunen tai kukkilintu. Lintu on hyvän viestin tuoja ja sen kirjominen merkitsee onnen konkreettista läsnäoloa. Lintu symboloi myös valoa, lämpöä ja satoa. Se on rakkauden vertauskuva ja kirkollisessa symboliikassa Pyhän Hengen vertauskuva. Minulta löytyy yksi punaisella koneellisesti kirjottu käspaikka (eikä materiaalikaan ole pellavapalttinaa),jossa on lintukuvio. Tämä on mummon peruja. Koneellisesti valmistetuissa kuvioissa on nurja puoli, eikä ne siksi ole molemmilta puolilta yhtä kauniita. Suomen ortodoksisen kirkkomuseon kokoelmissa on vanhoja käspaikkoja, joiden reunat on koristeltu nyplätyin pitsein ovat jopa vieläkin kauniimpia kuin virkatut reunat. Analogipöydällä on Vladimirin Jumalanäidin ikoni. Violetilla kirjottu käspaikka on piispa Arsenin Suolahden tsasounaan lahjoittama vanha työ. Julia Salminen teki siitä mallipiirroksen ja analogin sinisävyinen työ on hänen oppilaansa tekemä. Miltäs tällaiset käspaikat ja kirjontamallit näyttävät? Pidetään käsityötaito elossa ja kunniassa! Lähteet: Suomen käsityön museo Käspaikoista kiinnostuneille suosittelen Leena Säpin toimittamaa kirjaa Käspaikka - muistiliina, jota saattaa löytyä vielä esimerkiksi Suomen käsityön museon museokaupasta. Näyttely esillä 4.2.2013 saakka.

NF.09398-016 Digitalt museum. Public domain.